#463 - 🍫 Snickers to the Rescue

TOGETHER WITH

One thing about community that is really important…having other people than your self in it! Okay, we know that was a little rudimentary.

It doesn’t change the fact that we would love it if you would share this email and the ASOTU community with someone else in the industry! Just a brief scroll down and you can find out how to get some cool swag just for your friends signing up for the email. Try it out and bring some other friends to the ASOTU partaaayyyyy!!

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

USO Barbecue Bonanza

Last weekend, car dealerships all around Chicago fired up their grills and busted out the party vibes supporting the local military. 🫡

The Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) and USO Illinois teamed up to ensure that service members in their backyards feel loved and supported with this year’s 10th Annual USO Barbecue for the Troops. 🔥

With more than 80 new-car dealerships around the city joining forces, the drive’s primary mission is to bring joy to those who protect our nation and raise money to assist soldiers and their families. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

CATA dealers have raised an impressive $1M in the past decade with this annual event. By lending their helping hands, they have helped to provide life-enriching and morale-boosting services to over 300K of our heroes and their families every year through hundreds of programs and services. 💗

Telling it like it is – Is there anything better than helping people? Yes, actually, helping people while eating grilled food. 🌭🍔🍗

AUTOMOTIVE

RIP Vermont DMV Loophole

In the past, Vermont's DMV was known for its leniency, permitting practically anyone, regardless of location, to register any vehicle as long as they met a few basic criteria. ⭕️

🚌🏡 This loophole, effectively making it a 'universal DMV,' had unusual applications, such as registering a bus as a motorhome, circumventing the need for a commercial license.

🤠 However, this lax system wasn't exploited solely by automotive enthusiasts. Criminals also took advantage by registering stolen vehicles and ultimately leading to the loophole's closure. 🚗

🐢 Today, the DMV mandates proof of a legitimate Vermont connection or an interstate process often deemed burdensome by law-abiding citizens and unlikely to appeal to thieves. 👎

🗑️ While most won't miss the loophole's stranger uses, critics argue that the inability to sidestep state-specific regulations could result in many operable vehicles being unnecessarily consigned to scrapyards and crushers. 🔨

Telling it like it is – We only found out about this loophole because they closed it. This is good because the last thing we need is a street-legal cozy coup with a flat-brim hat glued to the top. 🧢

TOGETHER WITH LEDGER

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AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

AUTOMOTIVE

Tesla, Zeeba, Carvana, Tata

👨‍⚖️💰🤔 Elon Musk and Tesla's board are coughing up over $735M in stock and cash.

Wow, that's generous! Eh…not really. The payout settles a lawsuit from Detroit's Police and Fire Retirement System decrying "excessive" boardroom bonuses. All compensation from 2021-2023 is forfeited, even cash from sold stocks. One last approval is pending, but Tesla is already talking with compensation consultants.

⚡️🏇🚐 Zeeba, a customer-focused fleet management company, is racing towards electrification with Ford's EVs and Pro AC Charging Stations. Intent on having half its fleet electrified by 2024, Zeeba plans to purchase 250 Ford E-Transit vans and F-150 Lightnings while installing charging stations across Southern California.

Zeeba is an excellent name for an app that lets you watch live streams of Zebras—missed opportunity.

📈✍️🤑 Carvana shares are up by over 20% following a deal cutting its debt by $1.2B. The debt restructuring, which covers around $5.2B of senior, unsecured bonds, will notably decrease its yearly cash interest expense by over $430B. This could translate to more flexible financial operations and fuel growth in the coming year.

Tried to use Carvana's vending machine once, but my Chevy Avalanche got stuck on its weird little bed rails, and I had to buy a Snickers bar to knock it loose.

🇬🇧🔋🏭 India's Tata Group is set to construct a $5.2B EV battery "gigafactory" in the UK, bolstering domestic battery production for Jaguar Land Rover and creating up to 4K jobs. This move marks a significant step for the UK automotive industry in keeping pace with the green industry developments of the US and EU.

Neat for Jaguar Land Rover, I guess. Guess again! The factory is expected to produce enough to cover nearly half of the UK's overall battery production need by 2030, not just for Jaguar Land Rover.

TECHNOLOGY

Toyota’s Augmented Reality Glasses

Toyota is patenting AR glasses to replace traditional head-up displays (HUDs) in cars. These glasses enhance safety by improving visibility in all conditions.

They use electrochromic glass to adjust external light, cameras for eye tracking, and speakers to deliver crucial information to drivers. The glasses can also display media and phone notifications, with a built-in timer to maintain driver attention.

Passengers aren't left out – they can enjoy different media content. Although safety concerns exist, benefits for drivers and the potential to replace physical displays are strong selling points, mirroring similar developments by Chevrolet and BMW.

Telling it like it is – Hey if it saves lives, we’re in! Let’s just agree to not wear them at the dinner table.

Quick Hits

• Netflix killed its cheapest ad-free option. 💀

• New home construction fell 8% in the US last month. 👷

• Research shows 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week is equally good on the weekend or spread throughout the week. 🏋

History

• 1903: The Ford Motor Company ships its first automobile. 🥇

• 1967: The last Panhard car rolls off the assembly line. 🏁

• 1968: The first International Special Olympics Summer Games are held at Soldier Field in Chicago with about 1K athletes participating. 🏆