Insights

Research and analysis on dealer capital, carrying costs, and inventory intelligence.

The Last Responsible Moment

Every vehicle on your lot has a precise inflection point where carrying costs cross recovery potential. Most dealers find it after it has passed. Here's how to calculate the exact day.

The $62 Billion Blind Spot

We tracked 302,152 vehicles across 1,674 dealerships. Nearly 1 in 3 franchise vehicles has been sitting 90+ days, freezing $4.32 billion in invoice capital.

The Cost of Standing Still

Every day a vehicle sits past its curtailment gate, it destroys the compounding return that same capital would generate elsewhere. Full quantitative model with three stress scenarios.

Negative Carry Explained

Your DMS shows interest paid. It doesn't show the full annualized spread between what aged inventory costs and what that capital could earn elsewhere.

The Birthday Boy Problem

Dealers call a vehicle that's been on the lot 365 days a 'birthday boy.' But the damage starts months earlier. Real curtailment data from SEC filings, ABS prospectuses, and public credit facilities.

Floorplan Interest in 2025

SEC 10-K analysis: how floorplan interest expense exploded across public dealership groups. Penske hit $189.8M. Asbury went from $9.6M to $89.9M.

The Economics of a Dealer-to-Dealer Swap

Swaps fail because neither side can see the full picture. Real math on carrying costs, SRS scoring, and capital recovery for franchise dealer inventory swaps.

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