🌎 Automotive Over The Ocean

TOGETHER WITH

“If you aren't inviting every person at your store or in your network to watch this...Bruh get out.” -Ben H.

That seemed to be the sentiment yesterday as we launched ‘More Than Cars’ via livestream. If you missed it, you can head to MoreThanCars.tv now to watch the entire 25ish minute show.

Additionally, we really believe in the automotive community really banding together to rewrite the cultural perception of retail auto. That is why we have decided to invite the ASOTU fam (and all of auto) to help us crowdfund season one. If you want to learn more about that, you can go here to our Indiegogo page. We would love to shoulder up to you in this effort!

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

Touch a Truck to Fill a Truck!

3️⃣🥳 Jimmy Jones and the Byers Automotive team invited their community to the store for their third annual "Touch a Truck to Fill a Truck" event! 🛻

🚚 The event had thousands of people come to get an up-close look at fire trucks, cranes, bulldozers, garbage trucks, and all kinds of other exciting pieces of equipment most kids can only adore from a safe distance. 🚒

🚔 The event was fun for all but invited the public to contribute to a Fill a Truck effort supporting the Grove City Food Pantry. People were welcome to the event for free but encouraged to bring canned foods. Over the last three occasions, the Byers team has collected over 10K cans to fill the plates of folks in their community. 🥫

Telling it like it is - Jimmy is a pro at giving kids and adults in his community tangible proof that you can care for people and have fun doing it. Excellent stuff, Byers team!

AUTOMOTIVE

Africa, the US, and Scotland

🧊Africa has been importing an abundance of ICE lately. No, not to cool down the Sahari, we mean gas-powered cars - keep up! 🦒

With EV adoption increasing worldwide, some governments export their excess or even ban gas-burning cars. Only after they harvest all the valuable, carbon-capturing material in the catalytic converter thought, causing a pollution issue the US, EU, and UN are working together to address.

Are you really “going green” if you move the pollution to the other side of the ocean? Do you even know how pollution works? 🌎

🛠️ Despite experiencing a month-over-month dip in auto dealership revenue and ticket volume this April, US auto dealerships report a year-over-year revenue increase of 5.3%.

This uptick is attributed to owners opting for vehicle maintenance rather than new purchases in an inflated market. 📈

👎 Despite a 9% drop in the Repair Order Volume Index, the Repair Order Revenue Index surged by 5.3% year-on-year. 👍

While average revenue per repair did decline by $3 since March, high service costs drove the total service revenue per dealership to an April record high over the past five years. 💰

Comparison is the thief of joy unless what you are comparing yourself to is a trash fire, then do you, homie. 🗑️🔥

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland is already the per capita leader in renewable energy production among British nations. However, they are about to claim a global first as well.

🤖 A fleet of autonomous level 4 buses will run a 14-mile route near Edinburgh. The change could see former bus drivers as Bus Captain, serving a function similar to a train's conductor. 🚎

👩‍✈️🧑‍✈️👨‍✈️ Despite concerns, the shift will create jobs instead of removing existing ones.

Robots are supposed to free people up for more jobs they love. How many people love “watching robots?” 👀

TOGETHER WITH STITCH FIX

Look The Way You Want

Job interview ✅ 
Date night ✅ 
Trip to the grocery ✅ 
Weekend vacation ✅ 
Weekend stay-cation ✅ 

No matter the setting, your clothes should first and foremost make you feel comfortable, inside and out.

Stitch Fix offers men's and women's clothes from XS through 3XL to meet any needs. They offer expert-selected outfits, free shipping, great prices, and no commitment. You get to shop how you want, when you want.

So, if you are ready to try a new look or love your look and want more of it delivered right to your door, try Stitch Fix today.

AUTOMOTIVE

Motor Morsels: BMW + EV, Honda + F1, and Ford + AM

BMW is giving its iconic 5 Series a makeover for the EV era.

The German automaker offers various powertrain options for the sedan in their 2024 line-up, including 48-volt mild hybrids, a plug-in hybrid, and fully electric models. The updates also include slightly larger dimensions, redesigned kidney grilles, and sleeker styling elements. The new models are expected to be sold in October of this year.

Ford made a U-turn on its decision to eliminate AM radio from its 2024 vehicles after facing pressure from lawmakers and political pundits.

The decision reflects the recognition of AM radio's role in public safety and emergency communication, particularly when other communication channels may be unavailable or disrupted.

In addition to including AM radio in all 2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, Ford will provide a software update to enable AM broadcast capability in all of its current electric vehicles.

Honda has announced a partnership with Aston Martin for Formula 1 racing in 2026, dispelling uncertainties about its involvement in the sport post-Red Bull.

The new F1 regulations necessitate a balanced distribution of power output between the engine and electric motor and sustainable fuel, prompting Aston Martin to seek a close relationship with the power unit supplier.

Honda sees the venture as a prime opportunity to advance its research on carbon neutrality and enhance their existing electric technology. While we may not see their cars specifically on the track anytime soon, the automaker does anticipate the developments and tech to trickle down to their new models.

Telling it like it is - Maybe you can soon drive a Honda and feel like an F1 racer. Maybe.

TECHNOLOGY

Digital Developments

Netflix finally brought the hammer down on password-sharing, implementing a long-awaited ban preventing US users from sharing their accounts with non-household members.

This move by Netflix reflects a strategic response to last year's subscriber loss and the pursuit of additional revenue, making it one of the first major streaming services to address the issue of password sharing.

(Don’t click here for possible workarounds.)

😵‍💫💸📸

Shutterstock got the steal of the week after Meta was forced to sell Giphy at a loss of…*checks paper*…

$262M!? What, HOW?

After facing a prolonged legal battle with UK antitrust watchdogs, The Network Formerly Known as Facebook was forced to sell to the stock image service for a measly $53M when they’d paid $315M for the platform just three years prior.

Shutterstock is really making out since the deal will also grant them access to Giphy’s 1.7B daily users and global partners which includes big players like TikTok, Twitter, Discord, and even, you guessed it, Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.

🤖❤️🤖

OpenAI’s largest investor, Microsoft, announced this week the integration of Bing into ChatGPT. You know, because Bing AI has been going so well.

The merge will allow ChatGPT to provide real-time information to users utilizing the search engine, expanding its capabilities beyond retrieving data until only 2021.

While initially only available to premium ChatGPT Plus subscribers, the Bing feature is expected to eventually be accessible in the free version.

TL;DR - Netflix and chill on sharing your password. Shutterstock scores gifs for cheap. ChatGPT and Bing are getting pretty serious.

Quick Hits

• People keep trying to make QR Code menus a thing. It’s never going to be a thing. 🚫

• Years ago, Nick Cage did some screen tests as a long hair Superman. That movie did not get made, but apparently, some of the footage will appear in the upcoming Flash movie. 🦸‍♂️

• Microsoft’s AI co-pilot is coming. Are you ready for “Clippy 2: The Revenge?” 📎

• In a wild turn of events, breathing less seems to lead to a longer life. 😮‍💨

History

• 1967: John Lennon's psychedelic Rolls Royce is delivered. 🎸

• 1977: The First Star Wars film hits theaters across the US. 🚀

• 2011: Oprah Winfrey airs her last show, ending a 25-year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show. ✌️