🌗 April Is Half Over

TOGETHER WITH

Well friends, the day has finally come. And you are the first to know.

Tickets for ASOTU CON 2023 are now available! We will be announcing speakers and agenda soon, but you can check out tickets, the venue, and a basic schedule right now. We can't wait to see you all in Baltimore in just over 5 months! You can head to asotucon.com to check it all out!

Keep Pushing Back-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

Van Donates a Van

Van Bortel Subaru in New York donated a new Hot Wheels-inspired van to the Pirate Toy Fund, which is a nonprofit that gifts toys to children in need.

The Pirate Toy Fund was founded in 1995 by Gary the Happy Pirate, a popular children's entertainer in Rochester, and has since distributed more than 500K toys.

The van will help the organization make deliveries to children in hospitals, schools, and other community organizations.

Van Bortel Subaru has a history of supporting local charities and causes, and their donation to the Pirate Toy Fund is just one example of their commitment to the community. The dealership also supports local organizations such as the Wilmont Cancer Institute and The Humane Society of Rochester.

Telling it like it is - Historically, pirates would not need a fund to get toys for kids… the van would help tho. 🏴‍☠️

AUTOMOTIVE

Cox Data From First Half Of April

📉 Cox Automotive reports a 2.7% decrease in wholesale used-vehicle prices in the first half of April and is down 4% year over year. 🤷‍♀️

🏃‍♂️ Prices usually start to decline in the first half of April, but the pace has accelerated in the last three years. 🗓️

🛻 Seven of eight major market segments saw YOY declines, while solely pickup trucks had a 0.1% increase in price. Again from March to April, seven of eight major segments declined, with Sports cars as the exception at a 1.4% increase. ⚽️🏀🏈

April is also tax time. While the 2023 tax refund season started faster than 2022, it is now behind in all metrics, including the number of refunds issued and a 9% drop in the average refund amount. 🧾🧮💰

Telling it like it is - Used prices are not as far down as average tax refund amount… but there is still another half of April to go.

TOGETHER WITH CAROFFER

Same Attitude, Same Goal

The common language of experience binds communities together tighter than a zip code or contract ever could. Knowing the people at your side share your attitude and goals increases not only the impact of your effort but the confidence you feel jumping into a new challenge with both feet!

CarOffer's team has walked the walk of retail auto and is ready to welcome you into their community of over 13K dealers.

91% of their trade floor has at least 5 years of experience in a dealership, with 67% having served more than 10 years in stores just like yours.

There are no wrong cars, just mismatches. Let CarOffer match your inventory to markets across the country so you only buy the right cars, sell the right cars, and trade the right cars today!

AUTOMOTIVE

Nissan, VW, Nio, and BMW in China

🥊 Nissan is getting competitive in the Chinese electric vehicle free-for-all. The brand revealed an electric SUV at the Shanghai auto show and pledged its commitment to the world's biggest auto market now and into the electric future.

Once the EV front-runner thanks to the pioneering Leaf, Nissan's Arizon concept is a high-tech herald of the brand's intended directions across markets.

🤼‍♀️ VW is also ready to throw down in the BEV ring. Their new 435-mile ID.7 sedan is calling out range anxiety for a 1-on-1 bout. The company's plans put it at 80% electric deliveries by 2030 and require offering a range of options specific to China, North America, and Europe.

🤺 NIO is ready to rumble but not about to start cutting its prices. The Chinese EV company is unintimidated by Tesla's cuts and will maintain premium prices for its premium rides, according to CNBC's Mandarin translator after remarks from CEO William Li.

🥷 BMW is ready to bring the pain with its most powerful EV yet. The new i7 M70 xDrive is a full-size sedan that’s also dropping at the Shanghai 2023 auto show. The company's best-selling model last year was the Performance i4 M50, which the i7 seeks to build on.

TL; DR - Nissan turns a new leaf, VW defeats range anxiety, NIO ain’t cutting prices for nobody, and BMW heard people like the i4, so they made the i7.

TECHNOLOGY

ChatGPT Versus ADHD

If you’re one of the 4.4% of Americans who struggle with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), you’ll relate to the debilitating paralysis that can occur when you have to begin a new project. Staring at a blank page or figuring out the first step can be a real struggle.

🤖❤️📝

Clinical psychologist, Lara Honos-Webb, believes ChatGPT can help.

Her research shows that the AI assistant can be helpful in breaking down complicated tasks into smaller steps so the task at hand feels less daunting. It can also help generate new ideas, so you have a starting point. She even suggests that it may also reduce distractions since users only need a single platform to look things up (and not the 87 open tabs you typically use).

Telling it like it is - The cliche advice “Just make a to-do list,” was due for an update. “Just make a robot make you a to-do list” is the kind of energy we’re after in 2023.

Quick Hits

• EU lawmakers pass world’s first carbon import tax. Imported items will be additionally taxed based on the amount of greenhouse gas emitted to make them. ⛴️

• T-Rex skeleton sells for over $5M at auction in Zurich. The 300 bones were dug up in three sites across the US. 🦖

• Hundreds of Southwest flights are delayed again. This time a data connection issue resulting from a firewall failure led to the grounding. ✈️

• Google takes massive $55B market hit after Android considered replacing it with Bing in its phones. 📱

• AI generated image wins a photo contest. Artist rejects the prize. 📸

• Rejoice! A scoop of ice cream every day was linked to lower risk of heart problems in diabetic people according to a Harvard study. 🍦

History

• 1943: Residents of the Warsaw ghetto in Poland launch an uprising against the Nazis.

• 1951: Mercedes-Benz 300 & 220 debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

• 1971: Salyut 1, the first space station, launches.

• 1987: The Simpsons debuts on the Tracey Ullman Show.

• 2021: The Ingenuity helicopter becomes the first aircraft to achieve flight on another planet.