- ASOTU Daily Pushback
- Posts
- #756 - 🚗 Honda Hybrids Pop Off
#756 - 🚗 Honda Hybrids Pop Off
🚙 Lamborghini Prevents Skinny Dipping
In partnership with
Welcome back to Tuesday!
Today, we grabbed some stories from around auto, ranging from Ford’s moves to Lambo’s top-dollar swimming shorts. Stick around to the end for a very generous story from the Wilson Auto Group.
P.S. What was the last movie you saw in the theater?
Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi
Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here!
Reading time: 4 mins 11 seconds
BUSINESS
News From Ford, Honda, Lambo, Stellantis, GMC, and Lego
Giphy/NBC
Ford's Big Moves
Ford is always doing too much.
Today, it's fleets, infotainment, and keeping the EV dream alive.
Tomorrow? Who knows! Maybe tunnels? Flame throwers?? Rocket ships???
Giphy
Fleet Success: Ford's "Ford Pro" fleet ops have raked in $18.7B in earnings and $184.5B in revenue since 2021, turning fleet sales into a goldmine.
New Tech: The 2025 Ford Explorer will debut the Android-based Digital Experience system, featuring Google services and wireless CarPlay/Android Auto.
EV Discounts: Ford's reintroduced $1,500 UAW discount on 2025 EV models boosts accessibility and sales, with EV sales up 31% in July.
Honda's Financial Boost and Yen Trouble
Honda is riding high on a wave of hybrid sales, but because their country's money is worth more money, their financial stability isn't guaranteed. You'd think money being worth more money would be good.
Profit Surge: Honda's quarterly profit is expected to top $3.17B, driven by strong U.S. hybrid sales.
Yen Impact: The yen's rapid appreciation affects Japanese exporters, with Honda and Toyota shares falling and increased market volatility.
Lamborghini's Pricey Swimwear
I (Chris) once went to a wedding and needed a suit. Luckily, I found a shop in town that sold me a tailored one and shirt for $99. All the buttons fell off the coat at the wedding, but it was still a pretty good deal.
Lambo is taking the opposite approach with minimal coverage at maximum prices.
Lamborghini
Lamborghini's new line with Orlebar Brown includes $376 swim shorts and $190 towels. The collection is high-priced with minimal branding, highlighting the luxury market's quirks.
Leapmotor's European Expansion 📈🤷
It's interesting to read this story about Leapmotors and Stellantis and think, "Wow, that's a 150% increase," and then think, "Oof, that's just a 300-unit increase." Both are true.
New Shipments: Leapmotor and Stellantis shipped the first C10 SUVs and T03 cars to Europe, aiming to increase sales points from 200 in 2024 to 500 by 2026.
Affordable EVs: C10 starts at $17,900 with a 420 km range; T03 at $13,500 with a 265 km range, offering advanced EV tech.
High Lease Prices for GMC Sierra EV
We talk a lot about companies looking to meet affordability-driven consumers where they are, but every so often a company says: "Buy it or don't, peasant!" and we kinda respect the confidence.
giohy
Lease Costs: The GMC Sierra Denali EV leases for $1,571/month with no money down, driven by a high interest rate and low residual value. The Hummer EV, by contrast, leases for $999/month.
Lego's Mercedes G-Class Set
Lego is brilliant. No matter what your hobby is, you can find a Lego version of it. They never had to invent anything, just turn everything into Lego version of itself. Truly, the potato of the hobby world.
Lego
Anniversary Set: Lego's new 2,891-piece Technic set celebrates the Mercedes G-Class's 45th anniversary, priced at $250, featuring a functional engine and gearbox. A smaller G63 kit is available for $44.99.
TOGETHER WITH 1440 MEDIA
We scour 100+ sources daily
Read by CEOs, scientists, business owners and more
3.5 million subscribers
MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS
Happy Birthday from Wilson Automotive Group
Giphy
Employees of the 16-dealership Wilson Automotive Group in Orange County, CA, have donated an impressive $255,000 to various charities this year. This annual donation is made in lieu of giving their boss, David Wilson, a birthday and Christmas gift, reflecting their generous spirit and community-minded values.
Vikki Murphy, Wilson’s Vice President, shared, “Instead of buying the boss another expensive gift, our employees thought of a way to give David — and hundreds of other people — a gift that would last past the holidays.”
The tradition began with 130 employees from Toyota of Orange donating $10,000 to the David Wilson Endowment Fund, benefiting the Orangewood Children's Foundation. Over the years, this initiative has expanded, with the dealership group now employing 2,000 people and the fund growing to over $500,000. Current recipients include Orangewood, Olivecrest, Lakers Youth Foundation, United Cerebral Palsy, and the American Cancer Society.
“This is quite a tribute to David Wilson that his employees are honoring him in this way,” said Gene Howard, Director of Orangewood.
The donations come from a diverse group of employees, including salespeople, managers, mechanics, clerical staff, and parts countermen. Ren Rooney, Wilson's Group President, emphasized, “This isn't something we ask our employees to do. This is something they choose to do every year.”
David Wilson himself added, “I have the best employees in the world.”
Vikki Murphy concluded, “Actually, we have the world's greatest boss. David is very generous to his employees, and this is just our way of saying, ‘thanks.’”
AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE
ASOTU Edge Webinar TOMORROW
Learn what to expect from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals review and how to stay ahead with our 30-minute webinar TOMORROW, Wednesday August 7th at 2:00pm EST.
👊 August 9-11th — VeeCon in Los Angeles, CA.
👨⚖️ August 19th — Paul and Kyle judging Automotive Amplifiers Contest w/ ReyRey in Leesburg, VA.
🌴 August 20-24th — NAMAD Conference in Miami, FL.
🍎 September 16th — The Welcome Conference in NYC.
Auto Collabs
In this episode, the hosts welcome Nick Shaffer, the VP of Sales at TVI-MarketPro3, to discuss innovative approaches to improving customer retention. Shaffer, who recently moved from Northern California to Houston, brings a wealth of experience from his extensive career in automotive retail, particularly in fixed operations.
The conversation delves into the importance of shifting focus from customer satisfaction to customer retention, likening the process to farming rather than hunting. Shaffer emphasizes the necessity of a cohesive effort across departments and the value of establishing a robust handoff from sales to service.
Quick Hits
Study shows gamification can reduce distracted driving. 🏓
Crypto is facing a sell-off trend. 🪂
“Deadpool & Wolverine” keeps smashing box office records. 🦸
History
1932: A patent request is made for the drive-in theater. 🎥
1945: An atomic bomb was used, containing more power than 12,000 tons of TNT and producing more than 2,000 times the blast of the most powerful bomb ever dropped before was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. 🇯🇵
1991: Peugeot leaves North America. 🖖
Thanks for reading, friend! Anything about today’s email you liked? Anything you hated? Hit reply and let us know! We write it for you after all, so you should have some say.
Reply