Automotive News Daily Drive · Automotive News

March 19, 2026 | Engineer used $25 AI tool to save $4,200 on car; Iran war threatens Japan’s supplies

·26 min·2 clips

A software engineer's AI agent pitted dealers against each other, saving him over $4,000 on a new Hyundai Palisade.

This episode covers major auto industry news including supply chain disruptions from the Iran war and Uber's $1.25 billion bet on Rivian robo-taxis, then features an interview with software engineer A.J. Stivenberg who built an AI agent that negotiated a car deal, saving over $4,000. It also includes a segment on IMSA's partnership with NASA and tech developments in racing.

As heard by us

Supply strain and an AI-assisted car deal anchor the episode.

March 19's Daily Drive keeps the focus on pressure in the auto business, and it does it without drifting into abstraction. It starts with Iran war coverage that pushes Toyota and Nissan to cut production, then moves to a much stranger bit of dealership problem solving: a…

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Want a commute-length auto-industry roundup that pairs war-driven Toyota and Nissan production cuts with an AI car-shopping hack?

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