#533 - ☀️ Repaired and Ready

TOGETHER WITH

Autumn is a great time to be grateful for setbacks.

Not everybody gets an opportunity to pick themselves up and try again. Only the lucky folks who took a risk and fell down.

Take it from all these changing leaves: falling down can be beautiful.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

TODAY’S LOT WALK

• MTCM: Nissan of Bowie’s Damon Lester is nominated for TIME’s Dealer of the Year award! 🏆

• Business: Renault’s EV intros, GM & Honda call it quits, and Lexus starts up its own giga-stamp. ⏸ ✋⚒

• Data & Insight: Increasing retention through tailored service strategies. ⚙️

• Culture: California pumps the brakes on Cruise. 🛑

Reading time: 4 min and 38 secs

UAW UPDATE BY ASOTU

UAW and Ford Reach Tentative Deal

And there was much rejoicing!

A tentative deal between Ford and UAW will send 20K workers back to work while details are worked out. The deal, touting 25% raises over the next four years for around 52,000 workers, is headed to the union for ratification by the members. Some lower-tier workers and temporary workers will see increases upon ratification ranging from 85-150%.

The deal comes about two weeks after the UAW sent 8700 Kentucky Ford plant workers to the picket lines. It marks a key moment in the UAW’s efforts across the big 3 and, if ratified, will set a precedent for GM and Stellantis.

The strike continues at GM and Stellantis plants.

Telling it like it is - See that little 43 day counter banner up there? Yeah, we would love to wave goodbye to it for good too!

MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS

Congratulations, Damon Lester!

ASOTU's good friend, Damon Lester from Nissan of Bowie, Maryland, just got a nod for the 2024 TIME Dealer of the Year award.

In case you don't know, it's like the Oscars for car dealers. 🚗🏆

Damon's nomination isn't based on numbers and sales; it's about giving back big time to the community. Quite literally, his nomination is a recognition that he loves people more than cars, which anybody who has spent any time at all with Damon can confirm.

His time advocating for diversity in the industry, working with local kids and veterans, and keeping people first are why he is one of the 49 folks nominated for this special award.

Congratulate Damon next time you see him, and check out the full press release from TIME and Ally in the meantime.  

/Positivity

If we tried to tell all the wonderful, charitable, and creative stories happening in dealerships across our industry, we would need a bigger email. But we have just enough space in this email for YOUR story. Let us help show the community and world what you have going on in your store!

TOGETHER WITH UPSTART

More Power, Less Time

Does a 25-minute visit to the showroom sound appealing to you? 🤔

"With Upstart Auto Retail, we've been able to gather customers' information before they ever step foot into the store. They're able to select a car and fill out their credit and payment information before we speak to them. We also have all their documents uploaded into the platform so all the customer has to do is sign. This new way of putting the customer first has significantly improved our CSI levels." —Tyler Degele, Sales Manager, Power Kia

It sounds appealing to your customers! 🥳

Check out how Upstart helped Power Kia's team increase year-over-year profits by 40%, save customers 90 minutes per transaction, and avoid a whole lot of redundancies and confusion.

Then contact Upstart Auto Retail today!

BUSINESS

🚀 Renault's EV Ambitions

• Investment: $3.2B by 2027.

• Aim: Introduce eight new vehicles and boost EV sales globally.

• Newcomers: SUV named Kardian and hybrid pickup Niagara.

• Strategy: Reduce European market reliance.

🤝 GM & Honda EV Project Shelved

• Joint affordable EV project paused.

• Reason: Business feasibility concerns.

• Still committed to: EV market and other collaborations.

• Industry Concerns: Tesla's price cuts and softening demand.

🎉 Lexus's Future EV - LF-ZC

• Debut: Japan Mobility Show.

• Launch: 2026.

• Features:

  • Super-low drag.

  • High range (~620 miles).

  • Gigacast structure.

  • Tech highlights — prismatic batteries & steer-by-wire.

  • Design — similar to 4th Gen Prius.

