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- #634 - 🌎🔌🏎 Globe, Grid, and Giving
#634 - 🌎🔌🏎 Globe, Grid, and Giving
Global Biz, Grid Tech, and Giving for Kids
TOGETHER WITH
Have you ever wished you could wordlessly communicate that you are committed to innovation, collaboration, and conversations between retail auto and its customers? Grab a “More Than Cars” shirt, then wear it to ASOTU CON in May.
Keep brainstorming, keep your heart on your sleeve, and of course…
Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi
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BUSINESS
Tuesday News-Day
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The work of staying marketably relevant and financially solvent leads companies to many places — mostly forward, but sometimes backward and all-around-wards. As always, hindsight will be the true judge of these decisions.
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VW’s Complicated Global Landscape
Australia is considering updating its vehicle efficiency standards to include penalties based on emission-intensive imports. Toyota and the main automotive lobby in the country are against it (not a surprise), while VW and Tesla are for stricter emission standards (also not a surprise).
While the lobby debates, VW actually excused itself from the conversations.
Halfway across the world, VW has canceled its plans to produce ID.3s in Wolfsburg, Germany, due to low demand but will continue producing ICE and PHEVs in greater numbers than 2023's 500K.
VW is in talks with France’s Renault and China's Xpeng for the development of new BEVs to introduce to the market.
The company is making moves on multiple fronts in alignment with its "Every Euro Counts" decision to cut back and work toward its plan to save $11B by 2026.
Toyota’s Home Charging Partner
Toyota is partnering with WeaveGrid to optimize their BEV and PHEV for grid-supporting charging. Enrolled EV owners will receive incentives from their electric companies, saving costs and improving grid resilience.
In non-business jargon terms, it's like software that schedules charging times based on individual use and acts as a vehicle to grid meter in times of high use. A story we've all heard before, but now Toyota is involved.
GM Blazer: On Again
The on again/off again is on again as GM restarts Chevy Blazer EV sales after a $6,420 price cut and repairing software issues. The vehicle starts at $50,195 now and qualifies for the full $7,500 federal tax credit.
The software-only repairs fixed issues with infotainment and charging, while the price change gets the EV closer to its ICE counterpart.
Mercedes Pumps the Brakes
Mercedes is joining the "pump the brakes" party a little bit with a plan to extend its A-Class production to 2026 due to high EV costs. It's dropped its electrification goal from 50% to 20% by 2024 (that's like... now, y’all) with the 50% plan moved back to 2030.
Microlino
Look at this wild thing! The Microlino is a cheap, small, easy-to-manage park that is an electric option for people looking for that sort of thing.
Electric bikes are on the uptick as urban living leaves little space for private charging and long lines for public charging. This is somehow the size of an electric bike but with none of the "carry it into your apartment" convenience.
But for real, we could see ourselves in one someday…if you promise to help pull us out when we get stuck. 🥁 💥
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Don’t get us wrong. Somebody somewhere will dream about, buy, and be totally satisfied with something like the Microlino. It may not be your cup of tea, but it leaves more of the tea you like in the pot for you to enjoy, so it’s still a win.
TOGETHER WITH CAR CUTTER
Picture Perfect Performance
Ready to accelerate and automate your inventory photo production?
CarCutter is your solution for quality inventory photos and image merchandising best practices. Leveraging AI, intelligent automation, and custom-branded 3D showrooms, CarCutter transforms your dealership’s online presence, reduces your time to market and costs, and ensures you stand out from the competition.
Join CarCutter for a coffee at the Recharge Lounge during ASOTU CON and find out why thousands of dealerships worldwide trust their solutions. ☕️
/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! 🕊️
MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS
Action and Auction
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Back in October, the Longo Toyota team auctioned a car. Well, not just any car, a 2023 GR Corolla MORIZO Edition, badge number 001. Well, and not just any auction. The money collected went to Vision To Learn and El Monte Schools.
What's unique about that car? Well, it's the first of a 200-unit limited batch of mighty little 300 HP cars.
Between auction proceeds and a matching donation, the total donated amount was $150,000! The money will fund a STEAM lab and free vision care for underprivileged students.
It’s an honor to share your story, Longo Team!
AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE
More Than Cars
The wait is almost over…More Than Cars Episode 3 is coming Wednesday, March 27th at 12:00 PM — 12:30 PM CST!
RSVP here and let us know you’ll join us for the premiere. We’d hate to run out of popcorn. 🌽
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.
Quick Hits
History
1894: Coca-Cola begins selling its first bottles in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Until 1903, it, like many products of the time, had cocaine in it.🥤
1912: U.S.A. Girl Scouts of America is founded, but their famous cookies would not appear until 1917. 🍪
1933: President Roosevelt gives his first " fireside chat" radio broadcast just eight days after his inauguration, telling the American people to keep faith with their country and their banking system, asking them to leave their money in the bank where it would be kept safe. 📻
Thanks for reading, friend. The work you do today will shape the world we live in tomorrow. Work hard, protect the truth, and remember that there is no such thing as a solo effort.