#700 - 🚗 Celebrating 700

Howdy, Friend, and welcome to our 700th email! 🥳

Whether you’ve opened all 700 or this is your very first one, thank you for reading. We couldn’t have reached this milestone without all of you.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris, and Kristi

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ICYMI

Behold!

The Daily Pushback Email

• Monday, we celebrated Memorial Day, and hope you did too!

• Tuesday, we shared Ford’s announcement to drop dealer EV sales restrictions, the impact of incentives, and the UAW trying again. We finished that email with a wild little story about a drone-deliverable robotic dog… with a machine gun from China.

• Wednesday, we snagged a small pile of hybrid stories, saw Nissan is moving toward gigacasting, and peeked into ongoing talks between China and the EU’s auto industry. At the end we covered some data on the new tariffs and their impact.

• Thursday, we covered some news from Fiat, Hyundai, Ford, and VinFast before visiting our friends at Walser for their Veterans at Walser event.

• Friday, we gave a short quick look at the pushes toward affordability capturing the attention of several big automakers. Then we wrote up a little economic update.

PODCASTS

Auto Collabs

While AI can streamline operations, it's the human touch that truly nurtures customer loyalty and builds effective business relationships.

In this episode of Auto Collabs, Brad Title, the visionary leader behind Gubagoo, shares his expert insights on the nuanced role of artificial intelligence within the automotive industry and other sectors.

Check out the audio-only podcast here!

In The Dirt

Peter Barba is the Co-Founder & CEO of Lectrium--a service that helps dealers merchandise their website's EV inventory which results in an enhanced customer experience.

Hear more stories from the dirt here!

The ASOTU Wheelhouse

Is your car sending location data to the police? Should it be?

In this episode of the ASOTU Wheelhouse, host Daniel Govaer is joined by Ashley Cavazos, Marketing Director at DeMontrond Auto Group, Colby Joyner, VP of Marketing at Cavender Auto Group, and Savannah Simms, Director of Business Development at Simms Auto Group.

They delve into dealership challenges such as implementing new processes under new management, navigating inventory levels, and the impact of competitive pricing. Plus, there are some free ways to improve customer experience and signs that your dealership just isn’t that into you.

Enjoy this and many other conversations here!

SOMETHING FUN

A Car With Character

Move over Lightning McQueen, there's a new star in town!

A Toyota IQ in the UK inspired by Professor Z from the Pixar movie “Cars 2” was recently up for grabs on eBay. Though it doesn’t match Zündapp exactly, this quirky build is still a head-turner.

According to the listing, the well-traveled 116,603 miles are evident, but the interior holds up. Under the hood, Toyota’s 1.0-liter engine delivers 67 hp, just enough to get this pint-sized professor rolling.

Though the offer boasted “extensive customization work,” explaining the hefty valuation of $10,824-13,372), it ultimately only sold for $7,638.15.

We don’t like the idea of professors being under-paid….except maybe in this case.

Quick Hits

• It’s almost time for Manhattenhenge, a Stonehenge-style alignment of the sun with the city streets of Manhatten. ☀️ 

• Netflix is making a Minecraft show. ⛏️ 

• Police in Madrid measured the decibels of a Taylor Swift concert due to complaints from locals. 🔊 

History

• 1495: A monk, John Cor, records the first known batch of Scotch whisky. 🥃 

• 1909: The Ocean to Ocean race begins. 🏁 

• 1938: Superman debuted in Action Comics Issue 1. 💥 

Thanks for reading, friend! It’s Saturday, but everybody knows that doesn’t mean the work is done. If you are in the store, office, shop, or yard today, work hard, work honest, and rest well when the time comes.