🚗 The Farley Tariff Tumble

🚙 The Big 5-0, 30K Per Year, and Matt Damon

February 18, 2025

TOGETHER WITH

Perspective is weird.

In some ways, Tuesday is close to Monday. But in another, it is as far away from Monday as you can get.

You know what is also close and far depending on how you think about it? ASOTU CON 2025.

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

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Tariff Twists: Ford’s 180 on Import Taxes

Jim Farley just pulled a Tokyo Drift on tariffs. Not long ago, Ford’s CEO slammed steel and aluminum tariffs as costly and chaotic.

Now? He’s all in on Trump’s proposed vehicle import tariffs, calling them “an important step forward.”

So, which is it—bad for business or a necessary shield?

With potential tariffs set to hit on April 2, the industry is bracing for a new wave of supply chain disruptions, pricing shifts, and margin squeezes. Ford, GM, Tesla, and, of course, dealers have been riding the trade uncertainty rollercoaster for years.

Will this protect U.S. manufacturing or just make inventory and pricing even crazier? Dealers, how do you see this playing out on your lot?

Affordability or Just Less Pain? New Cars Hit 41-Month Best

According to the data, new cars are more affordable than they’ve been in years.

📉 Prices are down.
📈 Incomes are up.
💸 Monthly payments are lower than last year.

But let’s be real—$755 a month still hurts.

Sure, affordability is better, but is it actually affordable? Or are we just swapping a basketball hoop for a soccer goal?

EV Sales Surge 18%—But What’s Really Driving It?

Big enough to grab headlines. Small enough to raise eyebrows. Global EV sales jumped 18% in January, but dig a little deeper:

🇨🇳 China: Up 12% YoY, but down 43% from December.
🇪🇺 Europe: Up 21%, but France’s new weight tax slammed EV sales 52% MoM.
🇺🇸 North America: 22% up YoY, but tax credit cuts mean fewer eligible models.

EV growth is happening—but is it real demand, or just policy-driven momentum? With key incentives fading in 2025, the real test is coming. What moves EVs: Merit or tax breaks?

Join the conversation! Reply to this email, or hit us up on LinkedIn to share your take.

🥊 Quick Hits

  • Hyundai’s solid-state battery is finally here—just give it another five years. 🔋 

  • DeepSeek gets the boot from South Korea. 🤖 

  • Stellantis swaps EV dreams for hybrid realities. ➰ 

  • Matt Damon is playing Odysseus. Or, maybe Jason Borne in Ancient Greece. We’re not really sure. ⚔️ 

Selling 30,000 Per Year

Did you know Upstart is powering over 85% of DGDG’s transactions?

Jeremy Beaver, CEO of DGDG, joined the Car Dealership Guy podcast to share his insights on using digital retail to move more metal, train his employees and deliver a world-class customer experience that keeps customers coming back.

He said, “…companies like Upstart have really gone out and tried to figure out AI-powered financing and online financing and the ability to take the consumer A to Z, but also pick up in the dealership where they left off with iPads,… it is a very important process here at DGDG.”

Curious to hear more about Jeremy’s perspective on the transformative power of AI? Tune in to the full podcast episode.

Preston Automotive Group Hits the Big 5-0

Fifty years ago, Dave Wilson Sr. opened a small Ford dealership in rural Maryland.

Fast forward to today, and Preston Automotive Group (PAG) has expanded into a multi-brand powerhouse serving the entire Delmarva Peninsula. That’s a lot of cars, a lot of growth, and yes—a lot of frogs.

Preston Automotive Group

The Preston Frog, first introduced in a 1984 ad campaign, has become as much a part of PAG’s identity as the Cars Cost Less in Preston tagline.

But the real legacy? A dealership group that’s weathered industry shifts, economic ups and downs, and even a fire, all while staying laser-focused on customers and community.

Now, with 20+ locations and a leadership team that spans generations, PAG isn’t slowing down. Fifty years in, they’re proving that longevity in this business isn’t about luck—it’s about adapting, improving, and never losing sight of who got you there in the first place.

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

🗓️ Coming Soon

🔁 Today in History

  • 1885: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is published in the United States. 📖 

  • 1886: Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent Motor Car, which is considered the birth year of the modern car. ⛽️ 

  • 1930: While studying photographs taken in January, Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto. 🔭 

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