#650 - 🚗 Hoppy Easter Weekend

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, friends!

This time of year always makes us pause for gratitude, humility, and appreciation. And, in that spirit, we would like to say, thank you. Each and every one of you.

May your baskets be filled to the brim, your bunnies be solid chocolate, and your dyed eggs be as vibrant as our lovely community.

Keep Hopping Forward
-Paul, Kyle, Chris, and Kristi

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ICYMI

Weekend Replay

The Daily Pushback Email

• Monday, we looked at Toyota’s new Prius, cheese-shaped cars, and some efforts in the EU to push back ICE bans. Then we shared a story from our friends at Mohawk Chevrolet involving a different kind of car. 🪵

• Tuesday, we saw Ford chatting up India, Stellantis cutting jobs, and Nissan planning a pile of cars in the next few years. After the news, we celebrated our friends at Group 1 Automotive, making time to pack lunches for local kids. 🥪

• Wednesday, we covered news from the Bangkok International Motor Show, saw Fisker kicked from the NYSE, and learned about VW’s “R” plans before taking another dive into “Unreasonable Hospitality.” 💛

• Thursday, we covered some early automotive claims about the Baltimore bridge, heard about some Nissan partnerships, and shared a Cox report on service activity. We wrapped up with another dive article into the ongoing privacy question floating around the industry. 🛡️

• Friday, we grabbed news from Hyudnai’s expansion plans, Ford and Porsches V8 investments, and Toyota’s February Dip. Being Friday, we ended with an economic recap of the week’s moves. 🕺

MORE THAN CARS

More Than Cars Episode 3 is Live!

Wednesday, we hosted a livestream premiere of More Than Cars Episode 3 at West Herr Auto Group in New York.

We were joined by people from all over our community and industry to enjoy retail auto’s only docu-series.

If you missed the premiere, we hope you’ll check out the episode when you have time. There is so much to love about the dealer world; we’re doing our best to make it easy to see.

Check it out!

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

Agenda Locked, Benstock Loaded

We announced this week that we have locked the ASOTU CON 2024 agenda. Take a look at what's coming to Baltimore this May 14-17th!

Including A day-one closing keynote from Brian Benstock!

If you know anything about Brian Benstock, you know he wears his love for this industry on his sleeve (or arm if he isn’t wearing sleeves at the time).

We are committed to every participant going home with something new for their team and community, and Brian will play a key role in giving life to that intention.

SOMETHING FUN

Easter Facts and Stats

81% of Americans plan to celebrate Easter this year, and they’re not skimping on the purchases. Candy and food are unsurprisingly some of the top buys, followed by clothing and gifts.

Consumer spending is expected to reach a total of $22.4B this year, according to an annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The total figure is the second highest in the survey’s history, after last year’s record-setting $24B.

And, you know that Big Chicken just had to get their beaks involved with all that Easter cash flying around.

That’s why egg prices in the U.S. are going up again ahead of the holiday leaving many Americans in a scramble to adjust their budgets.

But, enough about greedy birds and their pricey eggs. It’s time for the real-deal stats — how we like our chocolate:

It seems the majority of Americans like to snack on those adorable bunny ears first, and they prefer max chocolate in their chocolate eggs.

We wanna know — aside from chocolate, what is your favorite Easter candy? Hit reply and let us know!

Quick Hits

• A robotic police dog was shot several times in the line of duty. People say the event avoided bloodshed. 🐾

• The 19th and final season of the Halo-based comedy show “Red vs. Blue” (yes, it still exists) will be released as a full-length movie. ♟

• How rude! Norwegians are hoarding eggs as Easter gets closer and eggs get scarcer. 🥚

Thanks for reading! It’s the Saturday before Easter. If you’re the Lent observing type, we assume you are dying for a smoke, sweet, screen, or steak. We’ll tell the bunny where to find you!