TOGETHER WITH:
Howdy, Fam!
I’ve never liked seat warmers. Now, a cup cooler would be pretty cool, but hot pants? No thanks.
Shoppers seem to be thinking less about features and more about the future right now.
What if gas prices keep going up?
What if Chinese EVs get here tomorrow and the prices all drop?
What if this is the last car I can ever afford?
How would I survive in a Mad Max-style car-battle-based culture?
There are no easy answers, but positioning yourself as professionals in the art of connecting people to reliable, affordable, and attainable wheels may be enough for today.
Keep Pushing Back,
—Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
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Practical Is Beating Flashy Again
Used RAV4 Hybrids selling above their original MSRP sounds like a GPT hallucination.
But it isn’t.
The RAV4 Is Telling Us Something
On yesterday's Automotive State of the Union podcast, we talked about a surprising trend: some late-model Toyota RAV4 Hybrids are selling for more than they cost new.
At first glance, it looks like a supply story.
It is.
But it's also a customer story.
The RAV4 Hybrid delivers great fuel economy, strong resale value, family-friendly utility, and Toyota's reputation for reliability. It solves problems people are actively thinking about right now.
When a vehicle consistently makes life easier, availability starts to matter more than model year.
Customers Are Still Feeling Pressure
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That helps explain why Cox Automotive's latest market summary caught our attention.
Gas prices are rising. Transportation costs are rising. Consumers are leaning more heavily on revolving credit. Credit availability improved in May, but loan terms are getting longer, down payments are getting smaller, and negative equity remains elevated.
Customers may have access to financing, but they are still looking for ways to reduce financial friction.
That's why practical vehicles continue to outperform expectations.
The EV Story Is Maturing
The same logic shows up in today's EV headlines.
Automotive News reports that April EV registrations posted their smallest year-over-year decline of 2026, a sign the market may be stabilizing after the tax-credit shakeup.
At the same time, Ford is generating buzz around its upcoming $30,000 electric pickup, highlighted by Electrek. The pitch is not futuristic technology. The pitch is affordability, efficiency, and lower ownership costs.
Different vehicles. Same customer question:
"Will this make my life easier?"
Outbound AI built for the way dealers work
A slow response to a lead and the customer's already on to the next dealership. A lagging voice mid-call loses the conversation before the appointment is even booked. And four outreach attempts to book a single appointment means your customer might just be hitting ignore.
Mia closes all three gaps:
Instant response to inbound leads
Up to 3x faster conversational latency than competing platforms
One touchpoint to book what competitors need four tries to land
It's why 1 in 5 customers re-enter the sales cycle after outreach from Mia. Ready to hear the difference?
Practical Is Beating Flashy Again Continued
ASOTU CON Connected The Dots
That is why one insight from ASOTU CON feels especially relevant today.
During "The Future of Acquisition Is Human," Rob Bell and Frank Knox argued that acquisition is not really an inventory problem. It is a communication problem.
One dealer shared that their acquisition team responds to inbound leads in under 10 minutes and acquired 559 vehicles last month across multiple channels. Another quote stood out:
"There are no bad channels to buy cars. There's just bad strategy."
The dealers winning today's inventory battle are not waiting for desirable vehicles to appear. They are actively communicating with the customers who already own them.
Where The Rubber Meets The Road
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If you're looking for a message your team can use today, try this:
"Some of the strongest vehicles in today's market aren't luxury models or specialty vehicles. They're practical, fuel-efficient vehicles families rely on every day. If you've wondered what your vehicle is worth in today's market, we'd be happy to provide a current value with no obligation."
The goal isn't to ask for inventory.
The goal is to give customers a reason to start a conversation.
Because the next high-demand vehicle may already be sitting in your service lane.
🚀 Billion-Dollar Cannonballs
Lithia Cracks the Fortune 500 Top 125
Lithia climbed from No. 482 in 2015 to No. 123 today, proving dealership operations belong among America's most influential businesses.
Fox Buys Roku for $22B
Fox is betting big on streaming, combining Roku's 100 million households with sports, news, and Tubi's ad-supported audience.
Salesforce Doubles Down on AI Agents
Its $3.6 billion Fin acquisition aims to automate customer service at scale, with AI already resolving 76% of support requests.
🤖 The Future Is Getting Weird
Google's AI Message: Not Today
At Stanford, CEO Sundar Pichai skipped AI talk entirely, choosing optimism over algorithms as graduates face an uncertain job market.
Google Earth Gets a Flight Simulator
A hidden feature from 2007 is now browser-based, letting anyone explore the globe from a virtual cockpit.
Growing New Teeth Might Be Real
Japanese researchers are testing a treatment designed to regrow human teeth, with broader availability targeted by 2030.
🌎 Humanity Remains Unpredictable
Starbucks Korea Learns a Hard Lesson
After a promotion unintentionally referenced painful historical events, all stores will close early for companywide cultural awareness training.
World Cup's First Giant Killer
Cape Verde held powerhouse Spain to a stunning 0-0 draw in the island nation's first-ever World Cup match.
The Internet Defends the Pontiac Aztek
A Reddit debate crowned the famously awkward crossover as a practical vehicle that may have arrived a decade too early.
1884 – The first roller coaster in the US opens at Coney Island.
1903 – The Ford Motor Company is incorporated.
1960 – Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho premiered.
Thanks for reading, Friend! Tuesdays are for rockin’!
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