What America’s Local Mobility Dealers Are Telling Us
Every golf car, utility vehicle, and low-speed vehicle dealer has a story to tell.
Some are celebrating record sales. Others are working through inventory challenges, staffing shortages or changing customer expectations. Some are expanding into new markets, while others are asking how to protect profitability in an increasingly competitive environment.
Individually, those stories help owners manage their businesses. Collectively, they tell us something much more important. They reveal where our industry is today.
That idea inspired LSVDA Dealer Insights: Mid-Year 2026, Operational Intelligence from America’s Low-Speed Vehicle Dealers. Rather than asking dealers to predict the future, we asked a simpler question: What are you experiencing right now?
The answers provide a thoughtful snapshot of an industry that continues to create opportunity while adapting to a more demanding business environment.
One of the most encouraging findings was that strong growth remains achievable. Nearly three times as many participating dealers reported revenue growth exceeding 15 percent as reported declines greater than 15 percent. At the same time, the research confirmed there is no single dealer experience. Some businesses are growing rapidly, others are holding steady, and some are facing meaningful challenges.
The more important story, however, is not who is growing. It is how dealers are thinking about their businesses.
When asked what they would most like to learn from some of the industry’s best operators, dealers rarely focused on products. Instead, they wanted practical ideas for improving marketing, increasing profitability, managing inventory, building stronger teams, improving service operations and preparing for future growth. That observation is significant. It tells us the conversation is moving beyond simply selling more vehicles. Dealers are increasingly focused on building stronger businesses that can succeed in a changing market.
The research also revealed that dealers are placing greater value on dependable business partnerships. Manufacturer support, transparent communication, parts availability and long-term stability were recurring themes throughout the survey. Discussions about imported vehicles extended well beyond purchase price to include warranty support, regulatory compliance, future parts availability and resale value. Dealers are evaluating not only the vehicles they represent, but also the long-term strength of the companies behind them.
Several additional themes emerged. Inventory management has become much more than a stocking decision. It influences cash flow, customer satisfaction and operating efficiency. Policy issues, including insurance, titling, safety requirements and local regulations, continue to shape everyday dealership decisions. Dealers are also beginning to pay closer attention to the used-vehicle market and what it may mean for future trade values, affordability and long-term growth.
Taken together, these observations describe an industry that is becoming more disciplined and more sophisticated. Dealers are balancing more variables than ever before while placing greater value on practical operating knowledge and better business decisions. That is exactly what the Dealer Insights program is designed to support.
Our goal is not simply to publish survey results. It is to identify meaningful patterns, highlight emerging issues and translate dealer experience into practical market intelligence that helps dealers build stronger businesses.
The insights from this research will shape future LSVDA Best Practice Forums, market expansion support, policy reporting focus and future Dealer Insights publications. Most importantly, they provide an opportunity for dealers to learn from one another at a time when the market continues to evolve. Markets change. Dealer priorities change. Successful dealerships adapt.
The goal is simple: listen to dealers, understand what they’re experiencing, and turn those insights into practical intelligence that helps build better dealerships.
The complete LSVDA Dealer Insights: Mid-Year 2026 – Operational Intelligence from America’s Low-Speed Vehicle Dealers report is available to Professional, Growth and Leadership Dealer Members; and Sponsors as part of their membership benefits. To receive your copy and gain access to market intelligence, best practices, dealer resources and member programs designed to help build a stronger dealership, join LSVDA as a Sponsor or Dealer at the Professional level or above by visiting LSVDA.com.
About the Author
Mike Alexander is the Executive Director of the Low-Speed Vehicle Dealer Association (LSVDA) and Founder of Sea Anchor Group. A veteran executive in the LSV and Light Duty Utility Vehicle industries, he advises OEMs, suppliers, dealers, and private equity-backed companies on growth strategies, market development, operational leadership, and industry modernization.
“The story isn’t about who is growing and who isn’t. It’s about how dealers are building stronger businesses in a changing market.”
