It’s the final lap of the year. Coffee consumption is at a seasonal high, holiday shoppers are doing test drives in ugly sweaters, and every GM is saying “we just need one more good weekend.”

December is weird. Leads spike, closing rates dip, and customers who haven’t bought a car since 2018 suddenly want to negotiate like they’re on a game show.

But there’s opportunity everywhere: inventory is loosening, leasing is making a comeback, AI adoption is accelerating, and search trends are shifting right under our feet.

So grab a peppermint mocha, turn on your lot lights, and let’s get you prepped to finish 2025 like a pro.

The Scoop (TL;DR):

1. Leasing is back and growing faster than expected

2. Gen Z is reshaping the sales process

3. New FTC Safeguards enforcement is tightening

4. Used luxury vehicles are becoming surprise December winners

5. Google’s AI Overviews are quietly changing search visibility

6. Winter tire season = service gold

🚗 LEASING MAKES A SURPRISE COMEBACK

Leasing dropped hard in 2023–2024, but it’s roaring back.

Lease penetration hit 28% in November, up from just 18% a year prior.

Why? Payments. Plain and simple. As new-car affordability stays tight, OEMs are pushing aggressive residuals and subvented lease rates to keep volume up.

💡 Dealer Takeaway: Push leases. Highlight lower monthly payments in ads. And update your digital retailing tools so shoppers can compare finance vs lease instantly.

👀 GEN Z BUYERS ARE GOING ALL-DIGITAL

Gen Z now makes up 23% of all car buyers, and they hate the old-school process more than anyone.

Key Gen Z behaviours this month:

• 71% want to apply for credit online

• 64% say they will not visit a dealership without a trade-in estimate

• 52% prefer texting over phone calls

• 38% expect ID verification before test drives

💡 Dealer Takeaway: Digital-first wins this demographic. Promote online pre-qual, trade values, test-drive scheduling and transparent pricing.

🛑 FTC SAFEGUARDS ENFORCEMENT IS TIGHTENING

December marks the FTC’s first heavy enforcement sweep on dealerships that haven’t fully implemented Safeguards controls.

New focus areas include:

• Encryption on all customer data

• Documented data-access protocols

• Multi-factor authentication

• ID verification and fraud-prevention measures

• Vendor compliance reporting

Dealers caught out of compliance face fines north of $11,000 per violation. (FTC Release)

💡 Dealer Takeaway: Audit your data processes now. Use secure ID verification tools, tighten access rules, and train staff before year-end.

💎 USED LUXURY IS THE HOTTEST CATEGORY OF THE MONTH

Unexpected but true: used luxury vehicles are outperforming all other segments heading into December.

• Pre-owned luxury sales are up 13% month-over-month

• Average time-on-lot for luxury SUVs dropped from 38 days to 29

• Trade-in values for premium brands are holding unusually strong

Why it matters: Year-end shoppers with bonus money or tax planning needs love high-end used units, especially with new-car prices still elevated.

💡 Dealer Takeaway: Highlight your certified luxury units on social and SEO pages. Update photos. Refresh descriptions. These buyers move fast.

🔍 GOOGLE AI OVERVIEWS: THE QUIET TRAFFIC SHUFFLER

Since October, Google has been quietly rolling out expanded AI Overviews across auto-related queries.

Impact so far:

• Organic click-through rates dropped 8%-12% for “near me” searches

• Dealerships with thin content lost visibility

• Rich, structured content is being favourably surfaced

• Listings with updated metadata gained traffic

💡 Dealer Takeaway: This is the holiday SEO pit stop. Update your homepage, model pages, service pages and local area pages with clear answers, structured data, and real expertise.

🧊 WINTER SERVICE SEASON = SECRET DECEMBER REVENUE

December is peak season for tires, batteries, heat diagnostics, and winter safety checks.

This year:

• Winter tire sales jumped 16 percent YoY

• Battery replacements rose 22 percent

• Service lane appointments hit their highest level since early 2024

💡 Dealer Takeaway: Push winter maintenance packages, bundle tire/wiper/battery offers, and use SMS follow-up to fill your bays.

🔥 NEWSLETTER-ONLY EXTENSION: 24 HOURS TO CLAIM YOUR EXCLUSIVE OFFER

Our Black Friday offers officially ended…

but we’ve quietly extended them for subscribers only.

This won’t be announced anywhere else.

No ads. No sales blasts.

Just you.

🎁 Your Extended Reader-Only Offers

✅ AVA™ Credit — $449/mo (normally $649)

Save $2,400/year and give shoppers a seamless Equifax-powered pre-qualification flow.

✅ AVA™ ID — FREE for 90 Days

Protect every deal and test drive with instant digital ID verification.

✅ AVA™ Complete — $899/mo (normally $1,299)

Save $4,800/year and get Credit, ID, Trade, Test Drives, Lead Portal + Free Marketing Pack.

🎯 Bonus: Pay annually and take an extra 15% off on top.

🎁 FREE RESOURCE OF THE MONTH

This month, we’re spotlighting a tool that can instantly elevate your dealership’s marketing game.

Meet the Automotive AI Ad Copy Generator, your new shortcut to high-impact ad creative across every major platform. Whether you're promoting used inventory, a lease offer, a holiday sales event, or brand-new arrivals, this tool builds polished, high-converting ad copy in seconds.

Just drop in your vehicle details or campaign theme and let AI handle the heavy lifting. No writing skills needed, no extra resources required, and no guesswork about what performs best. Perfect for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Google Ads.

Give your marketing team a productivity boost and start creating better ads, faster.

📈 DIGITAL & MARKETING INSIGHTS: WHAT TO FOCUS ON RIGHT NOW

• Refresh Google Business Profile with holiday hours

• Update December incentives across all VDPs

• Promote lease specials and certified luxury units

• Post winter-service offers weekly

• Use pre-qual and ID-verification tools to reduce no-shows

• Run “year-end clearance” SEO content to catch December traffic spikes

🏁 Final Lap: Your Early Holiday Wrap-Up

Thanks for riding along with us this month! Questions, feedback, or just want to share your dealership wins? Hit reply, we’re all ears!

More automotive news from our friends at

Until next time,

The Dealers Edge and Autocorp.ai Team

P.S. Share this with your team—insights are better when shared! 🚗✨