Michael Berlfein/Shutterstock There was a time when Carvana looked to be on the brink of ruin, and we catalogued every step and misstep of theirs along the way. Despite its near-tragic pitfalls, though, the purveyor of used cars seems to have made a comeback, transforming into a company valued more than any of the "Big Three" automakers in Detroit. And the company's latest moves have made waves among dealerships as it quietly crossed over into the new car market, outpacing typical dealer sales in the process. The reason behind the shift to new-car dealerships has yet to be explained publicly by Carvana, as numerous outlets have reached out and have yet to receive a comment. But CNBC reports that the "retailer is expected to disclose its plans" at an upcoming media event. Within the last year or so, Automotive News found that Carvana has already purchased seven dealerships, all Stellantis-branded dealers beginning with a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Casa Grande, AZ, its first. Its most recent acquisition is in Avon Lake, in the Cleveland area. Each now sport its own Carvana-branded homepage. A look at the Casa Grande store revealed the success of marrying the online retailer with an on-the-ground dealer space. Stellantis sales figures shared with dealers and CNBC put the Arizona dealer's sales at the top in the nation, with more than 700 new vehicles sold in the last month. The dealership before Carvana's purchase would average between 30 and 50 car sales a month. Carvana is just another Stellantis franchisee, for now PH888/Shutterstock Stellantis, at the moment, is the only brand under the Carvana new car dealership umbrella. But with the success its demonstrated already, it's not unfathomable to believe that other brands will be included in the future, especially if the price is right. An analyst from Stephens Inc. told Automotive News that the Stellantis branding may be because of the dealers' availability and the cost is a lot more reasonable to work with. As far as we can tell, Carvana's place among CJDR franchisees is similar to that of other dealerships. Carvana locations, for instance, have kept their CDJR service departments operating at their dealerships. So you can theoretically still get your new car serviced at the Carvana dealership where you bought it. There are differences, though, like how you purchase a car. For Carvana shoppers, everything is done online, without multiple salespeople typically involved in the process. Buy the car online, have it delivered to your house, drive it. That's the Carvana way. These Carvana CDJR stores still have an in-person experience for the new-car side of things, however, and test drives are still on the menu. Combining the online used-car sales with in-person new-car sales could shift dealer perspectives. The online retailer's model and success have caught the attention and concern of other Stellantis dealers. The brand's National Dealer Council Chairman Sean Hogan told CNBC that competition is good, and he's curious to see what Carvana does. "If they're doing something better than we are, then we will need to adapt, or we're going to be irrelevant."