Welcome to Saturday, Friend!
It was a pretty full week of news and content. We grabbed a catch-up-ready collection below and hope it’s useful!
Speaking of useful, does your team do a celebration meeting? It’s legit the best half of the week for our team. We just talk about work wins and life wins.
You really get to know people when you find out what makes them smile.
Keep Pushing Back,
—Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi
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Don’t Miss a Thing This Week
Monday: 48 Hours That Didn't Go the Way Tesla Planned
Tesla launched the Cybercab in Austin. NHTSA opened a federal safety probe about 24 hours later, and the stock gave back its pre-launch pop plus more. Wall Street wasn't impressed by the event itself either.
Tuesday: Global Dealers Are Asking AI the Same Question American Dealers Asked a Year Ago
Dispatch from Istanbul: international dealers pushed back hard on AI hype without proof. A 27-executive survey found most groups can't measure AI's financial or operational impact. Also: Stellantis told a journalist it can't beat China, so it's partnering with Leapmotor instead.
Wednesday: Is Your AI Actually Working for You?
Cox Automotive's numbers backed up the Istanbul skepticism: 70% of dealers expected AI to boost sales, only 22% say it has. Also in this one: used EV prices refusing to crash despite rising supply, and BYD's export targets climbing toward 2.5 million vehicles in 2027.
Thursday: The White House Just Called Ford's China Strategy a "Troubling Picture"
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Jim Farley a letter over Ford's CATL, Geely, and BYD ties. Ford called it a "wrongheaded attempt to capture headlines." Also: mobile service adoption jumped from 2-3 OEMs to 15-16 in a year.
Friday: VW Puts a €16 Billion Price Tag on Its Restructuring Plan
Volkswagen attached a real number to last week's restructuring pact, plant-by-plant, on top of 50,000 more job cuts than already planned. Ford answered its own China criticism with a $1 billion Kentucky bet two days later.
Auto Collabs
Carlos Mojica, senior manager of retail development at LaFontaine Automotive Group, joins Auto Collabs to explain why a 43-store group leaned into Amazon Autos instead of treating it as a threat.
In this episode, Carlos breaks down:
How the transaction actually works, from syndicated inventory through financing, deposit, and delivery
Why Amazon needs dealer inventory just as much as dealers might benefit from Amazon's reach
The inevitable Carvana comparison, and why he thinks it doesn't hold up
What LaFontaine learned from its first Amazon sale
Why traffic volume isn't really the point
More on this episode and the replay here.
The Dealer Playbook
Rob Ruth, President and Owner of Bob Ruth Ford in Dillsburg, PA, joins The Dealer Playbook to explain how a franchise store in a town of 2,900 people sells 300+ used cars a month and buys 240 vehicles off the street without leaning on auctions.
In this episode, Rob breaks down:
Why used cars are the real growth lever, 40 million used vehicles sold annually versus roughly 16 million new
The acquisition-first framework behind his buying center, including how a Facebook Marketplace outreach effort scaled into a full sourcing team
How the store sells 8 used vehicles for every 1 new while keeping the OEM satisfied
The current sweet spot: $25K-and-under pricing, recon discipline, and knowing your market
How treating employees as partners built a culture that recruits and retains in a small market
🎧 Watch the full episode to hear Rob's playbook straight from him.
Childhood Enters Neutral Territory
Little Tikes
People are already having big feelings about the new Cozy Coupe, which seems appropriate for a product many of us considered our first car. Some things are sacred and should be left alone.
But alas, Little Tikes recently unveiled the Cloud Collection, a lineup of classic toys redone in soft neutrals “designed to complement today's homes.” Because naturally, children have always been deeply concerned about whether their wagons coordinate with the lamps.
This includes the famous little ride-car, now stripped of its bright ketchup-and-mustard color scheme and given a completely beige-ified makeover. Perfectly ready to be staged next to a boucle ottoman and a ceramic vase no child is allowed within six feet of.
Little Tikes is clearly chasing a real trend here. Neutral nurseries and meticulously curated playrooms are everywhere, so this thing will probably sell just fine.
Just don't be surprised when your toddler sees all that clean white plastic and immediately reaches for the markers.
Which side are you on?
490 BC: Athenian and Plataean forces defeated a Persian invasion at the Battle of Marathon, eventually giving us the lore behind our modern day marathons.
2003: Johnny Cash, legendary American country music singer dies.
2013: NASA confirmed that Voyager 1 officially entered interstellar space.
Thanks for reading, Friend!
