🚗 Confidence and Rest

🚙 News, ASOTU CON, and Auto Collabs

May 17, 2025

Saturday is a rest day for many, but the quality of that rest is only as rich as the confidence we can look away from our work without it falling apart.

So, as much as rest is a part of work, the team is a part of the personal pursuit.

If you’re on today, remember you’re not just working for yourself; if you’re off, remember you're doing that for the whole team too.

What a fun world we get to live in.

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

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ICYMI

Looking Back on ASOTU CON Week

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The Daily Pushback Email

  • On Monday, we kicked off ASOTU CON week with news that the U.S. and U.K. struck a tariff deal, Georgia’s EV boom hit a political speed bump, and Slate Auto raised $700M to build a modular, budget EV truck. Plus, Rohrman Automotive Group reminded us what this industry is all about after donating nearly $93K to support blood cancer research. đŸ©ž
     

  • Tuesday, we officially kicked off ASOTU CON with 700 of the boldest and brightest minds in the industry! We also found that Nissan doubled down on job cuts after a $5.3B loss, and April’s credit access tightened—especially for subprime buyers. Over in Brazil, BYD’s factory plans hit delays, and in the tech world, David Steinberg dropped some hard truths about the 88% of leads dealers might be misreading. 😳
     

  • By Wednesday, the ASOTU CON energy was absolutely electric, just like the news. We learned that TikTok it’s not just for dances, now delivering nearly 10% of digital car inquiries with top-tier ROI. Plus, Volkswagen and Uber announced their “Buzz” of a robotaxi collab, GM and LG promised cheaper, longer-range EV batteries by 2028, and Toyota ditched the bZ4X name for a rebranded “bZ.” 🐝
     

  • Then, on Thursday, we geared up for our final day at ASOTU CON. Porsche pumped the brakes on its EV push, blaming China and tariffs, while Toyota and VW kept their electric momentum rolling. Meanwhile, Ford faced strikes in Germany, and Honda paused its $10.7B EV plans in Canada. âšĄïž
     

  • By Friday, our tanks were running close to empty after leaving it all on the table for our event, but our hearts were absolutely over-flowing. There was news, of course, but the most important takeaway from the entire week? Our community is the best around and we couldn’t be more proud to be a part of it. 💗 

PODCASTS

Auto Collabs

What happens when you feed 4,000 dealership calls into an AI trained to solve real problems?

Monik Pamecha, co-founder of Toma and winner of this year’s ASOTU CON Pitch Tank, shares how his team turned call chaos into clarity.

From rogue cowboy AIs to service friction fixes, this episode is as insightful as it is entertaining. Don’t miss the full conversation—check it out on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple.

ASOTU Edge Webinar

Fewer buyers and higher costs have dealerships rethinking how they connect with customers—and video is leading the charge.

In this episode, Margaret Henney of Covideo and Darrell Perry of Vorderman Volkswagen reveal how personalized video is helping dealers boost appointments and close deals faster. They share the real scripts, tools, and tactics that are working right now.

Watch the full episode to learn how video can become your competitive edge.

MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS

Two Sets of Wheels, Two Deserving Families

Yesterday at ASOTU CON, just for a few minutes, the noise quieted. The room stilled. And the future of auto retail didn’t look like tech or trends. It looked like two single mothers receiving the keys to freedom, stability, and hope.

In partnership with Vehicles for Change, we didn’t just give away cars, we helped rewrite the next chapter for two deserving families. Independence, restored. Dignity, revived.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room—and for good reason.

To keep that spirit going, we auctioned off a custom guitar, raising funds to put even more families on the road towards more independence.

This is why we gather. Not just to shape an industry, but to show what it means to lead with heart and put people first.

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