How Many Lights Are On At Your House?

TOGETHER WITH

When we set out to turn ASOTU into a 'business,' we knew it had to be different. That is where you come in. We really believe the community that gathers around and ASOTU email, event, social post, show, or podcast is made up of the doers that are pushing back against the stereotypes of the retail automotive industry.

We don't ask much. Simply join the story. Tell the story. Invite others into the community. This isn't about ASOTU, this is about all of US.Keep Pushing Back-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

Group 1 Automotive Supports Kids’ Meals

Group 1 Automotive has partnered with Kids' Meals Houston to serve over 50K children living with food insecurity in Harris County.

Kids' Meals is the only home delivery service focused on ensuring preschool-age children have access to healthy meals Monday through Friday.

CEO of Kids' Meals Beth Harp says that Group 1 Automotive has enabled her organization to serve thousands more families every year through the partnership.

Telling it like it is - Believing children should never go hungry makes you normal. Doing something about it makes you heroic. Top shelf work, Group 1!

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

Word-Ro-Nyms

SEM Search Engine MarketingA paid digital marketing strategy that aims to make a website more visible on search engine results pages. Often confused with SEO (search engine optimization), SEM pays for visibility in keyword searches designated by the company spending the ad dollars in an effort to drive clicks to a website landing page. Most typically, SEM dollars are spent via the Google Ads network, with a smaller percentage of spend taking place on Bing.

AUTOMOTIVE

Lordstown Has Cash and a Plan, Volvo’s Electric Cement, and Honda Marching to Its Own Drum

Lordstown Motors said Monday that despite delivery delays and larger losses than expected in Q4, it has about $220M in cash and ain't scared. Since the EV start-up went public, supply costs and challenges have made even well-established OEMs change their footing.

Lordstown is now looking at a contract with Foxconn on a new EV program while working to resolve issues with its Endurance pickup truck. To date, the brand has built around 40 trucks and delivered 6.

Volvo's new EV can build its own road...which is a fun way to say it is a cement truck. The brand sees heavy machines that spend large portions of the day idling as perfect candidates for electrification.

Last week, Volvo delivered its first FMX electric heavy-duty truck to a Berlin-based ready-mix concrete plant. The truck can do a full day's work with just one charge during a regularly scheduled break for workers.

Honda is accelerating electric vehicle development to the tune of $40B to reach 40% hybrid and BEV sales by 2030. The brand says ICE vehicles could last through 2040 or later.

The Japanese automaker will establish a standalone business unit next month. The new division will oversee all of its EV models, battery production, and a possible charging network.

TL: DR - Lordstown Motors has money and a plan, Volvo is giving the world stealth-construction vehicles, and Honda is getting serious about EVs but not getting ahead of itself with ICE sunsets.

TOGETHER WITH CONGRUENT

Creative That Connects

Round and round they go…plug-and-play marketing strategies that live and die on a 30-day cycle. Leaving consumers with an exhausted fish-in-a-barrel feeling and lacking the sustainable value people actually want – connection.

Congruent Automotive is a full-service creative agency rooted in Retail Auto. Founded by Paul J. Daly and packed with people who love working together, Congruent builds brands with smart data and powerful content so that your marketing can genuinely connect.

From Agency of Record to individual campaigns, check out what Congruent is spinning here.

AUTOMOTIVE

US and EU Close To “FTA-Like” Deal

The US and the EU are close to an agreement to make European minerals eligible for tax credits under America’s $430B Inflation Reduction Act.

An agreement could come as early as next week during European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Washington.

The deal would help avoid disruptions and improve access to raw materials and battery production by providing the EU with a “free trade-like status.” However, officials say there would be limitations and it would not be an FTA in a traditional sense.

Telling it like it is - Even the world's largest economies love a good discount.

TECHNOLOGY

Gamification in the Battle for Engagement

In an age where every screen, app, and advertisement fights for our limited attention, companies and agencies seek clever ways to keep their audiences engaged. They have often discovered that people claim to be too busy to research and purchase their products yet seem to find abundant time to play video games. Enter gamification, a snazzy buzzword that basically means finding ways to introduce game-like elements to non-game environments. Here’s how some are utilizing it:

😴🏆👹

Pokémon has been in the gaming space since the beginning of time, but last week we learned that they’ve entered some interesting new territory — your bedroom. Pokémon Sleep was originally announced back in 2019 and is essentially a sleep tracker. Based on the quality and duration of the users’ slumber, they attract different creatures; but, we’re still not so sure it’s a good idea to entice monsters into our snooze zone.

🏎️👾🏁

Supercar makers like Lamborghini are also getting heavy into the game-o-sphere. For example, they have launched an annual esports driving competition and created a virtual team. Even more recently, they shared a preview of their new car in the form of an unlockable vehicle in Fortnite.

♻️📉🤼

San Antonio's municipally owned utilities have implemented gamification to encourage conservation. Customers receive summaries comparing their energy and water usage to that of their neighbors. Reports have seen customers decrease usage by up to 5% per month compared to those not receiving such information.

Telling it like it is - Catch Pokémon by catching Zzz’s, a virtual Lambo is better than no Lambo, and San Antonio is increasing conservation with a little friendly competition.

Quick Hits

• Twitter was ordered to pay Turkey 0.1% of its 2022 gross income by the country’s Competition Authority.

• Mercedes’ F1 design team is scrambling back to the drawing board after finishing fifth at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.

• Electrek’s weekly bizarre EV finds is a fascinating scroll.

History

• 1876: Alexander Graham Bell receives a patent for his revolutionary new invention: the telephone.

• 1938: Janet Guthrie, first woman to race in top tier NASCAR and Indy 500, is born.

• 1986: Divers from the USS Preserver locate the crew cabin of Challenger on the ocean floor.