#662 - 🚗 Cover to Cover

Rewind, Takeout, and 25th Anniversary

Rise and shine, friends! Another Saturday has arrived, ready for your sparkle.

It’s International Plant Appreciation Day, so don’t forget to pet your ficus and go outside for some big deep breaths today. Oxygen is kinda our favorite.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris, and Kristi

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AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE
ICYMI

Weekend Rewind

The Daily Pushback Email

  • Monday, we looked at some Q1 market data, Rivian’s first 10K, and Fisker’s review retry. Then we heard from our friends at Walser about their new workweek. 💝

  • Tuesday, we woke up with NO superpowers from the eclipse and read about used inventory levels dipping, Toyota hitting it big in Thailand, and Hyundai going all in on all-electric. After the news, we checked in on our friends at Carter Meyer Automotive, where a compassionate customer, the CMA tech team, and Giving Words, Inc. teamed up to donate a car to somebody needing reliable transportation. 🌔

  • Wednesday, we wrote about some emissions rules in California getting court approval, Tesla getting into robotaxis, and GM pumping some energy into their lineup. Then Kristi gave us another insightful dive into Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality. 💛

  • Thursday, we covered some news about European brands in China and some Chinese brands worldwide. Cruise Robotaxi is back, and BMW hit 1M EV sales. Then, we focused on the crossover between EV adoption and housing options. It’s way more interesting than we just made it sound. 🚕

  • Friday, we saw some big brands expanding their EV range in 2025, insurance costs increasing to more than cover the lowering costs of vehicles, electrification data from CarMax, China, and pricing data. Check the end for a quick recap of the week’s economic moves. ⚡️

PODCASTS

Auto Collabs

Check out this 31-minute chat with Bobby Gaudreau, the VP of Sales & Marketing at Activator Dealer Services.

Data is more valuable by the day, so managing it well is part of staying efficient now and in the foreseeable future, which Bobby is an authority on.

Listen to the conversation on Spotify or Apple.

In The Dirt

Cimone Jae, Head of Content at Dealer Marketing Magazine, shared some time with ASOTU’s Jordan Cox. We learned some of her story and some of the pro moves she’s picked up during her time in the automotive industry.

Check this one out on Spotify or Apple.

The ASOTU Wheelhouse

Last week on The ASOTU Wheelhouse, Daniel gathered a panel of pros to talk about:

  • Dealership inventory strategies

  • building a winning culture in 2024

  • and, of course, some headlines from the news.

If YouTube isn’t your speed, check it out on Spotify or Apple.

SOMETHING FUN

Zonda’s 25th Anniversary

You've all heard that pickup line, "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

Looking at the Pagani Alisea makes us wonder, "Did your insurance premium go up when you fell out of your spaceship?"

Pagani Alisea is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the iconic Zonda, which is a collaborative project with the Istituto Europeo di Design in Torino, primarily designed by students.

This 1:1 scale model boasts a sleek design that minimizes traditional high-performance car vents for smoother surfaces and features a lower, longer silhouette than the Zonda.

It retains the signature quad headlights and introduces curved taillights, presenting a modern yet respectful homage to its predecessor.

Quick Hits

  • Genetically modified plants can bring a certain “glow’ to your garden. Like, literally. The plants are glowing, people. 🍀

  • A mountain goat got stuck, a horse escaped, and grey wolves are back in Michigan. 🐐🐴🐺

  • Heinz will let you insure yourself against ketchup spills. 🍅

History

  • 1612: Samurai Miyamoto Musashi defeats Sasaki Kojirō in a duel at Funajima Island. Later in life, he wrote “The Book of Five Rings,” and even later in history, that book became the one Chris (the guy writing this email) has read cover-to-cover more times than any other book. 🗡

  • 1965: The ten millionth Pontiac is produced. 🏆

  • 1997: Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters. ⛳️

Thanks for reading! Life on Saturday is a treat. We kick off our nice shoes, change out of our sweater vests, and sing a few songs. Oh wait, that’s Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. We always get those mixed up.

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