TOGETHER WITH:
Howdy, Fam!
Where would we be without teachers, y’all? People who light up watching students fall in love with learning, and help them grow into a healthy relationship with the world around them, are spending their lives on something that really matters.
Madison Sapp is one of them. She teaches fourth-grade math and science at Midway Hills Elementary in Baldwin County, Georgia, and somewhere along the way, she became the school’s chorus teacher too.
Source: wgxa.tv
This week, as Baldwin County’s 2026-2027 District Teacher of the Year, Madison drove off in a brand-new Ford Bronco on a free one-year lease from Butler Ford of Milledgeville. It’s the third year in a row the dealership has honored the county’s Teacher of the Year this way.
When asked what advice she’d give other teachers, Madison didn’t mention test scores. “Keep building those relationships with students and everything else will follow,” she said.
Sounds like pretty good advice for a dealership, too. Congrats, Madison, and way to go, Butler Ford fam!
In today’s email...
Volvo’s EX60 production problems leave US dealers waiting into 2027
Why dealership AI works in one store and stalls in another
Ford opens a waitlist for its $30,000 Fathom, and Shawn Fain’s win becomes official
Keep Pushing Back,
—Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
First-time reader? Subscribe Here!
When New Product Slips, Dealers Feel It First
Fresh product brings shoppers back to the showroom. When it doesn’t show up, dealers are the ones left explaining why. Volvo is the latest example: its new EX60 electric crossover is so far behind schedule that US dealers may not see meaningful inventory until the second half of 2027, according to Automotive News.
Volvo has built only about a tenth of its weekly production target, and with supply short, it’s sending vehicles to Europe first. The delay hits at the worst possible moment. Volvo’s US deliveries fell 8.7% in the third quarter as its aging XC60 and XC90 lost momentum, and updates to both won’t arrive until early next year.
It’s not just Volvo. The industry is releasing new vehicles at its slowest pace since at least the 1970s, according to analyst John Murphy, as automakers have shelved or delayed plans after costly EV pullbacks. The brands that kept refreshing, like Hyundai, have been gaining US market share.
What dealers can do when the product pipeline runs dry
“We need the product now more than ever.” Matthew Haiken, Prestige Volvo
You can’t control when new product arrives. You can control how you treat the customers waiting for it: keep them updated honestly, and give them a great reason to stay with your store in the meantime.
Great Service Starts by Meeting Customers Where They Are
Your service lane ends at the property line. Curbee’s starts at the customer’s front door.
For dealers, that turns the service department into something with no walls and a much longer reach.
Curbee’s mobile automotive service is built on 20 years of industry experience, and it shows in how simply (and successfully) the idea works.
We’re grateful to have Curbee as a presenting sponsor at ASOTU CON West this year, so come say hello to the team during the event, and join CEO Amit Chandarana for his insightful session, Mastering Mobile Service With The Best In The Business.
Limited spots available and filling up quickly. Save your seat.
Why Dealership AI Works in One Store and Stalls in Another
On Wednesday’s show, Glenn Pasch, CEO of PCG Digital, walked us through new Pasch Group research, AI and Dealership Staff: Finding the Right Balance, produced in collaboration with Impel. One store that redesigned its workflows around AI lifted contact rates 19%, while stores in the same group, on the same system, saw 3%. And not one dealer interviewed cut staff to make room for AI. “Not one person fired anyone,” Pasch said.
Why AI rollouts expose every dealership process gap
The gap is management, not technology.
The full report is free, and it includes practical tools dealers can use whether or not they’ve launched AI yet.
Ford opens a waitlist for its $30,000 Fathom.
Source: Jim Farley
While Volvo’s EV launch stalls, Ford is building demand a year early. Shoppers can now sign up for a preorder invite for the Fathom pickup, which starts at $28,350, ahead of official preorders in early 2027.
Ford hasn’t released range or towing figures yet, and CEO Jim Farley admitted it will be “a heck of an effort to launch this at scale, at cost, on time.”
Shawn Fain’s win is official, but the road ahead gets harder.
The federal monitor overseeing the UAW confirmed Tuesday that Fain won a second term, Reuters reports.
Labor experts expect the Detroit 3 to push hard to cut labor costs ahead of 2028 contract talks.
Fain is also the subject of a Justice Department investigation into allegations that he took actions to benefit his fiancée and retaliated against union officers.
He says he’s confident the investigation will clear him.
🚘 Car Stuff
Tesla is expected to unveil its new Roadster today in Texas, about nine years after first teasing it. Musk once promised 0 to 60 in 1.9 seconds, but even he admits it won’t move the needle much on revenue. 🚀
💡 Not Car Stuff
A robot dog just ran a full marathon. A South Korean quadruped robot covered more than 26.2 miles of hilly terrain alongside human runners, without ever stopping to recharge.
One of America’s biggest meteor craters is younger than we thought. New analysis suggests the 10-mile-wide Ames crater in Oklahoma is about 100 million years younger than scientists believed, and lines up with a global extinction event.
Flu season is starting early. Flu tests are coming back positive at unusually high rates for early fall in several Western states, and experts say October is the ideal time to get vaccinated.
1951: “I Love Lucy” premieres on CBS.
1966: President Lyndon Johnson signs the law creating the US Department of Transportation.
1997: The jet-powered Thrust SSC becomes the first land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier.
