🔥 New Whips and New Flicks

TOGETHER WITH

Last night, Live Tonight with ASOTU in Arlington, TX, was ALIVE with the energy of bright, compassionate, and motivated people who call the automotive industry home.

Dealers and industry partners who know the industry is worth working in but also very much worth working for.

I was invited to remember that a better experience for the customer starts with happy and motivated associates, that growth requires leveraging technology beyond transactional thinking, and that giving back to the community isn't something dealers do but who dealers really are.

I woke up today grateful I get to share time with so many inspiring people and for my role in keeping them growing and connected.

Keep Pushing Back-Chris Reeves

DEALERS

Capitaland Subaru ❤️’s APF

Capitaland Subaru has donated a record-breaking $68K to their local Animal Protective Foundation (APF) in Glenville, NY thanks in large part to the phenomenal efforts of its dealership team.

The contribution is part of Subaru of America's annual Share the Love event which donates a portion of each vehicle sale from late November to early January to a local charity of the dealership’s choosing.

Capitaland Subaru has been supporting APF for over 25 years and contributed over $300K.

“The APF is our hometown charity that we picked to support,” said Regina Grego, VP of Capitaland Subaru. “We’ve picked them for a number of years now, and $68,000 is the largest contribution. We had a successful event this year, and are very pleased to support the Animal Protective Foundation, and thank them for all the good work that they do for the pets in our community.”Telling it like it is - Thanks for looking out for our furry friends, Capitaland Subaru!

AUTOMOTIVE

VW Recalls SUVs, Ford's Slashed Subsidies and Volvo’s Rise with EVs

If you’re a big fan of riding shotgun, you may be in for a bit of diappointment..

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warned owners of 143,000 Volkswagen SUVs not to allow anyone to sit in the front passenger seat until the cars can be fixed. Oh, and the remedy won’t be available until later this year.

The alert comes as VW finds potentially faulty wiring that can deactivate the front passenger airbag even when the seat is occupied. The recall covers 2018-2021 model year Atlas and 2020 model year Atlas Cross Sport vehicles.

Ford announced Wednesday that four of its six electric and plug-in hybrid models will have their tax credits cut in half per the new US Treasury rules that take effect on April 18th.

The Mach-E, E-Transit, Escape Plug-In Hybrid and Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring will all see their credits drop to $3,750. The F-150 Lightning and Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring will still be eligible for the full $7,500 credit.

Volvo reported an 8% YOY increase in sales in March, selling over 63K cars. The growth was largely driven by the company's fully electric models.

In February, the company's total car sales were up 22% with fully electric cars accounting for 19% of total sales. In Q1, they made up 41% of all its cars sold globally, and 62% of overall sales in Europe.

Telling it like it is - VW recalls a bunch of their SUVs, some Ford EVs aren’t getting as much of a tax credit as they thought, and Volvo had a profitable Q1.

TOGETHER WITH ASANA

Do Your Best Work!

Ever tried to herd cats? It’s crazy - fur, claws, whiskers, and tails everywhere, obeying only the voice of chaos! Kinda like managing projects without Asana... From the small stuff to the big picture, Asana organizes work, so teams know what to do, why it matters, and how to get it done. With more than 200+ integrations, you can bring together everything your team needs, so communication is simple, collaboration is automatic, and work is coordinated from management to teammates and back. Don’t leave project success up to change. Leave the repetitive stuff to Asana and do more of your best work today! 

AUTOMOTIVE

Debuts at the NY Auto Show

The New York International Auto Show doesn’t officially kick off until this Friday, but early-access sources are already posting previews of the event including sneak peeks at upcoming 2024 debuts. Here are some of the new models that we’ve seen so far:

Hyundai unveiled the second-generation of it’s Kona crossover, with the updated models featuring increased size, longer range, more power, and some schnazzy new lights. The 2024 Kona will also offer several gas and electric drivetrain options to suit a range of market demands.

Jeep rolled out (literally) their 2024 Wrangler in spectacular fashion.

The new model will feature a bit of a front-end face-lift, improved safety, and updated tech specs including a new 12.3-inch center touchscreen with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Rejoice, ICE lovers! This one won’t be getting any BEV over-hauls...yet.

Stellantis also revealed its new electric Ram pickup set to debut on the market in late 2024. The Ram 1500 REV will have a range of up to 500 miles using an optional 229-kilowatt battery pack and will be built on a new body-on-frame architecture designed for full-size EVs, capable of towing up to 14K pounds and a payload of up to 2,700 pounds.

Telling it like it is - There’s no shortage of new vehicles coming out in 2024. Which model are you most looking forward to?

CULTURE

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. Already catching fans’ attention is a scene in the second trailer recreating the iconic Spider-Man pointing meme with all sorts of Spider-People. The release date has been set for June 2nd. 🕷️

Barbie. After a litany of set-backs since the project’s inception way back in 2017, this highly anticipated film about the world’s most famous doll is finally hitting theaters on July 21st. Margot Robbie stars as the OG Barbie, and Ryan Gosling as her dopey, faithful Ken. From the trailer that was released earlier this week, it looks campy, irreverent, and very very pink. 💖

Moana. But, in real life this time! The Rock spilled the beans this week that Disney has a live-action version of the beloved animated film in the works, though he didn’t give anything away about when we can expect to see it in theaters. 🍿

Telling it like it is - Oh, you were hoping for something original? Not another superhero flick or a live-action take on a familiar story? Well, too bad! Hollywood ran out of ingenuity in the late 90s and it’s probably not coming back.

Quick Hits

• Tinder is toying with the idea of an ultra-premium subscription service they’re calling “Tinder Vault.” At $500 a month, you may ultimately have to decide between paying for that or your car note.

• Uber Health, the healthcare division of ride-sharing giant Uber, has launched a same-day prescription delivery service.

• First Meta (Facebook) could identify and tag your friends. Soon it will be able to identify and tag your stuff, too.

History

• 1889: George Eastman begins selling his Kodak flexible rolled film for the first time.

• 1906: The world's first animated cartoon is released called "Humorous Phases of Funny Faces" by J. Stuart Blackton.

• 1917: US declares war on Germany and enters World War I.

• 1930: Hostess Twinkies are invented.