Car Buying Harder In October, Cybertruck Day Supply, OpenAI’s Operator

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It’s Thursday, and we’re almost halfway through November. Today, we’re talking about a CDK study that says car buying got harder for consumers in October, how Tesla has exhausted its Cybertruck reservation list and OpenAI’s autonomous Operator that’s coming to a computer near you.

Show Notes with links:

• According to a recent CDK Global study, shoppers struggled a bit more in October with finding the right car as inventory disruptions such as stop sales, model turnovers, and natural disasters took a toll on the Ease of Purchase.
  • 87% of buyers reported an easy car-buying experience, down from September’s 89% and August’s record 93%.
  • Only 49% of shoppers could buy their preferred vehicle on the lot, down from 54% in September, with the test-drive ease rate also slipping to 78%—a rare dip below 80%.
  • Complaints about "too many things to choose from" and excessive paperwork led to a slight drop in ease for form completion, falling to 70% in October from 72% in September.
  • The time it took to finalize purchases increased for 32% of buyers, up from 25% in September. Just 15% experienced a quicker purchase process, a significant drop from last month’s 25%.

• Tesla has begun offering Cybertrucks directly from new vehicle inventory, indicating that its once-massive reservation backlog may have dwindled.
  • U.S. buyers can now order and receive a Cybertruck in roughly a week, suggesting Tesla has exhausted its initial backlog.
  • Despite over a million initial reservations, Tesla has only delivered approximately 50,000 Cybertrucks in the United States so far.
  • Changes in the production model, including a higher price and lower range than originally promised, may have deterred some reservation holders.
  • Tesla has expanded Cybertruck deliveries to Mexico and Canada to match rising production capacity.

• OpenAI is set to release a new AI agent, codenamed "Operator," designed to take actions on users' computers, like writing code or booking travel. The tool is expected to launch as a research preview in January.
  • Operator will be available through OpenAI’s API, allowing developers to integrate it into various applications.
  • The tool aligns with an industry trend toward AI agents capable of completing complex, multi-step tasks autonomously.
  • Competitors like Anthropic, Microsoft, and Google are also developing similar agent tools to manage tasks for users.
  • OpenAI’s Sam Altman has hinted at this shift, calling it the next “giant breakthrough” in AI during a recent Reddit AMA.

Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.

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