Dealership acquisitions in 2026 are poised for record activity as confidence in valuations and earnings strengthens across the industry. On today’s episode of Inside Automotive, Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors, provides a detailed outlook on this year’s automotive buy-sell market and how emerging factors such as AI are shaping dealership acquisitions. Higher confidence in dealership earnings encourages more owners to list their stores, while buyers anticipate stable or growing performance, creating favorable conditions for transactions. Kerrigan emphasizes that dealership buy-sell transactions are evolving toward more sophisticated structures, moving away from informal or “back-of-the-napkin” approaches. Dealers must adapt to these evolving transaction practices to remain competitive in the buy-sell market.