🚗 Dealer Confidence Holds, EV Optimism Tanks

TOGETHER WITH

Hey, howdy, and hello, Friend.

Like a parrot eating coffee beans, we’re always talking. Which is ok, since we have so many strong leaders and insightful voices in the industry that we always have someone worth talking to.

We’ve been writing up some of these conversations lately, like “Video Inspections Quietly Driving 40% ELR Spike in Service Bays.”

Give it a read and then check out more on the Auto Collabs podcast on Apple or Spotify!

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

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THE UNION

From the Automotive State of the Union

VinFast Bets Big on Dealers

VinFast pivots from DTC to franchised dealerships while scaling globally. Q2 net loss widened to $812M (+15% QoQ), but revenue jumped 91.6% to $663M and deliveries surged 172% to 35,837. Founder Pham Nhat Vuong pledged $1.5B to fund expansion/R&D. Strategy: lighten storefront costs, accelerate reach, align with U.S. retail reality.

VW Pauses ID.4 Build

Volkswagen will pause Chattanooga ID.4 production in October; 160 workers furloughed at 80% pay. Q2 sales fell 65% to 1,992. $129 leases, lost credits, competition.

Porsche’s Wireless Charging Pad

Porsche’s 11-kW wireless pad for Cayenne EV offers Level 2–like overnight charging—no cables. Auto-activates, pet/object radar, air/liquid cooling. Factory pre-wire required; estimated ~$9,500 system cost.

From The News w/ ASOTU

Honda Prologue Becomes a Surprise Hit

Honda’s Prologue EV just outsold the Odyssey and Passport, moving 9,347 units in August—an 80% jump YoY. Aggressive incentives like $159 leases and a $3,500 conquest bonus made the math simple for customers. Clear offers are proving to be the secret weapon in EV adoption.

Confidence Holds, EV Optimism Tanks

The latest Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index shows steady overall confidence, but costs remain sky-high, and dealer optimism for EV sales just hit a record low of 30. Strong sales today are colliding with uncertainty over expiring tax credits and rising price pressure.

Also in today’s digest:

• Volvo sales dip in August, but the EX60 EV crossover is on the horizon.

• Tariffs bite Porsche, while a U.S. court ruling questions its future.

• A Minnesota cop tickets a Charger EV for “loud exhaust.”

TOGETHER WITH AUTOACQUIRE AI

Real Talk, Real Tech, Real Fast

At NAMAD 2025, the dealers brought the energy but AutoAcquire AI brought the tools.

COO Frank Knox shared the ASOTU podcast stage with us, but most of the real action happened off-mic—talking with industry leaders, swapping stories, and digging into what’s actually slowing stores down like lengthy appraisals and trade-in surprises.

Their garage-level targeting even uses household data to reveal hidden equity and unlock opportunities from every RO, showroom visit, and online lead.

Plus, Instant Cash Offers are fully customizable. Dealers can target by zip code, VIN, equity profile, even year, make, model, and trim—all dialed in to perfectly fit the needs of a store or group.

Learn more about how AutoAcquire AI can streamline your acquisition process today!

SOMETHING ELSE

Your Website Might Be Losing Deals

A new Clutch survey we read on Retail Brew shows 52% of shoppers bail if a site takes more than 10 seconds to load—and 80% leave altogether if the design feels clunky. For dealers, that means:

• Test your site speed regularly; slow pages cost leads.

• Simplify checkout forms (20% quit when forced to make an account).

• Highlight trust signals: SSL badges, reviews, and clear refund/return policies.

So, a fast, clean, and secure site is just as important as showroom design. Every second counts, online and in-store.

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

We're making moves at the LA Auto Show, and if you're in the industry, you should be too.

AutoMobility LA is the one-day event for pros only—think dealers, vendors, investors, analysts, and auto obsessives of all stripes. The public gets their turn later. This is your shot to be in the room where the future gets talked about and shaped.

Don’t miss out on early bird pricing, available through October 15th.

PLUS, use code MoreThanCars to get 25% off your ticket.

Register today!

🥊 Quick Hits

• Gold is getting more valuable as everything else gets more…shaky. 🥇 

• Instagram has an iPad version now. 📸 

• Silksong (the follow-up to the popular video game Hollow Knight) released yesterday and crashed servers on multiple platforms as people rushed to buy it. 🪡 

🔁 Today in History

• 1930: A backwards trip comes to an end. ◀️ 

• 1960: Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) wins the gold medal in the light heavyweight boxing competition at the Olympic Games in Rome. 🥊 

• 1977: NASA launches the Voyager 1 spacecraft. 🛰️ 

Don’t bug out…