CARite

What CARite does

CARite is a privately held used-vehicle dealership network headquartered in Madison Heights, Michigan, founded in 2011. The company operates multiple retail locations across Michigan, selling pre-owned vehicles and related financing and add-on products directly to retail consumers under a unified "CARite" brand, supported by centralized contact infrastructure (855-4-CARite, carite.com).

The business model is transactional retail automotive: revenue is generated through vehicle gross profit, finance and insurance (F&I) product attach, and trade-in margins on used-vehicle sales across its Michigan footprint. The firm employs 101-250 staff, suggesting operational depth consistent with a multi-location dealer group rather than a single independent lot. A $45 million financing facility from Crystal Financial in January 2018 indicates access to inventory floor-plan and working capital typical of mid-sized dealer operations.

Leadership is provided by CEO Jeff Bartlett. No parent company, subsidiaries, or public ownership is disclosed. The firm does not publish detailed information on its technology stack, proprietary systems, customer segmentation, pricing methodology, or vendor partnerships. There is no evidence of AI/ML deployment, app-based sales channels, or e-commerce platform beyond a standard corporate website.

Name

CARite

Legal name

CARite

Website

https://carite.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CARite is a privately held, multi-location used-car dealership network headquartered in Madison Heights, Michigan. Founded in 2011, the company sells pre-owned vehicles and related financing to retail consumers across Michigan under the unified CARite brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Core offering

CARite operates a network of used car dealerships based in Madison Heights, Michigan, selling pre-owned vehicles to individual consumers. The company markets itself under the tagline "Driven to Impress" and supports vehicle purchases with phone-based sales (855-4-CARite), email inquiries ([email protected]), and a corporate website at carite.com.

Product overview

CARite is a used car dealership. The source data does not provide detailed information about specific products, modules, or service offerings beyond the company's basic contact information and branding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Owned Vehicle Sales

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• CarMax: The largest U.S. used-vehicle retailer, operating a multi-location superstore model. CarMax is the most direct comparable to CARite in terms of core product (used cars), multi-site retail format, and customer experience branding.
• Vroom: Online used-car retailer offering home delivery and a nationwide inventory. Directly competes with CARite's used-car offering, particularly for Michigan shoppers willing to buy online.
• DriveTime: Used-vehicle retailer focused on financing subprime and credit-challenged buyers. Comparable to CARite in used-car focus and in-house financing capabilities, with an integrated dealership network.
• Carvana: Online-first used vehicle retailer with home delivery and vending-machine pickup. Competes with CARite for the same used-vehicle buyer but via a digital, asset-light model.

Broad incumbents

• Sonic Automotive: Public automotive retailer operating franchised dealerships and the EchoPark used-vehicle platform. EchoPark in particular competes directly with CARite in the used-car segment, with similar experience-led branding.
• Penske Automotive Group: Public, multi-brand automotive retailer with a heavy concentration in premium/luxury franchises and commercial truck operations. Comparable as a scaled multi-state dealer group, with overlap on used-vehicle and F&I revenue.
• Lithia Motors: Public dealer group with hundreds of new- and used-vehicle franchises across the U.S. and growing digital channels. Comparable to CARite as a multi-location dealer operator, though much larger and more diversified.
• Hendrick Automotive Group: Largest privately held U.S. automotive dealer group, operating franchises across multiple states with a meaningful used-vehicle presence. Comparable to CARite as a private multi-location dealer operator.
• AutoNation: Largest U.S. automotive retailer, operating new and used vehicle dealerships across multiple states. Overlaps with CARite in used-car retail but operates at national scale and across new vehicles, parts, and service.

Regional players

• Suburban Collection: Large Michigan-based automotive dealer group operating multiple new- and used-vehicle franchises in the same geography as CARite. Most direct regional head-to-head competitor given shared Michigan footprint.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lewcarite
• Facebookfacebook.com/caritellc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carite

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CARite