During the latest episode of Inside Automotive, Jim Fitzpatrick sits down with the Vice President of Product Strategy at Lotlinx, Joshua Gonsenhauser, who shares insights from the company’s latest Q1 VinCensus report, highlighting the importance of precise, data-driven decisions as dealers face growing volatility.
The VinCensus Report delivers a franchise-specific monthly inventory analysis by leveraging 24 million data points and over a decade of machine learning. According to Gonsenhauser, the most recent report showed a surprising 10% quarter-over-quarter growth in March, primarily driven by a late-month surge in used vehicle sales, likely spurred by looming tariff concerns.
However, the outlook for April has cooled. “We’re not seeing the same strength,” said Gonsenhauser, pointing to lingering uncertainty as a key reason for the slowdown. According to the data, carryover risk is rising: aged used cars beyond 30 days and new cars beyond 45 days are sitting longer on dealer lots while consumer demand lags behind wholesale trends.
Gonsenhauser advised dealers to shift away from speculative buying and instead focus on smart pricing and merchandising vehicles to sell within 30 to 45 days. He emphasized that tools like Lotlinx’s VIN-specific marketing platform can help dealers align each car with real-time demand: “Don’t play the spec game… price the car to sell.”
The interview also tackled the shifting dynamics around EVs. Gonsenhauser noted that while 75% of shoppers were open to buying a new EV six to nine months ago, that number has now dropped to under 10%, largely due to negative press and political headwinds. Still, he cautioned dealers not to abandon EVs entirely, especially as third-party lead providers like Cars.com and Edmunds continue to report strong consumer interest.
In response to questions about preparing for tariffs, Gonsenhauser said the most effective strategy remains unchanged: dealers must act decisively with their current inventory. “There’s no silver bullet,” he acknowledged, but targeting merchandising dollars toward underperforming VINs, rather than spreading budgets evenly across all vehicles, can maximize ROI and help dealers stay competitive as conditions shift.
"Don't play the spec game because that’s a really hard game to win…. Price the car to sell… Get it gone…. Don’t let it age." – Joshua Gonsenhauser.
