#517 - ⛵️ Still Smooth Sailing

TOGETHER WITH

Not every team has a dedicated community engagement and support director, and that’s ok.

We’re proud to share any stories of dealers giving, listening, or working when they don’t have to.

That’s where you build a legacy - in the stories people tell about you when they don’t have to.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

TODAY’S LOT WALK

• MTCM: Ally Sees Erikka Tiffani Wells 💙

• Business: New Lightning, Rivian’s Good Q, and MPG Fines. 👮‍♀️

• Culture: A real-deal robot suit of armor. 😍

Reading time: 4 mins 16 secs

MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS

Transforming Lives with Walser

Erikka Tiffani Wells, GM of Walser Hyundai Brooklyn Park, was recognized in 2022 with the "Ally Sees Her" award.

Celebrating minority women in community work, this award came with a $10,000 charity prize. Wells sent her donation to Newgate Automotive Training School, benefiting single moms with reliable transportation and providing free automotive training.

Erikka didn't just send a check. She was there to hand over the keys! One local mom received a reliable vehicle she said was more than wheels but "a lifeline." 

Shout out to Dayna Kleve for sending us this story and Erikka and her Walser team for consistently showing the retail auto community for what it really is - people committed to people, not just customers.  

/Positivity

Do you have a story like Erikka’s? We would love to share it! Hit reply or use the link below to let us know how your team is loving people more than they love cars! 💙

DATA & INSIGHT

September and Strike Data from Cox 🚗

Required listening: “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire.

🐝 Sales Buzz: September's new car sales look good. Around 1.3 million.

🎳 UAW Strikes: Here's the tea: the United Auto Workers union went on strike, but it's not causing too much drama so far.

⚖️ Car Stockpile: At the start of the strike, we had about 2 million cars chilling in inventories across the US. Thanks to that buffer, prices haven't gone wild... yet.

📈 Loan Woes: Loans are getting pricier, folks. New car loans are over 9.6%, and used ones? Over 14%.

🤞Last Thoughts: Back in the COVID days, low loan rates and extra cash bumped car prices. Now? Tighter stocks do the same. We have our fingers crossed for the UAW strike to end and loan rates to chill.

Good info, as always, from Cox. We will find and pass along any info or data we can so you stay informed as a deal is hammered out between the workers and companies that takes good care of all the people involved.

TOGETHER WITH ORBEE

Know Your Data!

Say goodbye to stitching together insights, strategies, and tools!

Orbee's middleware integrates ALL dealership data into one hub, transforming your customer's experience.

📊 Know your data!

• Dive into campaign analytics.

• Effortlessly decode traffic sources.

• Manage both first & third-party data.

• Stay FTC compliant.

• Elevate with enriched first-party data for pinpoint marketing.

🛍️ So You Can Know Your Shoppers!

• Craft unified shopper profiles.

• Gather data from the web, third-party tools, and CRM.

• Seamless multi-platform advertising.

• Customize messaging for every shopper's unique journey.

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

So Much To Listen To!

We recorded a LOT of fantastic podcast content at ASOTU CON. If we released one conversation a week, it would take some time to get it all out for your listening pleasure. 🗓

So, instead, we are just releasing it all today! Check out ASOTU CON Sessions on your preferred podcast delivery system, or click the link below. 🎧

Feel free to let us know which is your favorite. 😉

BUSINESS

🚗 Ford F-150 Lightning Flash Trim 2024

• Features: Extended range, 15.5-inch touchscreen, and a heat pump for better battery performance in cold days.

• Price: $69,995, positioned between the Lariat and XLT models.

• Range: EPA-estimated 320 miles, nestled between Standard and Extended variants.

• Cold Weather Solution: Heat pump combats battery drain in chilly climates.

• Future Outlook: Despite price surges & cancellations, the Rogue Electric Vehicle Center's reopening hints at better delivery rates. Ford aims to offset its anticipated $4.5 billion EV losses in 2023.

"We heard people are really hurting for more affordable options... sooooo we made a fancier version of one of our priciest models... you're welcome."

🌱 Rivian's Q3 Deliveries Report

• Achievement: Record Q3 EV deliveries, surpassing Wall Street's forecast.

• Delivery Stats: 15,564 vehicles delivered (a 23% hike from Q2 2023).

• Production: 16,304 vehicles were produced in its Normal, Illinois facility.

• Stocks: Shares dipped over 2% on Monday.

• 2023 Target: Ambition to roll out 52,000 EVs, including Amazon delivery vans and the R1T & R1S models.

• Financial Moves: Staff cut by 6%, $1.3 billion convertible notes sale, R2 platform launch deferred to 2026.

• Cash Reserve: $10.2 billion as of June 30.

People get a little excited when they see an Amazon van, "What if my memory foam ALF slippers are in there??" and such. Rivian getting associated with that dopamine spike is a pretty great plan in the long haul.

📜 Biden's Fuel Economy Standards Proposal

• Potential Impact: Hefty fines for auto giants as fuel economy requirements are increased

• Fines Forecast: if the automakers do not keep up with the change.

  • General Motors: $6.5 billion

  • Stellantis: $3 billion

  • Ford & Volkswagen: Roughly $1 billion each

• Council's Stance: The American Automotive Policy Council finds the penalties "alarming" and has petitioned the U.S. Energy Department for a "Petroleum Equivalency Factor" reassessment.

• Compliance Cost: Detroit's big three could incur significantly higher per-vehicle compliance costs than other auto manufacturers.

This is one of those "rock and a hard place." situations where the consumers will either get better gas mileage OR higher prices to offset the cost of these fines. #SoManyOptions

CULTURE

Check Out Archax! 🤖

Tokyo's Tsubame Industries has created a massive functional and kinda-dope robot suit large enough for adults to climb in and pilot.

Deets:

• Inspired by Mobile Suit Gundam & Patlabor.

• 15-foot, 3.5-ton robot-to-vehicle transformer.

• Air-conditioned cockpit with 9 cameras.

• Vision? Disaster relief & space exploration.

• Unveiling: Japan Mobility Show, Oct 26.

Of course, for $3 million, it should also wash and fold your laundry. We wonder if we can get the robot to visit ASOTU CON 2024...  

Quick Hits

• Job openings jumped in August despite contrary expectations. 🦘

• “Mean Girls,” like the whole movie, has been uploaded to TikTok by Paramount to celebrate “Mean Girls Day.” Fans of the movie can watch it spread across 23 posts on the social entertainment site. 🎥

• Late-night shows are returning as the writer’s and Actor’s strikes resolve. 😴

History

• 1928: Mercedes Straight 8 debuts 🏎

• 1957: The Space Race begins when the Soviet Union launches the first artificial satellite, SPUTNIK 🛰

• 2000: Last Mini Rolls Off Production Line ✌️