🚗 Ford Pushes Forward

TOGETHER WITH

Good Morning, Fam!

As the kids say, we’re cookin’ over here.

Today’s email has a little of everything. News, Knowledge, ASOTU CON content, and, staring the show, dealers doing good to their community (Rubber duck edition)

Check it out and remember: This thing works both ways. Hit us up with something interesting, important, or just weird.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

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THE NEWS

Ford, Tax Breaks, and Gen Z’s AI Habits

“If this doesn’t tell you that auto is still in a cultural moment, I don't know what does.” Kyle Mountsier on the wildly popular EV Factory Tours in China.

Check out more of the days news w/ Paul and Kyle on The Automotive State of the Union 6 mornings a week.

🔋 Ford’s $3B EV Play Moves Ahead—Tax Credit or Not

Ford’s building its new LFP battery plant in Michigan, even if GOP-led policy scraps the federal tax incentives that helped justify it. The goal? Cheaper EVs built in America, using licensed tech from China’s CATL.

For Ford dealers, this signals a long game in affordability, but short-term politics may still shake buyer confidence.

💸 Trump’s Auto Loan Tax Break?

A $10K deduction on auto loan interest sounds juicy—but unless your customer’s financing a $130K+ ride, it’s more headline than help. Add income limits, and most buyers get maybe a few hundred bucks off their tax bill. Dealers, be ready for questions—but don’t expect a luxury surge over this.

📦 China’s “Used” Car Exports Are Brand-New—and Messy

To pump up the numbers, Chinese automakers are registering fresh-off-the-line vehicles as “used” for export. It’s legal (locally), inflates EV market stats, and helps skirt trade barriers—but it muddles global comparisons and fuels dumping concerns. Bottom line: don’t put too much stock in China’s EV adoption “surge.”

⚙️ New CEO, New Era (Maybe) at Nissan

Ivan Espinosa takes the reins as Nissan’s new CEO after a leadership purge that cut ties with Renault board members. Plans include 20,000 job cuts and $3B in U.S. tariff hits—plus a full restructuring. U.S. Nissan dealers, stay tuned. Product changes, pricing shifts, or even strategy pivots could follow.

🤖 Gen Z’s AI Habits: Productive or Problematic?

40% of Gen Z men admit to submitting AI-generated work as their own, and nearly 1 in 3 have broken company policy using AI. It’s a signal for dealers managing younger staff in roles like BDC, social, or follow-up: AI can boost output, but it can’t replace real voice or judgment. Not yet, anyway.

➕ More

We’ve got more on these and several other stories in our Daily Digest.

🥊 Quick Hits

• A heatwave in the Southeast has been declared a heat emergency. It could lead to energy issues as cooling homes becomes more costly. 🥵 

• Consumer confidence has dipped in June.

• The Toxic Avenger reboot has a new trailer. 🧹 

TOGETHER WITH MIA

Tune In Today!

At ASOTU CON, the conversation around AI in the dealership got real. Friend or foe? Disruption or support? Luke Morris and Scott Traylor sparked plenty of debate—and now they’re going beyond the stage.

In this 30-minute webinar, you’ll learn how Luke’s team embraced AI without losing trust, the growing pains no one talks about, and the unexpected wins that followed.

If you’ve been burned by bad tech or skeptical about what AI can really do for your team, this is the session you don’t want to miss.

Clock’s ticking—register now!

MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS

The Riverwalk Rubber Duck Race

Our friends at Castle Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Naperville worked with the Downtown Naperville Alliance to host a rubber duck-themed race for their community.

The video speaks for itself, but we love seeing yet another creative and fun way dealers are impacting their communities every day.

Quack! 

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

This isn’t your average panel about “being a better leader.” Ryan Rohrman, Erica Tiffany, and Joe St. John sat down with Michael Cirillo at ASOTU CON to talk about what actually moves the needle at top-performing dealerships.

They lay out how great dealerships empower their teams, create real accountability, and build cultures that last. Whether it’s surprising a customer with new car seats or using anonymous surveys to lead better, their stories reveal what leadership looks like when it actually works.

Hit play to discover how these leaders are building teams that that care, perform, and stick around.

🔁 Today in History

• 1947: The Diary of a Young Girl (better known as The Diary of Anne Frank) is published. 🕊️ 

• 1956: The last Packard leaves a Detroit assembly line. 🎩 

• 1981: Microsoft is restructured to become an incorporated business in its home state of Washington. 💻️ 

That’s all for today, but don’t worry…