Europe Considers E-Fuel

TOGETHER WITH

We have the incredible opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our customers and the communities we serve. Our industry is truly unique. It empower others with the freedom of mobility, and in turn, contribute to the growth and development of our neighborhoods and cities.

Take a moment to reflect on the pride that comes with being a part of this amazing industry. Remember, it's not just about selling cars; it's about building relationships, trust, and a sense of belonging. It's about knowing that when a customer drives off the lot, you've made a meaningful impact on their lives.

Keep Pushing Back-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

Hope On Wheels

As part of Hyundai Hope on Wheels, Country Hyundai helped raise and donate $100K to the Baystate Children's Hospital for pediatric Cancer Research! Carla Cosenzi of Tommy Car Auto Group (of which Country Hyundai is a part) shared some of her and her team's thoughts about the donation:

"It was probably one of the easiest decisions we've ever made. Pediatric cancer is just so devastating and affects so many people. Hyundai's been such a great partner with Hope on Wheels and has done a great job rallying dealers together.

In 2022, I was lucky enough to be a part of the check donation to Baystate Children's Hospital where, along with the other Hyundai dealers, we donated $100,000 to support pediatric cancer and cancer awareness. It's one of the easiest charities to get involved with, and feel really good about what you're doing.

It is devastating to see the children enduring such hardship and pain and their parents having to watch. That part of their life should be fun and worry-free. The great thing about going to the hospital, doing the check presentation, and meeting the people is seeing the difference that the money actually makes. It's not just about the strides they're making in cancer research, although that's really important. It's about making the experience for the children who are impacted different. Anything that they can do to make it not feel like a hospital for them, and to make them feel more comfortable while they're there, they do."

Telling it like it is - We write a lot about dealers giving back to the community, but the stories of dealers giving FIRST have a special place in our heart. Great work, Tommy Car team! Caring for kids facing such unfair circumstances is above and beyond.

AUTOMOTIVE

EU Proposes E-Fuel Compromise

In a bid to end a heated argument with Germany over the phasing out of combustion engine cars, the European Commission has come up with a solution that they hope will make everyone happy.

The proposal would allow the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines after 2035 under the condition that they're powered by climate-neutral e-fuels, essentially creating a whole new category of vehicle.

⛽️ - 💨 / 🥼 = 🌳 ❓

Might be good in theory. While the commission does get credit for the idea, the logistics are a lot more complicated. E-fuels are produced by combining captured CO2 emissions and hydrogen using CO2-free electricity, but they are not yet produced at scale. Also, Germany still isn’t sold because it would largely force their automakers to develop and manufacture entirely new engines.

Telling it like it is - Reinventing the engine is a lot like reinventing the wheel except like, a bunch harder.

TOGETHER WITH CAROFFER

To Sell, You Gotta Buy Smart

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AROUND THE ASOTUVERSE

Give it a Listen

Most things aren't for everyone. This podcast isn't most things. We really try and make sure there is something for everyone in The Automotive Troublemaker daily 15 minute podcast. Take it on your daily drive and get a little laugh, encouragement, and insight for your day!

AUTOMOTIVE

New From Polestar, Ford, and Nissan

🎮

Polestar's new next-gen electric sedan does not have a creative name, but it does have a long name. The Polestar 2 BST 230 looks a little like the best car in a street racing game, and with 476 hp and a 4.2 second 0-60, we assume it would indeed beat any video game console in a race.

The 230 edition will feature the same hardware as the limited 270 edition but explore new looks and feels, such as the Green Nebula paint pictured above.

🌍

Ford's new Explorer is all electric and all... European?

The company has no plan to introduce the EV crossover in the US, which makes sense because it is almost nothing at all like the Explorer Americans are familiar with.

Like the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, Ford is using the iconic Explorer name in its strategy to transition it's European lineup, and market share, to electric by 2030.

🍁

Nissan's Ariya is the follow-up Leaf that fans have been waiting for…we think. We couldn't find a Leaf fan to ask directly, but we know they exist. The new EV features a dual-motor e-4ORCE system that The Verge tested on wet asphalt. Even at full acceleration, the vehicle maintained safe traction in big turns.

While the Leaf popularized one-pedal driving, the Ariya brought back a brake pedal with regenerative braking to slow and recharge the vehicle.

TL: DR - Polestar heard people like performance, Ford heard Europe has looser direct EV sales laws, and Nissan heard folks like their car to be safe (who knew?).

TECHNOLOGY

AI is Getting Better at Art, Medicine, and Lying

Adobe released a new suite of generative AI tools called Firefly that’s about to be another game-changer in the art world. The suite will offer a text-to-image feature that is being promoted as easier to use than competitors (think more Canva, less Midjourney), and something that’s even more important to most artists — copyrights.

According to Adobe, everything fed to its models is either from the Adobe Stock library, out of copyright, licensed for training, or open domain, meaning that they have the rights to them. This is unlike similar platforms like Lensa AI and DALL-E, which have been accused of scraping the internet for their imagery and thus violating the rights of many artists to their visual identity.

New AI medicine-discovery platform Pharma.AI has developed a cancer treatment program in a mere 30 days, including synthesizing a new drug that it suggests will be more effective than current treatments. It can also predict a patient’s survival rate with more than 80% accuracy. The findings have been submitted for further clinical trials.

Bye bye, tedious test tubes! Instead of the monotonous rounds of chemical trial and error that researchers typically face, AI is slated be the next great tool to rapidly advance the healthcare industry.

A recent report by NewsGuard found that GPT-4 may be able to create more convincing fake news than its predecessor, as evidenced by a study involving human judges.

Though OpenAI touted the newest iteration of the chatbot as 40% more likely to produce factual responses, the test found that it was still better at elevating false narratives with a more authoritative voice, was less likely to challenge debunked claims, and included fewer disclosures.

Telling it like it is - How AI models are trained is a huge component to how their platforms evolve. Let’s just be careful – we don’t want lyin’ ol’ GPT feeding into Pharma AI’s studious research.

Quick Hits

• The line-up for this year’s Lollapalooza festival in Chicago has been released.

• Netflix is bringing the video game Gears of War to life with a movie adaptation.

• A Monet-inspired piece of LEGO artwork takes up residence at the Design Museum in London.

• Home sales spiked 14.5% in February as price drops for first time in decade.

• Tired of walking into the wall while enjoying your VR pressure washing game? Omni has a round treadmill that may help.

History

• 1934: The Augusta National Golf Club hosted the first Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

• 1957: Elvis Presley’s song “All Shook Up" was released as a single.

• 1957: San Francisco was quite literally all shook up due to a massive earthquake.

• 1972: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named NBA MVP.