Watch the recap from Impel’s 2026 Automotive Policy Outlook with Senator Bernie Moreno
Tariffs are reshaping supply chains. The EV mandate landscape looks nothing like it did 18 months ago. AI is moving from pilot programs to production workflows. And new legislation like the USA Car Act is putting real money back in consumers’ pockets. For automotive retailers, the policy and technology decisions being made right now will define the competitive landscape for the next decade.
That was the throughline on March 30th, when Impel, Force Marketing, and RockED gathered some of automotive retail’s sharpest minds in New York City for the 2026 Automotive Policy Outlook — an evening built around the conversations the industry actually needs to be having.
Senator Bernie Moreno didn’t ease into it. He opened with a grounded take on the economic environment: “The country with the highest level of foreign direct investment is the United States of America. This economy is strong. Our politics are messy because it’s a democracy.” He also spotlighted a concrete consumer opportunity in the USA Car Act — legislation that would allow buyers to deduct auto loan interest up to $10,000 above the standard deduction. “Probably a couple hundred dollars a month if you finance a car this year,” he said. For dealers, that’s not a policy footnote. That’s a sales conversation.
The fireside chat, moderated by Dan Primack of Axios, brought together Impel Co-Founder & CEO Devin Daly, RockED Founder & Executive Chairman Marco Schnabl, and Force Marketing President & CEO John Fitzpatrick to get specific about what AI is actually doing inside dealerships today and what it makes possible tomorrow. Devin framed it well: “AI allows for massive flexibility that allows a very cyclical industry to modulate up and ebb and flow with supply and demand — and really allows your dealership to change tact and strategy.” In an environment as volatile as this one, that’s not a feature. That’s a survival advantage.
Brian McMaster, Director of Variable Operations at Hendrick Automotive Group, shared what his team is already seeing. “We sell over 200,000 cars a year,” he said. “We’re looking at shortening days to sale by about a half day to almost a day. And we’re all smart enough to realize what that does to floor plan. That’s real money.” The industry has spent decades counting leads, appointments, and gross. Leading operators are now focused on new metrics like customer velocity, and the journey that drives it.
From Washington policy to showroom operations, the evening covered the forces that will shape this industry for years to come. Here are the highlights.
