☀️ Dealers Working With The Sun

TOGETHER WITH

Today marks the 100th episode of David Long's All Things Used Cars. It is incredible to partner with such an incredible community that comes together weekly to drive excellence at the retail level. Make sure you join the Clubhouse room today for this celebratory episode titled 'Cost of Appraisal Reconditioning Accuracy!'Keep Pushing Back-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

Dimmitt Chevy Partners with the Sun

The Dimmitt Chevrolet team in Clearwater, Florida, is uniquely pushing the border of innovation. 

The dealership launched an onsite rooftop solar array that will generate more than 1 GWh of energy annually, which is enough to power 750 homes. ☀️🏡 

🇺🇸💰 Using federal tax incentives, over 2,000 panels were installed in a partnership with Energy Services of America. The array will offset about 156 tons of CO2 emissions, cover 100% of the store's power needs, and pay for itself in under five years through energy savings. 

 As dealers work to meet the needs of the growing electric market segment, a sustainable and reliable energy supply will become more critical and profit-saving. 📈

Telling it like it is - Something about cooling your showroom using solar energy is peak science. Using the sun to battle the sun. 🌞 vs. 🌞

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

All Things Used Cars Episode 100!

Join David Long and the All Things Used Cars community for episode 100, covering the Cost of Appraisal Accuracy! 

Like the 99 episodes before, the conversation will be a guided but open time for operators to share and learn as a community focused on improving every day!

Don't miss out. Join us this morning! 

AUTOMOTIVE

A Whimper, Not A Boom?

🏭 The US is trying to have a manufacturing boom, but the recipe for the perfect "boom" is rather particular. 

Last year, VW's Scout checked 74 locations but found nearly all of them were missing something. A rail link, access to green energy, or a local skilled labor pool to hire from kept the brand from breaking ground. 👩‍🏭❓

Eventually, they settled for a smaller location. 

🧭 They are not alone. Dozens of manufacturers have trouble looking for locations suitable for massive investment plans. While the US has plenty of land, places for "Megasites" are less common. 

👨‍💼 A White House spokesperson said the problem isn't much to worry about since so far no companies have actually abandoned plans due to site concerns. 

Telling it like it is - Ok, we can all agree it is weird Michigan has two land masses. So let's just agree to turn one-half of that state into a Megasite friendly state called… Factory-City, and leave the rest of the country alone. All in favor?

TOGETHER WITH DIGITAL DEALER

Tampa Is Nice In May

Digital Dealer is almost here!

Time again to get ahead of the curve with new strategies, tools, technologies, and connections that will drive growth and give you a competitive edge in the retail automotive industry!

ASOTU will be there, and we hope to see you there!

Use code ASOTU300 to get $300 off any ticket type. Check out more about the show now!

Add ASOTU to your morning commute and take the HOV lane to work! The Automotive Troublemaker is a quick, fun, and informative show keeping you up to date on the day's news and adding some energy to your morning. Join us today! 

AUTOMOTIVE

Renault’s Batteries, Chevy’s Mud, and Zeekr’s Affordable SUV

French automaker Renault is partnering with a local battery start-up, Verkot, to produce its premium and Alpine EVs.

The target capacity is about 12 GWh, which would power 100K vehicles annually. Verkor's planned Dunkirk gigafactory will produce 16 GWh, making Renault its biggest customer by a long shot. 🔋

Financial details are not public, but Renault's shares sprung by 1.3% following the news. 

Renault is adding batteries to the list of things everybody loves about France. They land somewhere between “fries” and “kisses.”

GM is expanding its line-up in at least one direction - higher. The Chevy Silverado's new ZR2 off-road model is a big profit version of GM's most expensive pick-up.

🛻 Muddin'! GM isn't alone. Ford is also boosting off-road options to increase profits without building any actual new vehicles. 🐷

In addition to the 2024 Silverado, the sixth-generation Camaro will be released in the 2024 model year and will begin production in August 2023. While the brand says it is not the end of the nameplate, the Camaro will end production next year as GM moves toward its all-electric by 2035 goals.

For a few bucks more we bet they would pre-mud your truck. Ya’ know, like those jeans that are already eviscerated before you buy them? 

China's Zeekr released a new electric SUV this week to combat Tesla's surging popularity following multiple rounds of price cuts. 🚙🤑

The "X" has a 348-mile range and starts at just $28K, which we don't need to tell you is pretty low, especially for a luxury brand.

💻 Not being dramatic. The Geely-owned brand said its new SUV "transcends the limitations of all previous models named after 3, where X stands for infinite exploration, endless imagination, and endless transcendence." 🚀

Affordability is a wild thing, at $28K, it would take 46 weeks at $15 an hour to pay the vehicle off. Not including tax, recharge, or stopping for snacks (what’s the point in driving without stopping for snacks?)

TL; DR - Renault locks in a local battery deal, GM gets dirty, and Zeekr gets fancy.

TECHNOLOGY

Amazon Makes An AI, AI Makes Some Friends

You may think Amazon is ahead of the pack regarding AI, but if you've ever asked Alexa for anything, you know they got work to do.

🤖☁️ And work, they will! The online retail giant's Web Services division is launching a cloud service and its own large language model. We assume this launch is to ensure Google and Microsoft don't keep all the robot-writing fun to themselves.

The cloud service, Bedrock, will provide users access to Amazon's first-party AI, Titan, and startups AI21 and the Google-backed Anthropic language services. In a unique blend of offerings, Bedrock will use Stability AI to provide text-to-image generative services too. So now you can write and illustrate your memoirs without opening a second tab. 📖🖍️

Or, clone your friends? One data scientist fed half a million text messages to an AI as a joke that got, maybe, a little too real.

The language model was not only able to carry on his friend's group chat but also started to learn about the people beyond how they communicate. Facts about the chat's members, like who they were dating or what school they attended, were included. The AI retained and connected facts leading to a more comprehensive model of the conversation as multiple individuals, not just a form of writing. 

Telling it like it is - Dating app catfishing is about to get so efficient! Just think of all the deep relationships AI’s will accidentally have with one another that mortals may never witness. Sounds like a sci-fi Nicholas Sparks novel. 

Quick Hits

• Cybersecurity experts are worried about claims of a powerful malware produced using ChatGPT and the right prompts. 

• Bridgestone goes green with eco-friendly tires. 

• The NBA has frozen hiring and is cutting its budget for the rest of the year. 

• Leaked images of the new Tesla Model 3 pop up on on Reddit.

History

• 1865: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth; Lincoln dies the following day.

• 1912: A Renault sinks aboard the Titanic. (Also a lot of people and other things) 

• 1927: The first Volvo leaves the assembly line.

• 1981: STS-1: The first operational Space Shuttle, Columbia completes its first test flight.