Carvana Dealership #2, Buffett Cashes Out BYD, Amazon AI Ad Assist

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Episode #1153: Carvana expands its dealership experiment in Dallas, Berkshire Hathaway closes the books on its massive BYD bet, and Amazon steps up its AI game with a chat assistant for advertisers.

Show Notes with links:

• Carvana is making another big move into franchised new-car sales, and this time it’s happening in Dallas. The company has agreed to acquire Park Cities Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram-Fiat, marking its second foray into the world of traditional dealerships.
  • This is Carvana’s second franchised dealership after buying Jerry Seiner CDJR in Casa Grande, Arizona, earlier this year.
  • Wood Motor Co. owner Chip Johnson, who sold the Dallas store, said it was simply the right time to sell and Carvana’s offer made sense for the future of the dealership
  • The deal reflects Carvana’s ongoing experiment in blending its digital-first model with the in-person dealership experience.
  • A Carvana spokesperson said: “We are in the very early days of testing as a franchise dealer… and we look forward to continuing to learn as we focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences.”

• Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway have officially cashed out of their wildly successful bet on Chinese EV maker BYD. After holding the stock for 17 years, Berkshire confirmed it no longer owns a single share.
  • This is the end of a $230 million investment made in 2008 at Charlie Munger’s urging, which grew to nearly $9 billion at its peak.
  • BYD shares skyrocketed about 3,890% during Berkshire’s ownership, making it one of the firm’s most lucrative EV-related plays.
  • Buffett hasn’t given a detailed reason for the exit but has voiced concern about geopolitical risks tied to China and Taiwan.
  • On BYD, Buffett told CNBC: “It’s an extraordinary company run by an extraordinary person, but I think that we’ll find things to do with the money that I’ll feel better about.”

• Amazon is stepping deeper into AI for marketers, rolling out a conversational chat assistant designed to act as a “creative partner” for brands advertising on its platform.
  • The tool lives inside Amazon’s Creative Studio and is launching in beta at no cost to advertisers.
  • This is Amazon’s first conversational AI ad assistant, built to help with research, brainstorming, storyboarding, and producing display and video ads.
  • The assistant uses Amazon’s massive shopper data and Bedrock foundation models like Nova and Anthropic Claude to give marketers campaign-ready assets.
  • It’s being pitched as a way to level the playing field, especially for smaller brands without big agency budgets.
  • Amazon’s VP Jay Richman said: “This is about more than speed — it’s about giving every advertiser and agency access to the kind of strategic, high-quality creative support that once only large brands could afford.”

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