🚗 BYD Isn't Invited?

Howdy Friend!

We are 35-ish days from ASOTU CON 2026!

I can’t express it clearly enough that every year the whole team puts their all into making the event worth your time, and every year we are surprised by how positive the feedback is.

There was that one time we had to DoorDash some Diet Coke since we could only find Pepsi at the venue, but that’s hardly on us. Right? 🤣

Check out the More Than Cars LinkedIn page for more announcements of what to expect this May in Hanover, MD.

Keep Pushing Back,
- Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi

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Consumers don’t keep secrets.

People want cars.
They just want cars with different price tags than the ones they’re seeing right now.

Between rising vehicle costs, higher interest rates, insurance spikes, and fuel creeping back up, buyers are feeling pressure. Folks are buying when they gotta more and with that “get to” vibe less.

So naturally, the industry is zeroing in on one word: affordability.

Which seems like a simple north star to follow, but it just ain’t yall.

Globally, there are signs of what a real affordability breakthrough could look like.

BYD just launched an electric SUV in China starting around $22,000, with a strong range and ultra-fast charging. It pulled in over 37,000 orders within weeks.

But that isn’t coming to the U.S. anytime soon.

Lawmakers are actively pushing to keep Chinese automakers out of the market, whether through imports or local production. The concerns are serious. National security, data privacy, and long-term competitiveness all factor in.

And for U.S. dealers and automakers, that protection buys time and stability for now.

Still, it leaves an open question sitting in the middle of the market:

If the most aggressive cost innovation is happening elsewhere, how quickly can domestic players close the gap?

At home, the response looks very different.

Instead of radically lower prices, we’re seeing some brands push toward simpler vehicles.

Dodge is openly questioning whether base cars even need radios. Slate is leaning into crank windows and minimal features as part of the experience.

There’s logic here. Vehicles got expensive and complex. Stripping things back could help.

(Chris here: I vote we just stop trying to make cars drive themselves. Don’t touch my radio, bro)

A “budget” car is still hovering in the $25K to $30K range. Payments are still high. And removing features doesn’t automatically change that math.

So the pitch starts to feel uneven:

Less equipment. Similar cost. Same financial pressure.

There’s a version of this strategy that works. Honest simplicity, lower cost, and clear value. That can win.

But if it leans too far into subtraction without delivering real savings, buyers will notice. And trust is harder to rebuild than a feature list.

That tension shows up clearly in Stellantis.

On the surface, the company had a strong quarter. It was the only Detroit automaker to post growth, up 4% in Q1. Ram surged. Jeep held steady. Core products are doing their job.

But underneath, the split is hard to ignore.

Customers are choosing what they know. Especially when newer options come with higher prices and unclear tradeoffs.

At the same time, Stellantis is tied to a very different story overseas.

Its partner, Leapmotor, continues to scale EV production quickly, with over 100,000 deliveries for four straight quarters. That growth is driven by tighter cost control and more in-house production.

Stellantis is investing in that momentum, expanding in Europe and exploring new production opportunities.

So the company is balancing two realities:

That’s not a short-term problem. But it is a long-term one.

Because eventually, those paths need to come together.

Every service RO quietly leaks a little margin. It adds up fast.

Most stores never chase it down because it lives in the fine print. Processing fees, manual reconciliation, disconnected systems. Death by a thousand swipes.

This session gets into the numbers. The real ones.

Randy Modos and Don Andres walk through how dealers are cutting payment costs in half with compliant surcharge programs that hold the line on customer experience. They get into what actually works at the counter and how to roll it out without creating awkward moments for your team.

Join us April 8 at 2 pm EST—register today.