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Howdy Fam!

We’ve all seen the headlines about million-dollar charity auction cars, but this one flips the script in the best way.

Our friends at Cape Coral CDJR recently sold a 2014 Jeep Cherokee for $1 after they saw the story of a Fort Myers dad who lost his only way to get to work. It really highlights what dealers are best at: solving mobility needs at literally any budget level. 😉

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

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Ford is building its next-gen EVs on a “Universal Electric Vehicle” platform, starting with a $30,000 mid-size electric pickup due in 2027. Across CNBC, Automotive News, and Axios, the message is consistent: Ford is trying to make EVs pencil without leaning on incentives, and it’s doing it by redesigning the whole system, not just the battery.

Two levers show up clearly in CNBC and Automotive News. First, a 48-volt electrical architecture meant to reduce wiring, weight, and complexity, while giving the platform more bandwidth for future features. Second, Ford’s push toward large cast aluminum structures (described as “unicastings”) and a simplified “zonal” control setup that consolidates functions into fewer modules.

Axios and Automotive News frame this as a physics hunt. Ford is chasing aerodynamics like a racing team, down to smaller mirrors, a smoother underbody, and a roofline designed to manage airflow over the bed. Ford’s claim is straightforward: stack enough small efficiency wins and you can deliver real-world usability without pricing the truck into the penalty box.

The optimism lands next to EV whiplash. Carscoops highlights the Kentucky battery-plant reversal and the human fallout, a reminder that EV strategy is not just product, it’s jobs, local trust, and promises that have to hold up when the market shifts.

A car can reshape a family’s future.

In this interview from NADA Show 2026, Marty explains how Vehicles for Change partnered with NADA to build a dealership-friendly “car award” program that can run anywhere in the country, with a clear process and strong recipient vetting.

You’ll discover how the program came together, how dealerships can participate, and why mobility becomes a turning point for families working to gain stability.

Catch the full conversation here.

Tesla’s relationship with IG Metall at Giga Berlin is officially in “lawyers talking to lawyers” mode. Reuters reports the union filed a criminal defamation complaint against plant manager André Thierig and is seeking an injunction to stop further allegations, after Tesla accused a union member of secretly recording a works council meeting. With a works council election in early March, expect more heat than harmony.

The Yaris sells. Europe is moving. So Toyota is doing the thing it’s tried to delay for years: making room for a battery-electric Yaris. Electrek, citing comments from Toyota Motor Europe leadership, says an EV variant looks increasingly inevitable, alongside hybrid and ICE options. The subtext is classic Toyota: offer every powertrain, let the market pick, and avoid betting the franchise on one storyline.

Penske Automotive didn’t get the year-end luxury surge it wanted. WardsAuto (via Yahoo Finance) reports Penske leaders blamed tariff disruption, a weaker U.K. environment, and EV purchase “pull-ahead” ahead of incentive changes for a sharp drop in German luxury brand new sales in Q4. The punchline for retailers: parts and service still delivered record revenue and gross profit. The shop keeps paying the bills.

Things are getting pretty serious with the ASOTU CON 2026: The Year of the Human. You ready?