#677 - 🚗 Baltimore Calling

TOGETHER WITH

There should be a word for when you’re pleasantly overwhelmed. Like, how it feels to plan a wedding, or build a house. Or, in our case, when you’re putting together the greatest automotive community event of the season.

We are grinding hard to make this event spectacular for you all, and we couldn’t be happier doing it.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

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BUSINESS

Happy Friday Eve

Some data, some education, some news, and some celebration.

Today’s email has something for everybody. Unless you like punk rock.

Oh wait, what’s this?

We even got punk rock covered! Wow. Enjoy.

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Examining April with Data

Cox Automotive's Jonathan Smoke presented data from April. We break it down:

Consumers. We love them. You love them. Cox understands them. 

• Consumer spending, which was declining through February, turned positive in March and has maintained that movement. 

• Consumer sentiment, however, dipped 1.6% in April. 

Sales. There are lots of reasons to be in this business, but staying in it requires selling some cars from time to time.

• Retail New Sales were up 8% year over year in April, with loan rates up 9.74% 

• Retail Used Sales were up 9%, while Loan rates jumped 14.12%

Supply. Gotta have cars to sell cars. 

• New supply is up to 21 days. 

• Used supply is down by 2% compared to last year. 

Prices. The price is right?

• Wholesale and retail prices dipped by 0.8% and 0.1%, respectively. 

Tax Returns. Like a piggy bank that Uncle Sam makes us fill. 

• About 80% of returns have been processed and are about 4% higher than in 2023. 

Going to School with Ford

Ford is set to revolutionize training for over 3,000 U.S. franchised dealers with the introduction of "Ford University" on Wednesday.

The platform uses AI to evaluate employee performance and features an interface similar to Netflix and YouTube, moving away from traditional training methods. 

Ford University focuses on modern learning techniques like gamification, designed to enhance customer service, engage employees more effectively, and provide valuable data for business improvement. 

The program will include extensive training on EVs to boost understanding and sales of Ford's EV models like the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E.

Cutting Chargers with Tesla

Elon Musk has unexpectedly disbanded the team managing Tesla's EV charging network, leaving future developments uncertain and industry partners alarmed.

• Staff Layoffs: Tesla laid off the team responsible for its Supercharger network, including the head of the business, Rebecca Tinucci.

• Continued Expansion: Despite the layoffs, Musk plans to continue expanding the Supercharger network, focusing on improving reliability and existing site enhancements.

• Industry Impact: Automakers like GM and Ford, which had planned to integrate their EVs with Tesla's charging network, are monitoring the situation but still need to alter their current strategies.

Making History with Kia

In April 2024, Kia set a historic milestone by selling approximately 5,000 all-electric vehicles in the U.S., a new record for the company. This achievement underscores a significant 144% year-over-year increase in EV sales, driven by popular models like the EV6 and the newly introduced EV9.

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EVs are grabbing market share despite not connecting with all customers. Which seems to be a more reasonable goal than trying to replace the existing market structure. In truth, a taco restaurant doesn’t need to shut down the local pizza place; it just needs to make good tacos and wait for taco fans to come around.

Hmmm…has anybody ever folded a pizza into a taco shape and filled it with fajita meat? #AskingTheRealQuestions

TOGETHER WITH CLARIVOY

Monitor Your Metrics Masterfully

Why stop at leads when you can track your customers' complete buying journeys? With Clarivoy, you get advanced attribution tools to uncover the real story behind every sale.

Clarivoy's advanced tools shift the focus from Cost Per Lead to Cost Per Sale, offering dealers a clearer picture of which marketing efforts truly drive deals. 

Armed with Clarivoy's detailed performance metrics and competitive benchmarks, dealers can confidently make informed decisions to optimize their marketing strategies and improve ROI. Clarivoy's Anonymous Attribution technology fills the gaps left by traditional analytics, connecting even anonymous shoppers to sales and illuminating the complete buying path.

Ready to leverage the full potential of your marketing data? Get started with Clarivoy for free and make every marketing dollar count!

MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS

A Full Week of Giving

Last week marked a monumental chapter for Walser Automotive as they launched their first-ever Week of Giving. With 285 dedicated volunteers from Walser, the event was nothing short of a triumph, spreading generosity across several impactful projects.

The week’s activities varied widely, benefiting organizations such as Simpson Housing Services, City of Burnsville, Bridging MN, Community Emergency Assistance Programs, and VEAP. From building furniture to cleaning parks, each project was carefully selected to ensure that the volunteers’ efforts would have a meaningful and lasting impact on the community.

The week culminated with a collective meal-pack event at Feed My Starving Children, which saw the entire Walser team come together to prepare food for those in need.

The Week of Giving was not just about volunteer hours, it was a powerful display of solidarity, proving that when a passionate auto community comes together, the impact can be profound. Cheers to Walser Auto for setting the pace! 👏

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

Coming Soon

Kayla will be sharing all her tips and and tricks for fostering environments where employees feel valued, customers feel understood, and communities feel supported at this year’s ASOTU CON in Baltimore. We promise, you won’t want to miss it.

🎟️ Don’t risk the FOMO — get your tickets today! 🎟️

CULTURE

The New G Gets a Mini Me

Earlier this week, we took a closer look at the all-new G 580 EQG — an electrified version of Mercedes’ iconic G-Wagen.

Now, let’s take an even closer look (like, seriously, you have to get closer to even see it) at Mattel’s latest die-cast model in honor of the new release.

This little number, crafted at a 1:64 scale, nails the robust design of the G-Class with meticulous details, and it sports a chic South Seas Blue Magno finish with a classic black interior, just like the original.

Plus, it’s eco-friendly like it’s life size counterpart — made from 99.5 percent recycled metal and over 81 percent ISCC-certified plastic. It's all part of their grand plan, dubbed “Driving Toward a Better Future,” which aims to green up all their toys and packaging by 2030.

If you want to park one of these lil’ blue babies in your collection, it's currently going for about 0.02% of the cost of the real thing at $29.99, so it’s really quite a deal if you think about it.

Quick Hits

• Instagram is redesigning their algorithm to give smaller creators and original content more visibility. 👀

• For every five gas stations in California, there’s now one electric vehicle fast charging station. 🔌

• NYC residents gathered around Union Square Park by the thousands to watch one man eat an entire tub of cheese balls. 🧀

History

• 1878: U.S. stops minting the 20 cent coin. 🪙

• 1918: General Motors buys Chevrolet. 🤝

• 2008: The first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is released — "Iron Man” starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. 🦾

Thanks for reading, friend! If you see all those ASOTU CON billboards floating around the socials and want in on the fun, you know where to find us. 😉