🚗 Tesla Ends a Chapter

Yo yo, Fam!

We recently spent some time flipping through this booklet from the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association and just…wow.

Page after page after page of dealerships showing up for their communities. Giving their time. Rolling up their sleeves. Taking care of people in ways that don’t always get seen.

It’s the kind of thing that reminds us why we so love being part of this industry.

Got stories of your own? Send them our way—we’d love to share them.

Keep Pushing Back,
—Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

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Mercedes-Benz is expanding its Alabama footprint in a big way.

The automaker announced a $4B investment in its Tuscaloosa County plant through 2030, right as the facility marked its 5M vehicle produced.

This was Mercedes’ first U.S. plant, and it has grown into a major hub. About 5,800 people work there today, building core SUVs like the GLE and GLS alongside a growing lineup of electric models. Roughly 60% of production is exported, making the plant a key part of Mercedes’ global operations.

“Thirty years ago, Mercedes-Benz changed the landscape of Alabama, and there is no doubt that Alabamians have changed the landscape of Mercedes-Benz,” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.

The state now produces more than 1M vehicles annually across multiple automakers.

Mercedes also plans to expand production further, with the GLC expected to join the lineup in the coming years. Roll Tide!

Tesla has officially ended production of the Model S and Model X.

CEO Elon Musk confirmed that custom orders are no longer available, with only about 600 vehicles remaining in global inventory. Once those are sold, the two models will be fully retired after more than a decade in production.

The Model S, launched in 2012, helped establish Tesla as a serious player in the auto industry and was once the world’s best-selling electric vehicle. The Model X followed in 2015, adding an SUV option to the lineup. Together, the two models accounted for more than 600K deliveries.

In recent years, demand declined as Tesla shifted focus to higher-volume models like the Model 3 and Model Y. Sales for the S and X fell significantly, even as competition in the luxury EV space increased.

Tesla is now redirecting resources toward autonomy and robotics, including plans to repurpose production capacity.

For now, the remaining inventory is expected to sell quickly, closing out a long chapter in Tesla’s lineup.

Rising gas prices are doing something the auto industry hasn’t fully been able to on its own. They’re getting more shoppers to seriously consider EVs.

Since the Iran conflict began disrupting oil flows, consumer interest in electric vehicles has picked up. Platforms like Autotrader report a 28% increase in new EV inquiries and a 15% rise in used EV searches, while leasing interest is also climbing.

It makes sense. When fuel costs spike, the math on EV ownership starts to look a little better.

But here’s the catch: interest doesn’t always turn into purchases.

Analysts say the shift toward EVs is likely to be gradual, not sudden. Higher gas prices can nudge shoppers, but factors like upfront cost, charging access, and range concerns still slow things down. EVs remain more expensive on average than gas-powered vehicles, even as prices have come down.

On one side, global events are making EVs more appealing. On the other, the market is still moving at its own pace.

For now, it’s less of a surge and more of a slow shift.

At NY Auto Forum, John Bozzella brought the conversation back to one urgent question: what does fair competition actually look like when China’s influence keeps growing, direct-sales pressure still lingers, and the franchise model has to keep earning the customer’s trust in real time?

Our conversation is a thoughtful look at why dealers and OEMs need to stay aligned, and why competing together matters more than ever right now.

Check out the interview, and read the full breakdown here.

LaFontaine Automotive Group saw a 34x ROI in their first year with Curator, leading to 24% more leads closed, 56% email engagement, and 80K+ cleaned customer records.

The difference? Clean, connected data flowing straight into their CRM.

See the case study for yourself.

(And if you want to go deeper, Gubagoo will also be joining us for ASOTU CON. Don’t miss your chance to see Curator in action—grab your ticket today.)