TOGETHER WITH:
Howdy, Fam!
Did you see this story from Buda, Texas? The team at City Limits Subaru showed up for a member of their community in a huge way.
Tavaris, a Texas State freshman who grew up in foster care, thought he was coming in to test-drive cars with his mentor. Instead, the team handed him the keys to a brand-new Impreza, paid for with their own donations.
It's the third year in a row they've done it. That's what it looks like when a store treats its community as its responsibility.
In today's email...
Q3 sales preview: hybrids are set to push Detroit's share to a record low
More EV owners are switching back to gas, and choice is the reason
CarMax's turnaround, Stellantis's fight to stay on course, and Ionna's charging growth
Keep Pushing Back,
—Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
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Q3 Sales Preview: Hybrids Are Set to Push Detroit's Share to a Record Low
Detroit's automakers spent years retreating into their most profitable territory: big pickups and SUVs. This quarter, high gas prices may show the cost of that strategy. As third-quarter results roll in, here's what the forecasts say and what early results already show.
What Cox forecasts for Q3 | What's already reported | |
|---|---|---|
Detroit 3 | Combined share near 36%, their lowest on record | Results still to come, with Ford reporting today |
Asian brands | Above 50% of US sales for a second straight quarter | American Honda up 9.3% and Hyundai-Kia up 5.4% for Q3 |
Hybrids | More than 1 in 5 new vehicles sold, up from 13% a year ago | Kia hybrid sales up 152% in September, Hyundai's up 39% |
Rankings | Hyundai Motor Group passes Ford, and Toyota closes in on GM | Hyundai and Kia both set September records |
The Detroit 3 have few hybrids to offer. Ford sells hybrid versions of the Maverick and F-150, GM has almost none for mainstream buyers, and Stellantis is just now rolling out its first in the new Jeep Cherokee.
What to watch as Detroit reports Q3 sales
Two numbers will tell the story: how far Detroit's combined share falls, and whether Hyundai actually passes Ford.
"If you don't have vehicles to catch consumers where they are, other manufacturers will step in." Erin Keating, Cox Automotive
If your store sells a truck-heavy brand, the customers asking for a hybrid this fall are telling you exactly where the gap is.
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More EV Owners Are Switching Back to Gas, and Choice Is the Reason
Through June, 52,154 US EV households bought a gasoline vehicle, up 15.9% from a year earlier, according to Mobility Global data reported by Car Dealership Guy. Among non-Tesla EV households returning to market, the share choosing gas rose from 38.9% to 44.4%, while the share buying another EV fell from 43.8% to 37.2%.
Why EV owners leave their brand at the next purchase
Mobility Global points to availability: when the right segment, body style, or price point isn't offered as an EV, shoppers buy what fits. Many first EVs were bought for a life stage that has since changed, and some vehicles owners might have grown into, like the F-150 Lightning, are leaving showrooms.
Your returning EV owners are already in your CRM. Know their next life stage before they shop elsewhere.
CarMax's turnaround is already showing up in the numbers.
Under CEO Keith Barr, CarMax's "Shift Into Gear" plan delivered fiscal Q2 net earnings of $165.3 million, up 73%, on revenue up 20% to $7.9 billion. The company redesigned its vehicle detail pages, scaled AI voice for inbound calls, and cut 725 jobs this year.
Barr also credited the FTC's push on advertising transparency, which effectively raised competitors' advertised prices.
Stellantis is holding its course, with a new hybrid Jeep leading the way.
With shares down about 60% this year, CEO Antonio Filosa reconfirmed Stellantis's 2026 guidance and its goal of positive cash flow by 2027, calling the roughly $70 billion reset "around listening more to the customer."
Part of that: the new Cherokee Trailhawk, which pairs a 210-hp hybrid powertrain with a lifted suspension and a locking rear axle. It's rated at 31 mpg combined and starts at $44,625.
Ionna more than doubled its EV charging network by removing the hassle.
The automaker-backed venture now has 180 sites, plus more than 40 at Circle K, and is the largest US operator of 400-kW chargers. It ranked first in J.D. Power's 2026 public charging study, ahead of Tesla in fourth, and supports 19 partner apps instead of building its own.
Plug & Charge expands to Volvo, Toyota, and Lexus drivers in October.
📊 By the Way
The average new-car payment hit $821 in September, a record for the month, even as incentives rose 7.3% to $3,574 per vehicle, according to J.D. Power and GlobalData.
OpenAI's annual recurring revenue is nearing $70 billion, Axios reports, as enterprise sales have more than doubled since July.
Ford's $30,000-class Fathom pickup is still on track for 2027, Ford says, starting at $28,350. The automaker reportedly aims to sell 100,000 in the first year, even as Jim Farley admits mass production hasn't been "landed" yet.
1950: Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" comic strip debuts in seven newspapers.
1959: "The Twilight Zone" premieres on CBS.
1967: Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first Black justice of the US Supreme Court.
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