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- #538 - ☀️ VW Delays Factory
#538 - ☀️ VW Delays Factory
More Than An Email. Context.
TOGETHER WITH
Today’s hard-learned lesson: three Reese’s peanut butter cups, two fun-size Milky Way bars, and six tiny boxes of Nerds after raiding Tuesday’s Halloween haul instead of having lunch is highly inadvisable.
What favorites made it into your candy stash this year? 🍭🍫🍬
Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi
TODAY’S LOT WALK
Business: VW delays, Aston Martin dips, Tesla wins, Subaru connects, Lucid jams, and Hyundai leaps. 📰
MTCM: Auto News celebrates 100 Best Dealerships to Work For. 🥳
Culture: Slightly damaged “Wolf of Wall Street” Lambo is hitting the auction block. 🐺
Reading time: 4 min and 57 sec
UAW UPDATE BY ASOTU
Things are looking up in Detroit after General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis have all struck tentative deals with the UAW. However, contracts are still waiting to be ratified.
Investors have now shifted to worrying about the long-term health of Ford and GM as labor and parts costs rise.
BUSINESS
No Nonsense, Just News.
Giphy/NBC
Volkswagen Delays Fourth Factory
Owing to subdued EV demand, Volkswagen has postponed decisions on a potential fourth battery factory in Eastern Europe. Current battery sites: Germany, Spain, Canada. EV orders in Europe have dropped sharply from 300,000 to 150,000.
Aston Martin's Financial Woes
Share prices dipped by 11% after reducing volume targets for the new DB12, resulting in a loss of £48.4 million ($58.8 million). Despite high DB12 demand, the company grapples with a staggering £750 million debt.
Tesla's Courtroom Triumph
The carmaker was found not liable in a 2019 Autopilot-linked fatal crash in California. Human error, not technology, was the culprit. This is Tesla's second legal win concerning its driver-assist systems.
Subaru Partners with Tesla
Subaru plans to use Tesla's NACS charging ports from 2025, enabling access to over 15,000 Tesla Superchargers. The company's electrification goals include achieving 50% EV sales by 2030.
Lucid Motors' Infotainment Boost
Lucid is looking at expanding its infotainment by potentially collaborating with Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more. This expansion might bolster Lucid Air's appeal through more integrated media apps.
Korean EV Sales Surge
Hyundai's IONIQ 5 witnessed an 89% YOY sales growth with 2,979 units. Meanwhile, Kia's EV6 sold 1,542 units in October, marking a 30% YOY increase. Hyundai has also launched promotions like reduced lease prices and free home chargers.
TOGETHER WITH INVOCA
Next-Gen Phone Management
We’re joining with our friends at Invoca to host a 30-minute webinar you’ll find as empowering as it is respectful of your time.
It’s all about navigating phone call management in our industry. We’ll discuss the real challenges consumers face and how some dealerships are reinvigorating their relationship with call data to give their customers a next-level experience.
Invoca will share tools and practices, helping bridge the online-offline gap and effectively improving your day-to-day.
Think of it as a friendly chat where we all learn something new!
MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS
Honoring Top Dealerships
Giphy
Last week in the Windy City of Chicago, Automotive News marked its 12th year of recognizing the crème de la crème of the industry with its "100 Best Dealerships To Work For" awards. 🏆🔝
The rigorous selection process involved surveying both employees and management about their benefits and overall store culture. From paid parental leave and four-day workweeks to stock investment opportunities and career development, it’s clear that the perks these dealerships offer are as abundant as they are generous.
A hip-hip-hooray is in order for Napleton's Volkswagen of Sanford in Florida for being the shining star in the medium dealership category, while Friendship Nissan/Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram in North Carolina snagged the crown for best small dealerships (and most aptly named, we might add).
👑🤗
But the ultimate accolade, the overall winner for 2023 and the top dog in the large dealership group went to Audi Bedford in Ohio, a proud member of the Penske Automotive Group. The group was saluted for cultivating a culture that champions open communication, team collaboration, and personal enrichment.
Dive into the full list here to discover the unique qualities that make each of these dealerships shine. 🌟
TIE CUTTERS
2024 TIME Dealer of the Year Nominee: Nickolas York
Nickolas York, representing the Automobile Dealers Association of Indiana and York Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Plainfield, has been nominated for the prestigious 2024 TIME Dealer of the Year award.
Nickolas is a significant figure in the Indiana auto industry, and his commitment to the community through initiatives like Drive to Donate exemplifies the spirit of the award.
“Faith, hard work, continual learning, and improving the lives of others around me have brought me the success that I've achieved thus far in my life,” said York.
Congratulations to Nickolas York on this impressive recognition from the entire ASOTU Team! 👏
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.
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!
👋 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’! 👋
Podcast
Enjoying our daily email? Then, we expect you’ll dig our daily podcast, too!
The Automotive Troublemaker is a quick look at the day’s business, tech, culture, and of course, automotive news.
CULTURE
Minor Wear and Tear
Bonhams Cars
The 1989 Lamborghini Countach, famously used in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street," is slated for auction later this month at the inaugural “On the Grid: The Abu Dhabi Auction.” 👨⚖️
This particular model, central to a memorable scene with Leonardo DiCaprio's character, has been preserved in its original film condition with every ding and dent intact. 🤕
Worth it? Auctioneers are anticipating between $1.5-2M for the totaled Lambo. 💸
Quick Hits
Mattel partners with Ted Lasso for his own Barbie doll, complete with tiny aviators and a soccer ball. ⚽️
X is officially worth less than half of what Elon Musk paid for it a year ago. 📉
LinkedIn announced that they will celebrate reaching 1B members with a new AI-powered premium experience. 🎩
History
1886: A German patent is granted to inventor Carl Benz for a "vehicle with gas engine operation” (aka the first automobile). 🥇
1889: North Dakota becomes the 39th, and South Dakota becomes the 40th state in the United States. 🇺🇸
1935: The coffin nose Cord debuts. ⚰️
2020: Baby Shark becomes the most-watched video on YouTube with over 7.04B views (now up to 13.5B). 🦈
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