🚗 Inventory Up, Market Cool

TOGETHER WITH

A few weeks back, our friends at Boardman Subaru teamed up with Animal Charity of Ohio to help pets find new homes by hosting an adoption event and covering all fees through October.

Stories like these rally communities around shared values and show how passionate dealership teams shape local culture far beyond their showroom doors.

We love to see it!

And we’d love to hear from you.

How are you showing up each day as an irreplaceable part of your community?

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

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TOGETHER WITH CURBEE

Content and Collaboration

Our friends at Curbee are always redefining how dealerships deliver service — mobile-first, tech-driven, and built for efficiency. Now they’re partnering with the More Than Cars crew for the LA Auto Show (Nov. 21–30) to capture the cars, culture, and conversations shaping what’s next.

Why it matters:
• Curbee ensures dealerships keep mobile service moving wherever customers are
• They’re partnering with us on our journey to the year’s big automotive stage

Stay tuned as we hit the ground in LA with stories, interviews, and inspiration, powered by Curbee.

THE NEWS

Inventory Climbs, but the Market’s Keeping Its Cool

Cox Automotive’s latest data shows 2.97 million new vehicles in stock nationwide — up 4.2% month-over-month, but still 5.7% below last year’s levels. That’s roughly 88 days’ supply and an average listing price of $49,143, a hair down from September. Translation: the market’s holding discipline, not dumping metal.

• Cadillac and Jeep are creeping toward overstock territory, while Porsche and Mazda are quietly piling up inventory.

• SUVs and pickups still anchor demand, while EV sales cooled off after September’s spike.

• Gas models — especially at Hyundai — are moving briskly as affordability anxiety sets in.

Erin Keating at Cox sums it up: this is a market “settling in rather than speeding up.”
Dealers who track local days’ supply and align incentives to crossover demand will win Q4 without flooding their floors.

Toyota’s Hybrid Moment Is Now

Toyota just fired up production at its $14B Liberty, North Carolina battery plant—its first outside Japan—and quietly announced plans for another $10B in U.S. investment. While EV sales slow, Toyota’s hybrid math is starting to look like prophecy: the Camry and Sienna are already hybrid-only, and the RAV4 goes 100% hybrid or plug-in by 2026.

The new plant feeds factories in Kentucky and Alabama, powering Toyota’s “all of the above” powertrain strategy—gas, hybrid, plug-in, EV, and even hydrogen—so the automaker can meet any regulation without blinking.

“Would you like the hybrid or the hybrid?” -Paul J Daly on today’s show.

Dealer implications: “Hybrid” is the new default.

The Great Rewire: From GM’s Supply Chain to VW’s Software Brain

GM just told thousands of suppliers: get your parts out of China—by 2027 if possible. Rising tariffs and rare-earth restrictions have automakers sprinting for “supply chain resiliency.” It’s a costly move, but it’s reshaping where the next generation of parts, chips, and raw materials will come from.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen and Rivian’s $5.8B joint venture—called RV Tech—is racing through development of new zonal vehicle architecture that could simplify wiring, boost OTA capability, and form the base for Scout’s upcoming EV lineup. VW says the first production vehicles using this tech will arrive in 2027.

And speaking of Scout, the reborn brand just picked Charlotte, NC for its headquarters, bringing 1,200 jobs and another $207M investment to the region. The South is officially EV country.

Brains, Bots, and Blades: The Tech Two-Step

• GPT-5.1 landed with new Instant and Thinking modes and personality presets like Candid and Nerdy. Faster, friendlier, and more flexible — handy for anyone using AI to punch up ad copy or emails.

• Waymo hit the highway, literally. The first robotaxi freeway service is live in LA, SF, and Phoenix with airport pickups. The Waymo Driver has logged 100M+ miles and shows 91% fewer serious-injury crashes than humans — a stat your lane-keeping system would be proud of.

• Joby Aviation flew its first hybrid-electric autonomous aircraft with L3Harris. It’s built for the military now, but the tech hints at a future where the airport shuttle might just lift off.

Machines are driving smoother, writing faster, and flying higher — all while reminding us that “autonomous” doesn’t mean “far off.”

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

Coming Soon

• November 15: Giving Hope Gala — New Orleans, LA

• November 16–18: Modern Retailing Conference — Palm Beach, FL

• November 20: Automobility LA at the LA Auto Show — Los Angeles, CA

• May 12-15: ASOTU CON 2026 — Hanover, MD

Today in History

1996 – GM releases its EV1, the first electric car

On this day in 1996, GM launched the EV1—the first mass-produced electric car from a major automaker in nearly 90 years. Built in Michigan with a 70–90-mile range, the EV1 was leased, not sold. Production ended in 1999, and most cars were later crushed, cementing its role as both pioneer and cautionary tale in EV history.

Thanks for reading, Friend!