🚗 Fall Mode: Cool Mornings, Hot Leads

TOGETHER WITH

We’re in fall mode, Fam.

The mornings are cool, football talk is heating up, and even Nathan Southwick’s in a hoodie.

Articles are telling your customers the same thing every year: early fall is the time to buy. Model year changeovers, year-end quotas, and a quiet spell after summer rushes mean people are wandering in ready to buy from somebody.

How are you ensuring it’ll be from you?

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

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THE UNION

News and Views

If you caught The ASOTU Morning Show yesterday, you already know the story of three Nissan dealers taking “Tour Detour”—a 1,500-mile YouTube trek through the American West in sketchy used Muranos and a Juke. They’re out to prove Nissan’s durability the hard way: dust, dunes, and CVT skepticism included. The seven-part series rolls out Oct. 15.

They also talked about GM’s EV lease credit pivot and the new $29K Chevy Bolt.

Check out more on the Tour Detour here:

Other Headlines

BYD

Meanwhile, China’s BYD expands its South American footprint, launching affordable EVs in Argentina under a new tariff-free policy. And Ferrari’s having its worst trading day ever after dialing back its EV ambitions.

Ferrari

Ferrari’s having a rough ride. Shares plummeted up to 16% after revealing conservative 2030 guidance and a slower path to full electrification.

Walmart?

But the story dealers may feel most—Walmart just opened its first “Auto Care Center of the Future.” Smart lockers, live app updates, and prices that start at $5 for tires. Ten pilot centers launch this year.

If Walmart is leveling up its service lanes nationwide, how are you preparing to hold your ground?

TOGETHER WITH TRADEPENDING

CTAs Gone Wild

When every vendor wants their call-to-action buttons on a dealer’s website, and sometimes OEMs mandate them, sometimes we end up with a hot mess of call-to-action buttons.

TradePending delivers a breakdown, without throwing anyone under the bus, of some really bad CTA button stacks, and a few thoughts on how to fix it.

EVERYTHING ELSE

Quick Hits

• 🛒 Retail: In 2025, The Smashing Pumpkins proved nostalgia still sells—especially when blended with irony. Their $19.79 “OG Goth Smoothie” turns ’90s angst into Erewhon chic, showing that wit, branding, and a wink to the past can market anything—even breakfast.

• 💰 Economy: China’s expanded rare earth export curbs heighten U.S. supply chain risks, threatening defense and semiconductor sectors while pushing Washington to accelerate domestic sourcing and decouple critical materials from Chinese control.

• 👽 Weird: In 2025, an AI made millions in crypto, wrote its own gospel, and demanded legal rights. If today’s bots can earn, influence, and worship, imagine 2035—when algorithms might vote, sue, or dream in code. The future isn’t coming—it’s already posting.

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

When Leaders Mean It: Data, Turnover, and Transitions

When ownership changes, people don’t listen to announcements—they watch decisions.
Leadership either shows up or it doesn’t, and the results are measurable. Gallup finds only one in four employees strongly trust their leaders, yet companies with aligned, decisive leadership during mergers are 1.7× more likely to hit revenue goals.

That alignment isn’t theory—it’s what keeps teams together when everything else shifts.
Because when leaders mean it, people stay, trust grows, and the business becomes more than numbers on a balance sheet.

👉 Read the full story: “When Leaders Mean It: Data, Turnover, and Transitions.”

Today in History

• 1492 – The crew of Christopher Columbus's ship, the Santa Maria, attempt a mutiny. ⚓️ 

• 1964 – The Tokyo Summer Olympics opening ceremony is the first to be relayed live by satellites. 🛰️ 

• 2010 – Chrysler announces the end of the Grand Caravan 🚌 

Happy Friday! The power to finish the week well is all yours.