Carvana and CarMax Just Got Prime’d… Bezos Turns Amazon Into a Used Car Lot With Hertz

I want you to pause the Shane Gillis/Matt McCusker podcast for just a second… because if you listen closely you can hear Jeff Bezos laughing from the deck of his yacht in the Greek islands. Turns out, after dipping his toes into car sales last year with Hyundai, he’s now cranking things up with a big new partnership: Hertz rental cars. Which means: before long you’ll be able to toss an “experienced” Ford Mustang into your Amazon cart (available for same-day shipping, or 2–3 days if you’re feeling eco-friendly). At this rate, don’t be shocked if Bezos starts showing up to earnings calls in a plaid blazer and white loafers, shouting, “Folks, what’s it gonna take to get you into this Ford Mustang today?”

And just so we’re clear (don’t want to be spreading misinformation), this didn’t come out of nowhere. Amazon Autos launched late last year with that Hyundai deal… letting you buy a brand-new Sonata on the same app you use to impulse-order… well everything. That was Bezos testing the waters. But now, he's diving in headfirst from the top deck, expanding the digital car lot with Hertz’s used fleet. So yeah, in addition to new cars, Amazon’s now slinging ex-rentals with what they like to call “character.” And by character, I mean that Chevy Blazer almost certainly spent spring break in Miami getting launched over a speed bump by some wannabe rapper named Kyle.

Hertz, for its part, is just happy anyone’s still talking about them. The stock popped nearly 9% this morning, which is a glow-up compared to its usual vibe of “permanent bankruptcy cosplay.” Remember, this is the same Hertz that went belly-up in 2020, fumbled its EV strategy (to the likes of which we’ve never seen), and recently pissed off customers with an AI scanning tool that falsely accused renters of bumper damage. So yeah, Bezos showing up to hawk their old fleet gives them “I’m just happy to be here” energy.

And Hertz is trying to make it sound fancy. We’re talking 115-point inspections, a 12-month/12k-mile powertrain warranty, roadside assistance, and even a 7-day buyback guarantee. In English: if you drive it for a week and the interior smells like stale fries and weed, you can send it back. (It’s essentially Shein’s return policy, but for a Corolla with 42k miles.)

As for the rest of the digital car dealerships and rental companies? They didn’t take the news too well. Avis tanked 6%, Carvana fell 4.2%, and CarMax slipped 1.4%. Because let’s be honest, your biggest competitor partnering with a newly married Bezos is a death wish for your stock price. Live look at Carvana execs is hitting up Sydney Sweeney or Megan Fox to do a marketing campaign:

And before you get too excited. This is only step two. Step one: Hyundai. Step two: Hertz. Step three: Prime discounts on oil changes and an “add to cart” button for car insurance. Don’t roll your eyes… it’s Bezos. The man built an empire on selling books, then woke up one morning and decided, “Screw it, let’s own groceries, space travel, and now, apparently, rental car fleets.”

From an investor’s standpoint, it’s the same Amazon playbook as always: move in quietly, scale like crazy, and own every piece of the stack. Sales, financing, warranties, insurance… you name it. The U.S. auto industry is a $1.5 trillion playground, and Bezos doesn’t want to play on the swings. He wants to bulldoze the park and build his own. And as we all know, when he wants something, he doesn’t mess around. That said, are we really gonna cry about car dealerships disappearing? The whole “let me talk to my manager” routine is pretty much as painful as waterboarding.

At the time of publishing this article, Stocks.News holds positions in Amazon and Ford as mentioned in the article.