Luxury Dealership Whisperer: Building a Multi-Million Dollar Powerhouse with Culture | Lonny Soza, Vice President of Fertitta Auto Group

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Lonny Soza, Vice President of Fertitta Auto Group, to discuss how he built a multi-million dollar powerhouse, the biggest lesson he learned acquiring vehicles for CarMax and AutoNation, and how he's bringing Bentley-level customer service to his new Chevrolet store—plus much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Auto Hauler Exchange - Ship Smarter. Pay Less. No Middlemen. Tired of brokers driving up costs and slowing you down? Auto Hauler Exchange puts YOU in control. - Ship cars faster and cheaper with 5,000+ vetted carriers - Get cars delivered in just 5 days on average - Transparent pricing, no hidden fees, and real-time tracking Move cars smarter. Move cars faster. To learn more visit https://www.autohaulerexchange.com/ 2. Podium - Don’t miss another lead. With Podium’s AI BDC, dealerships are seeing an 80% increase in after-hours appointments by handling leads 24/7. Instantly respond to inquiries, book test drives, and let your team focus on what matters: closing deals. Learn how Podium can help you sell more cars @ https://www.podium.com/car-dealership-guy/ 🚨 Don’t forget to subscribe to Car Dealership Guy Bites, for quick, daily insights into automotive retail — delivered in less than 5 minutes: Subscribe on Apple: https://carguymedia.com/apple_bites Subscribe on Spotify: https://carguymedia.com/spotify_bites Subscribe on YouTube: https://carguymedia.com/youtube_bites Need help finding top automotive talent? Get started here: https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line here: https://cdgpartner.com Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here: https://bit.ly/3Suismu Topics: 01:26 – What is the path to success in the car business? 02:02 – What role does a car buyer play in a dealership? 06:08 – How do you cultivate a winning culture in a dealership? 09:13 – What are the best hiring and training strategies for success? 16:17 – How do dealerships generate demand and market effectively? 18:51 – What defines success for ultra-luxury car brands? 20:58 – How does inventory allocation impact dealerships? 22:20 – How do economic cycles affect luxury car sales? 24:30 – How does social media influence brand reputation for dealers? Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: CDG News ➤ https://news.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Jobs ➤ https://jobs.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Recruiting ➤ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ Lonny Soza Socials: LinkedIn ➤ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonny-soza-a36b2a8/ My Socials: X ➤ x.com/GuyDealership Instagram ➤ instagram.com/cardealershipguy/ TikTok ➤ tiktok.com/@guydealership LinkedIn ➤ linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguy Threads ➤ threads.net/@cardealershipguy Facebook ➤ facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077402857683 Everything else ➤ dealershipguy.com #AutomotiveLeadership #WorkEthicCulture #ProfitabilityStrategies