🥽 Can't Find Em? Train Em!

TOGETHER WITH

This time tomorrow, the ASOTU crew will wake up after a night of tearing Atlanta, Georgia down and rebuilding it.

A new morning for us, a new day for the retail automotive industry.

If the work, planning, missed sleep, re-planning, and execution gives anybody a renewed and more complete look at the retail auto industry, the dealer community, and the wealth of opportunities we have every day, then we count it as a great big win.

Let’s not lose momentum. Get after today like it’s the first day of the life you want.

That’s our plan.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

LADA’s Paid Apprenticeships for Talented Techs

June marks National Automotive Service Professionals Month—a time to tip our hats to the wizards who keep our rides running smoothly. 🧑‍🔧

For the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association (LADA), it’s a significant time to talk about the severe shortage of skilled technicians. Older workers are retiring, and it’s become a struggle to replace them.

According to reports, the auto industry will need approximately 80K more service technicians between now and the end of 2023. Only about 37K new service professionals graduate from technical schools each year.

We may not be great with math, but we’re pretty sure that doesn’t add up so good. 🤔

That’s why the LADA launched a pilot program in partnership with the NADA Foundation, the National Urban League, and the Urban League of Louisiana to tackle this pressing issue.

Spanning 18 months, their paid apprenticeship program provides students with training, financial literacy, and industry knowledge. LADA has worked to recruit women and minorities into the program to promote more inclusivity within the trade. 💞

Telling It Like It Is – Thank you to all the techs out there who are killing it in the Service Department and making room for fresh faces to follow suit. We don’t know where we’d be without you (but it’d likely be somewhere within walking distance).

TOGETHER WITH VELOCITY AUTOMOTIVE

Doing A Little Recon

A big shoutout to our friends at Velocity for helping us unleash our power in Atlanta tonight!

Check them out to see how they are helping dealers do the same in their stores! The all-in-one recon to retail platform ensures you have all your inventory data in one easy-to-use place to maximize profits at every step of the auction, buying, and selling process.

Check Velocity Automotive out for yourself and see why we are thrilled to partner with them in Atlanta and beyond!

AUTOMOTIVE

Motor Morsels: Fast, Small, New, and Groovin’

Do You Have A Fast Car? Rimac's Nevera has become the world's fastest production EV, hitting 256 mph at Germany's Automotive Testing Papenburg track. Miro Zrnčević, Rimac's chief test and development driver, achieved record-breaking speed using the car's advanced four-motor powertrain and improved battery cooling system. The achievement fulfilled Rimac's top speed target when the car debuted as the C_Two concept in 2018.

It's Alright To Be Little Bitty. TELO, a new American EV company, aims to disrupt the market with a small, modular electric truck offering Toyota Tacoma capability in a Mini Cooper footprint. The Telo Truck features two motors generating 500hp and a 106kWh battery promising a 350-mile range. Expected to roll out in 2025, it is priced at $49,999 pre-subsidies, with pre-orders open for a $152 fully refundable deposit.

Cannot Stop The BATTERY! Toyota shares rose 5% following plans to launch a full lineup of next-gen EVs in 2026. The BEVs, developed by Toyota's new EV unit, BEV Factory, aim to offer a 1,000km (620 miles) driving range. Toyota targets annual sales of 1.5 million all-electric vehicles by 2026 and 3.5 million by 2030. It's also advancing mass production of all-solid-state batteries, expecting a 20-50% improvement in cruising range.

All They Do Is Win (Lately)! Kia Motors' lineup has earned several recognitions; the EV6 and EV6 GT, among others, won awards from Money magazine. Kia also saw a tenth consecutive month of sales growth in May 2023, with sales up 23% from 2022 and Kia Seltos sales increasing by 171%. Two-thirds of Kia vehicles sold in the US are SUVs. The company also registered a 33% growth in EV sales compared to May 2022.

TL: DR – Rimac has broken multiple speed records in their fancy EV, TELO’s got little trucks and no nose, Toyota says new battery tech is on the way, and Kia is on a hot streak.

CULTURE

Whistle Blowing or Blowing Smoke?

For those of us eager to believe, anybody saying ‘UFO’ makes us look up, at least a little. 🌔

One former US intelligence officer, David Grusch, says not only are non-human craft on Earth, but they also are in US custody, and the truth is being hidden from even Congress. 🛸

As you may guess, Congress is divided. Some say David's claims should be thoroughly investigated, while others laugh at Mr. Grusch's talk of UAP (Unidentified Ariel Phenomenon). 👽

The Pentagon has firmly denied any such aircraft ownership, which is precisely what we would do if Congress wanted to take our spaceship away. 🚀

Telling It Like It Is – This is uncharted space for ASOTU, but we want to know: What do you think? Are they up there? Are we alone? Is the truth too weird to nail down?

Quick Hits

• The Supreme Court’s ruling that Andy Warhol’s “Prince” pieces violate copyright law may have increased their value by as much as 40 times. 🎨

• A Japanese start-up has designed a floating city designed to adapt to climate change. 🛟

• After 41 seasons, Pat Sajak has decided to give the “Wheel of Fortune” a final final spin. 📺

History

• 1847: Robert Bunsen invents the Bunsen burner. 🕯️

• 1942: Anne Frank begins her diary. 📖

• 1993: Ruth Bader Ginsburg is nominated to the United States Supreme Court. ⚖️