🚗 Innovation in Overdrive

TOGETHER WITH

Welcome to Saturday!

Halloween’s behind us. November’s here.

Whether you’re catching your breath or back on the grind this weekend, we’re glad to be in it with you.

Keep Pushing Back,
-Paul, Kyle, Chris, and Kristi

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ICYMI

Weekly Headlines

The Daily Pushback Email

• On Monday, Ryan Rohrman closed out Q4 Strategy Week with a focus on clean data and smarter tech. Ford pivoted to hybrids amid EV delays, Canada restricted imports from GM and Stellantis, and Urban Science revealed that most buyers switch dealers before purchase due to weak follow-up. 🚶
   

• Then on Tuesday, October’s SAAR dipped to 15.7M, down from September’s 16.4M, with expired EV credits and tariffs cooling momentum. Destination fees climbed 8.5%, averaging $1,549, and Toyota kept surging with 11% global growth. 📈
   

• Wednesday we saw EV sales fall 43% from last year, with hybrids picking up the slack. At the same time, dealer profits rose 7% YOY, despite tighter margins. And as service tech demand grows, NADA launched a certified apprenticeship program to help solve the industry’s 76K tech shortage. 🧰
   

• On Thursday, Slate Auto said it would skip dealerships entirely and rely on RepairPal’s network for EV repairs and training. Caribou data showed 84-month loans are now the top refinance option, while PayPal joined ChatGPT to power in-chat purchases. 💬
   

• Then on Halloween Friday, Ford scrambled to recover after a fire at a key aluminum plant disrupted supply chains. Meanwhile, quick flips of luxury cars signaled margin opportunities, VW posted a $5B loss, and France tested in-road EV charging. Tekion brushed off Pinewood’s U.S. debut, and retail CEOs faced rising pressure to evolve fast. ⏩

PODCASTS

Auto Collabs

If your appraisals still start with a sharpie on a worksheet, this one’s for you.

Derek Hansen has lived in the deep end of dealer data (from Manheim to vAuto) helping thousands of rooftops translate live market signals into real-world inventory wins.

In this conversation with Paul and Kyle, he walks through the three-legged stool every modern dealer needs: superior data, purpose-built workflows, and performance management that respects each store’s strategy.

Check out the replay here.

The Dealer Playbook

Curiosity beats fear in modern retail automotive.

In this episode of The Dealer Playbook, Michael Cirillo sits down with Sebrina Westbrooke, Program Manager at Georgian College’s Automotive Business School of Canada and lead for the Canadian Dealer Academy, to unpack how car dealerships are future-proofing leadership teams for AI, electrification, digital retailing, and connected services—without losing the human connection that drives performance.

Watch the full episode here.

TOGETHER WITH AUTOVISION

The Future of Pricing and Stocking

Have you ever wished you had a robot to do your laundry? Take out the trash? Price your….vehicles? It’s not quite a robot, but that’s exactly what Avery AI from AutoVision can do. Avery uses market data and your own sales history to let you know:

• What to buy a car for.

• What to price a car at.

• Which store should stock it.

Use Avery within AutoVision and on auction and third-party listings to research potential profits, recon costs, and days to sell. In the long run, we think that’s WAY cooler than clean socks and empty trashcans.

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

AI Can’t Fix Bad Data

Most dealership systems are disconnected. Your CRM says one thing, your DMS another, and your vendors something else entirely.

The result? Shoppers get mixed messages, duplicate offers, and a fast track to “unsubscribe.” Even worse, unclear opt-out tracking can open the door for regulatory headaches.

In this webinar, Dave Steinberg of Foureyes and Daniel Kim of Barnes Crossing break down how to modernize your data plumbing so your tech stack actually drives results.

Join us this Wednesday, November 5th at 2PM to discover how to enable smarter AI.

SOMETHING FUN

Japan Mobility Show 2025

The Japan Mobility Show (formerly the Tokyo Motor Show) has always been the playground for wild concepts. This year? It’s gone nuclear.

Japanese automakers are flexing hard, and they’re not just building cars anymore. They’re building everything: road, sea, air, and even more niche.

Take BYD: they went straight for Kei‑car dominance in Japan with the all‑electric Racco. Honda didn’t stop at EVs; they teased land, sea, air, and space concepts.

Toyota and Lexus? They brought minivans with six wheels, luxury coupes, and even floated the idea of a catamaran.

It’s part innovation sprint, part survival playbook—as China’s automakers close in, Japan Inc. is showing the world it still sets the tone.

Quick Hits

• OpenAI now lets you buy extra credits to make more AI videos with Sora. 🎥

• A new spaceflight plan could shrink a trip from New York to Tokyo down to one hour by the 2030s—if you’ve got $657K to spare. 🚀

• Two federal judges ruled that emergency funds must be used to pay for SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. 🍽️

Thanks for reading along, Friend!