🚗 From Pranks to Prototypes

Welcome to Tuesday, Fam!

We don’t know about you, but we think we could all use a little more silliness these days. More goofs. More bits. More double-takes that catch someone mid-conversation and throws them off just enough to crack a smile.

There’s a lightness that shows up when someone decides to have a little fun with the day, and it spreads faster than anything else on the floor.

A little foolishness has a way of doing that. And today’s a great day to put it to use.

Go Cause Some Trouble,
—Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

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Last year, BMW showed off an M3 Touring dressed up like its M4 GT3 race car. It looked real enough to stir up attention, but still felt like a one-off gag. Turns out, it wasn’t.

BMW actually built it. And now it’s going racing.

The M3 Touring 24H is set to compete in this year’s 24 Hours of Nürburgring, entering the SPX class with support from Schubert Motorsport and a lineup of factory drivers. Underneath, it shares its technical foundation with the M4 GT3, even if the wagon body adds a bit of size and a different racing profile.

This one wasn’t on the roadmap. It got there because people paid attention, shared it, and asked for more.

Sometimes the market tells you what to make, you just have to be willing to listen.

Hyundai says it has a big reveal lined up for today at the New York International Auto Show, and the company wants to be very clear that this one isn’t a joke.

There’s a full press conference set for this morning, plus a livestream, all pointing to a legitimate global debut.

Still, Hyundai couldn’t resist the timing. Ahead of the reveal, it dropped a playful teaser showing a stretched limo version of the INSTER. Obviously fake, but enough to make people pause.

So, what’s actually coming? Hyundai hasn’t said, but the clues lean toward a midsize pickup, something the brand has been working toward for the U.S. market.

Either way, Hyundai got exactly what it wanted. Attention.

For the first time in years, more U.S. workers say they’re struggling than thriving.

Engagement is down, and confidence in the job market has dropped sharply. Even so, more than half of workers are still keeping an eye on new opportunities.

Some are looking to improve their situation. Others are trying to leave one that isn’t working. But the reasons are strikingly consistent.

Pay and benefits lead the list by a wide margin. Growth comes next. Then leadership.

Among those actively looking, 69% say they want better pay, while 53% say compensation is a source of dissatisfaction in their current role. Opportunities to grow and advance follow closely. And for many, leadership is part of the equation, with more than a quarter pointing to management as a key issue.

Thriving doesn’t come from one big change. It comes from getting the fundamentals right. Fair pay. Clear paths forward. Strong leadership. Teams that focus there tend to see the difference.

And that’s no joke.

The New York Automotive Forum packed a lot into one day, but the message was surprisingly consistent: the market still has demand, just less room for mistakes.

Executives and analysts pointed to a widening affordability gap, rising costs, and more payment-sensitive customers. At the same time, fixed ops continues to gain ground, hybrids are having a moment, and product strategy is shifting back toward what customers actually want.

AI and fraud came up often, too. Nearly half of shoppers are already using AI tools, and fraud losses are climbing fast, making both opportunities and risks harder to ignore.

Policy pressures around tariffs and global competition added another layer, with OEMs adjusting production and planning in real time.

Get the full breakdown here.

Conversations are where deals actually begin. And more importantly, where they either move forward. Or, quietly disappear.

Conversica is showing up at ASOTU CON with a mini keynote that gets right into that space most teams don’t have time to manage well. The in-between. The follow-up. The “just checking in” that rarely happens when things get busy.

If you’ve ever wondered how much opportunity lives in the conversations that never happen, this is one you’ll want to sit in on.

Catch Conversica live at ASOTU CON.