#467 - 🧮 Tallying The Data

TOGETHER WITH

We’re filming More Than Cars episode 3.

Over and over, when we visit these dealerships, we are reminded that we aren’t writing a better story about dealers; we’re just pointing a camera at the vibrant stories already there. Your stories.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

LOT WALK

• Easterns Auto recognizes the OGs. 🏆

• What does data suggest customers want? 📊

• A California man buys a new Tesla for $14K. 🤯

• We watched some trailers, so you don’t have to. 👀

Reading time: 4 mins

DEALERS

A Decade Or Two

We think the Easterns Auto Group is about to get a lot of resumes! 📄

They celebrated their 10 and 20-year veterans with an award ceremony this week. The price for making it to the big 10 years was a beautiful watch, while the team members who hit the 20-year mark were gifted an all-expenses-paid trip for two to anywhere they wanted to go.

The group celebrated these milestones with their people on LinkedIn, but we also want to celebrate Easterns. Years spent going above and beyond for your community deserve leaders who do the same.

Thanks for going above and beyond for your people, Easterns! 💗

/Positivity

Do you have a story showing dealerships' positive impact on their community?

AUTOMOTIVE

Data Smash: Wholesale, Repairs, and Trade Ins

💸 Wholesale prices have dipped, meaning customers who are already holding on to cars longer have less incentive to trade in their rides anytime soon.

On the other end of this rock-and-hard place equation, a shortage of parts, techs, and new cars have service and repair prices creeping up, too. Recently, they were placed as high as 19.7% up YOY. 👨‍🔧

Look on the bright side. New car inventory is increasing, and with some brands investing in tech training and scholarships, the mechanic shortage should gradually ease. In the meantime, consumers are looking for the best deals, and they would love for their local dealer to provide one. 🫵

Consumers are in a tough spot. Businesses that work to offer win-win options will earn more loyalty. You catch more flies with integrity than sympathy. 🪰

TOGETHER WITH UPSTART

Easy As (Pizza) Pie

A study I conducted last night found ordering pizza online is, like, crazy easy.

While shopping online for my family's next car is...less so.

Our friends at Upstart want to make car-buying enjoyable, from the first "dealers near me" search to the drive home. Their digital experience integrates Apple's online-to-in-store shopping elements with Amazon's everywhere-you-want-it convenience.

You already take care of the people you meet, so let Upstart help you meet more of them by revolutionizing your online presence with services customers adore and a shopping experience that seamlessly becomes a buying experience.

Close more leads and make happier customers with Upstart. 🍕

AUTOMOTIVE

VinFast, GM, EU, Toyota, and a $14K Tesla

VinFast's North Carolina plant is breaking ground on July 28th.

The state granted the Vietnamese automaker a $1.2B incentive package to build the vehicle plant and an ecosystem of connected suppliers.

The 1,800-acre factory plans to ramp up production output to 150K vehicles annually.

Despite a jump in revenue, GM Q2 profits dropped from Q1 on the back of higher per-vehicle transaction prices.

The company says it will roll back investments in new products and cut operating costs by an additional $1B through the end of next year.

Despite it all, the company increased its full-2023 profit forecast.

The EU passed a law requiring subscription-free chargers 37 miles apart on its Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) highways before 2026.

The move should diffuse some range anxiety, but a more recent report finds the main barrier to EV adoption has shifted to high prices.

Maybe they will put discounts every 37 miles next?

Toyota is laying off workers in its China-based joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group.

Despite price cuts and new model releases, Toyota's share in the Chinese EV market remains low.

The shift towards EVs has also hit other Japanese carmakers, with Mitsubishi suspending operations after significant sales drops.

A California resident has reportedly purchased a new Tesla Model 3 for under $14K by leveraging the $7500 federal tax credit, a $7500 Clean Vehicle Rebate Project credit, and other regional programs.

Claiming all of these incentives requires the rare combination of a sizable federal tax burden and a low enough income.

CULTURE

Comics, Games, Movies

Strange Planet is a fun comic series by Nathan Pyle that reexamines the normal stuff of our world through the eyes of aliens.

The upcoming show on Apple+ will do the same but with the help of cartoon pros like Dan Harmon (Rick and Morty) and Corey Campodonico (Bojack Horseman).

Armor Core 6 is a new game from the creators of Elden Rings, From Software. The game features enough bright lights and flashing colors to make a 4th of July show throw in the towel.

The story follows an ex-mercenary turned marooned combat robot pilot on the unfriendly planet of Rubicon 3. If that doesn't get you reaching for your robot boots, we don’t know what will.

While Disney has pledged to roll back its Marvel and Star Wars investments, they dropped a trailer for The Marvels last week, and it looks as confusing as it is exciting.

It will combine Captain Marvel (who has been in several movies), Mrs. Marvel (who had her own Disney+ show), and Photon (who was a secondary character in WandaVision) as they combat (you guessed it) a multi-planet supervillain threat.

Hey, at least they gave us classical Beastie Boys.

Quick Hits

• UPS and Teamsters reach an agreement to avoid a strike. 🤝

• The new browser, Arc, is available for download on Apple devices, and apparently pretty dope. 🕷

• Garlic, onions, and dandelion greens top the list of foods for a healthier gut. 🧅

History

• 1948: President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981, desegregating the military of the United States. 🎖

• 1951: Walt Disney's 13th animated film, '“Alice in Wonderland,” premieres in London. 🎩

• 2016: Solar Impulse 2 becomes the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth. ☀️

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