#762 - 🚗 Stellantis' Roar and Whimper

TOGETHER WITH

Terrific Tuesday, Friend!

It’s time to accept it. 2024 is moving really fast, but there is a whole lotta year left. Imagine where a new positive habit will be on January 1st if you start today.

We have some news from Stellantis, GM, Lucid, Toyota, and all the way from 2028’s Olympics in Los Angeles.

Then, we checked out a lovely story about a dealership donating hundreds of backpacks full of essential school supplies.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

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BUSINESS

Stellantis, GM, and the LA Olympics

Stellantis Shifts Focus and Jobs in Dodge/Ram Revamp

Dodge is electrifying its muscle-car lineup with the new Charger Daytona, featuring the "Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust" system that mimics the sound of a traditional roaring engine—keeping muscle car fans happy even in an EV.

Stellantis is also shifting production from the Ram 1500 Classic to the new Ram 1500 Tradesman, impacting jobs and production locations.

• Ram 1500 Classic production ends, leading to up to 2,450 layoffs at Warren Truck Assembly Plant.

• New Ram 1500 Tradesman production moves to Sterling Heights Assembly.

• Affected workers will receive:

  — One year of supplemental unemployment benefits.

  — Two years of healthcare coverage will be provided during the transition.

GM Elevates the Terrain with New Design

General Motors has unveiled the redesigned GMC Terrain which now features a new "Elevation" model as the entry-level trim. The compact crossover boasts a rugged exterior and a tech-heavy interior with 26-inch screens, including a 15-inch center touchscreen.

This invites us to ask once again, “Do car-makers know it’s illegal to look at our phones while we drive?”

These updates are part of GM's strategy to streamline the Terrain lineup while enhancing safety and convenience. The new Terrain will hit showrooms later this year, and pricing details will follow.

LA's Ambitious “No-Car” 2028 Olympics Plan

Los Angeles is aiming for a "no-car" Olympic Games in 2028. Mayor Karen Bass is leading efforts to expand public transit and reduce traffic during the event.

The plan involves completing 28 transit projects by 2028, and promoting remote work and flexible schedules.

If successful, this could reshape LA's car-centric culture and showcase the potential of public transit in one of the world's most congested cities.

It’s like grandma always used to say: “Have you tried throwing 28 city buses at the problem?” She was a wild one.

TOGETHER WITH TRADEPENDING

When Bad Isn't Good

Remember back in the 80s when bad was good? Bad is bad again (but rizz is good???), and there's a ton of bad rolling around on website service offer pages.

The latest from TradePending highlights a few bad examples of how not to display your service offers from live sites, and a few that get it right.

Even if you’ve got more service business than you can handle, you owe it to your customers to display your offers and what they cost on your site.

And TradePending can help if you need help.

BUSINESS CONT’D

Lucid, Toyota, and Hydrogen War Efforts

Lucid Motors Leads in EV Efficiency

Lucid Motors continues to outpace its rivals in EV efficiency.

The Lucid Air Pure achieves 5 miles per kilowatt-hour, or 146 MPGe, outclassing competitors like Tesla and Porsche.

Lucid's edge comes from the in-house development of key components, keeping the company at the forefront of the rapidly evolving EV market.

Toyota's Recall and Military Innovation

Toyota is recalling nearly 33,000 vehicles across 23 models due to incorrect weight rating labels, a simple fix that affects much of its current lineup.

The issue stems from Gulf States Toyota, Inc., a Texas-based distributor, failing to update labels after adding accessories that altered load capacities. Corrected labels will be sent to owners starting September 16th.

Hey, war is all about deception, so who knows if any of this is true, but Ukraine said Ukrainian forces supposedly used a hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai in a military operation.

• According to reports, the vehicle's hydrogen tanks were repurposed as explosives.

• If accurate, it shows how modern vehicles can be used in ways we never imagined.

MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS

More Than Cars Backpacks

Our friends at Buckhannon Toyota are making a big impact in the community through their annual Big Summer Giveback event.

Partnering with the Kids in Need Foundation, the dealership is providing 400 backpacks filled with school supplies to students at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School.

This initiative is part of a nationwide effort involving 620 Toyota dealerships, which has donated over $3.75M and supported more than 140,000 students in the past three years.

The backpacks will be distributed at the school’s open house this afternoon.

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

Coming Soon

👨‍⚖️ August 19th — Paul and Kyle judging the Automotive Amplifiers Contest with Reynolds & Reynolds in Leesburg, VA.

🌴 August 20-24th — NAMAD Conference in Miami, FL.

🍎 September 16th — The Welcome Conference in NYC.

🦀 May 13-16th, 2025 — ASOTU CON in Baltimore, Maryland.

Quick Hits

• Correction. Yesterday, we mistyped that Microsoft owns Crowdstrike. That is incorrect; they are only involved in the lawsuit. Our apologies for the error, and shout out to Angela R. for sending over a double-check. 🤗

• A development in insulin may allow Type 1 diabetes sufferers to take insulin once a week. Smart insulin reacts to blood sugar levels in real time. 💉 

• Baseball will return to the 2028 Olympics after a 20-year absence. ⚾️ 

• The cheapest Cybertruck is now just under $100K as the promised $60K option is canceled. 🛻 

History

• 1724: Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of “Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott (BWV 101),” a chorale cantata on a famous tune. 🎼 

• 1898: James Packard buys a Winton, dislikes it, and starts Packard. 👎️ 

• 1961: German communists closed the border between East and West Germany, preventing refugees from leaving and going to West Germany. They also began laying barbed wire as the first step to building the Berlin Wall. 🚫 

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