Case Study: Salinas Honda boosts profitability and speeds approvals with Upstart Auto Finance

Salinas Honda drives $3,500 back-end profit with Upstart

Salinas Honda, a dealership in California, faced the challenge of encountering guarded and skeptical car buyers, many of whom had thin credit files and were focused on monthly payments. These customers often had previous negative experiences with high APRs or steep down payments at other dealerships. To build trust and close more deals, the dealership turned to Upstart Auto Finance as a sales tool early in the customer process.

By implementing Upstart's AI-powered lending platform, Salinas Honda gained a preferred non-captive option that provides near-instant approvals and evaluates risk based on performance rather than just credit scores. This solution from Upstart allowed the dealership to close deals they would have otherwise missed. The results were significant profitability, with an average back-end profit of $3,500 per deal and dealer compensation of over $1,100, making them the most profitable store in their dealer group.

Salinas Honda