#537 - 🚘👊🏻🇺🇸 Toyota's New Record

TOGETHER WITH

The EV machine is slowing down in places, speeding up in others, and almost definitely not vanishing overnight.

With some brands moving from “all-in” to “slow down,” we wonder if they were ever all in on what the customers were asking for or simply all in on beating Tesla.

Maybe the slow and steady style of brands like Toyota will more adequately meet demand where it is and set a new “ideal approach” for the industry.

You’ve got the up-close look every day. What do you think?

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

TODAY’S LOT WALK

• Business: Toyota’s sales and production jump, Porsche and VW have software issues, Rivian takes its chargers green and changes the price to use them, and Ford and BP up their EV network.

• MTCM: The Chariot Automotive Group supports its youngest “customers.”

• Culture: Not all movies are winners, but they are all movies.

Reading time: 5 mins 5 secs

UAW UPDATE BY ASOTU

Could We Be Wrapping Up?

The strike is wrapping up as laid-off workers are also being called back in. Each company is tallying the cost of the strike and is eager to get production back to capacity to get back to earning.

The strike is over (for now), and if things go smoothly with union ratification, this could be the last UAW Update by ASOTU.

BUSINESS

Serious Business Only

Toyota

Toyota's global sales surged 8.3% to 5.6M vehicles between April and September. Production jumped 10% to 5.7M units. Sales growth was notable in Africa (22%), the Middle East (17%), and North America (9.4%). China saw little change due to the EV trend. 

Toyota's EV sales reached 1.83M, up 38% YOY. Toyota's doubling down on EVs with an $8B North Carolina battery plant investment, aiming for a full EV lineup by 2025.

Porsche & Volkswagen

Volkswagen is gearing up to launch its electric ID.7 Tourer wagon in Europe. Porsche integrates native Google apps for a superior in-car feel.

VW, grappling with software issues, announces 2,000 job cuts at Cariad, potentially impacting its software timeline. Porsche keeps phone mirroring active, contrasting GM's impending feature drop.

Rivian

Rivian's Illinois plant marked a green energy milestone with a 2.8 MW wind turbine. Coupled with last year's solar installation, this assures EVs get an inaugural charge from 100% clean energy. 

This green initiative equals ditching 34,000 conventional vehicles yearly in CO2 reduction. Note: Rivian's charging services, previously on the house, will introduce fees this November.

Charging Expansion

Ford expands its BlueOval Charge Network by 25% in North America, now featuring 106,000 chargers. The network welcomes three new contributors and plans to incorporate 15,000 Tesla Superchargers. 

BP's charging division, BP Pulse, invests $100M in Tesla chargers to broaden its U.S. reach, catering to NACS and CCS connectors. Extra: Walmart allies with Electrify America for its own EV charging initiative. 

TOGETHER WITH NADA

The Big One

Have you heard!? The NADA Show is pulling out all the stops to host the Welcome Reception at the worlds largest spherical structure. They aren’t just having everyone mill around aimlessly either. Attendees will get the privilege to see “Postcard From Earth,” a specially commissioned immersive film by acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky.

The ASOTU Crew will be rolling deep for NADA and would love to see you there. Don’t miss out on The Sphere or The Floor this year. Get you tickets now and witness the massive show for yourself!

MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS

Car Seat Clinic

The “Car Seat Safety Event” at Twin City, a collaboration between The Chariot Automotive Group and Franciscan Health Lafayette, concluded last weekend as a tremendous success. 💺🚘

When car seats are used correctly, they can reduce serious injury by up to 80%.

So, families gathered in droves for a free, custom-fit car seat to protect their littlest members. 👶

Franciscan Health, which has championed children's travel safety for over two decades, provided expert guidance throughout the event. Their seasoned professionals, along with the skilled techs at Twin City, ensured that every car seat was meticulously installed and adjusted for optimum safety. 👨‍🔧

Tristan Kirby, Health Director at Franciscan, spoke to the importance of these initiatives: "It’s a hard task to put on a parent. Every car is different, and every car seat is different, so there are a lot of opportunities for error. An event like this car seat clinic is important because you have a certified technician who is experienced with car seats, helping you to not make any mistakes along the way.”

Giving parents one less thing to worry about is 10/10 in our book. ✨

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

Coming Soon

• NOVEMBER 16 @ 2:00 pm EST

  ASOTU EDGE 30-Minute Webinar in partnership with Invoca

  “Revolutionizing Phone Call Management: Adapting to the Digital Era.”

  Discover how the automotive industry is revolutionizing phone call management, personalizing marketing through call data, and enhancing customer experiences with cutting-edge tools like Invoca's AI technology. Dive in, decode, and drive success in today's digital age!

  ☎️ Register now ☎️
   

• FEBRUARY 1-4, 2024

  NADA 2024 in Las Vegas

  Lights, camera, actions! Paul and Kyle will be at NADA creating content for exhibitors. Hit us up to let us know what we should see, who we should talk to, and what we should cover while we’re there.

  🎤 Don’t miss a thing 🎤
   

• MAY 14-17, 2024

  ASOTU CON 2024 in Baltimore

  The design team is putting the finishing touches on elements and assets for the event. All participants and collaborators can expect to see the release during the first week of November!

  🗓 Add it to your calendar 🗓

👋 Word on the street is Paul and Kyle will also be at Used Car Week (next week) and MRC (the following week) -- come say ‘hi’! 👋
 

CULTURE

2023's Must-Skip Movies (?)

Sure, everyone loves a Hollywood hit, but what about the duds that might just be best left unwatched?🎬🍿👋🏼

Freelance: 🍅0% on Rotten Tomatoes? Ouch. Cena's new flick promises an action-packed joyride but lands somewhere closer to a suburban lawyer's midlife crisis. Critics are pretty unanimous: this one's a dud. Not even director Pierre Morel's touch could save it. Cena fans, maybe wait for his next movie.

Killers of the Flower Moon: Scorsese. Roth. A big ol' Apple TV+ backing. Sounds promising? Well, not if we're going by its box office. A whopping 61% drop in the second week isn't the kind of chart-topping we're used to from the acclaimed director. Still, fingers crossed for Oscar buzz to revive this one.

Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story: Amazon thought they'd deliver a deep dive into the enigma that is Tyler Perry. Instead, they made fluffy montages and a whole lot of already-known facts. Sure, Perry's a big name in Hollywood, but this documentary? Not so much. 

We all have a favorite “bad” movie, right?

Quick Hits

• Consumer confidence takes a hit for the third month in a row. 🤕

• TikTok’s music service is adding indie artists to its library.🎶

• Federal Judge dismisses most of an artist’s AI copywrite infringement case. 👩‍⚖️

History

• 1512: Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel first exhibited. 🎨

• 1800: John Adams becomes the first US President to live in the White House. 🇺🇸

• 1955: The Studebaker Hawk line is introduced. 🦅