🔄 GM's Bolt Back from the Brink

• Initial plan: Discontinuation.

• New Decision: Revamp due to sales surge.

• Upgrades:

  • LFP batteries.

  • Tesla-compatible charging.

  • Enhanced motors and software.

  • Benefits: Riding on Bolt's popularity and significant cost-saving.

TL;DR: Renault is on a shopping spree for EVs 🛍️, GM and Honda had a "not you, it's me" breakup over a joint EV project 💔, Lexus made a super-fancy Prius doppelgänger for 2026 🎩🚗, and GM did a dramatic U-turn on ditching the Bolt 🔄💡.  

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

Coming Soon

MAY 14-17, 2024
ASOTU CON 2024 in Baltimore
Based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback, we’re heading back to the Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland in May next year for ASOTU CON 2024.
Stay tuned — tickets will be released the first week of November.

📅 👉 Add it to your calendar now! 👈 📅

DATA & INSIGHT

Retention Through Repair

When it comes to distinguishing your dealership in today's saturated market, post-purchase services can make all the difference. 🛠️🧰⚙️

DriveSure reports four major opportunities to maximize service retention:

🍒 AMENITIES 🍒

• There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to amenities. Offering a wide range of services is the best way to satisfy a broader customer base.

• Free coffee and wifi isn’t going to cut it anymore. Customers increasingly value services like free replacement for worn-out tires and robust pre-paid maintenance packages.

• Younger customers, in particular, show a rising preference for online booking and extended hours.

🫶 LOYALTY 🫶

• An "extremely loyal" customer may be willing to pay more, but they won't stick around for a crummy experience.

• Over 56% of all consumers say they would bounce after just one bad encounter.

• It’s all about maintaining excellent service quality. And, maybe throwing in a little dash of surprise (free car wash, anyone?).

• Ensure a consistent range of appointment availability. Even die-hard fans will leave if they can't get in.

🗣️ AWARENESS 👀

• A staggering 29% of consumers don’t know if their dealership sells tires.

• Educating customers on available tire services is important, but it also needs to be attractive enough to pull them away from specialized tire shops. Informing customers about the importance of quality tires and why buying from a trusted dealer (ahem, you) matters.

• Customers often overlook dealerships for other common services like battery replacement, tire rotation, or body work. Take advantage of the initial service appointment to educate customers about the full range of services offered, especially the ones they might not associate with a dealership.

📱 COMMUNICATION 📱

• As with most things in life, effective communication is clutch.

• Providing regular, helpful updates about the service process, new promotions, or educational content can turn a one-time customer into a regular.

• While emails and phone calls are still valid forms of communication, the shift toward texting — especially among the 55 and under crowd — is significant. Adapting to this channel can allow dealerships to meet customers where they're most comfortable.

CULTURE

Cruise Takes a Time-Out

Speaking of General Motors…

California's DMV just pulled the plug on their robotaxi service, Cruise, due to major concerns about public safety. 🚨

The move comes on the heels of several concerning incidents, the most alarming of which involved a Cruise robotaxi running over a pedestrian who had already been hit by another vehicle. 😳

The suspension delivers significant challenges to GM's plans for Cruise, including their projected $1B in revenue by 2025.

Despite this setback, Cruise vehicles can continue to operate in autonomous mode, but a human driver must be present to take control in case of any issues or dangers. You know, like, traffic cones. 🦺

Quick Hits

• US mortgage rates hit a 23-year high. 🏚

• Amazon is offering advertisers a beta AI to generate images for their products. 👩‍🎨

• Enjoy mind-bending time-travel shows? Apparently, “Bodies” on Netflix is a quiet hit. ⏲

• Crocs is testing the waters of Western wear with these new cowboy boots. 🤠

History

• 1909: General Motors buys Cartercar. 💸

• 1959: The first photographs are taken of the moon's far side when the Lunik III radios them back to Earth. 📸

• 2001: The United States passes the Patriot Act into law. 👮‍♂️