Welcome to Saturday, Friend!
Somewhere along the way, adults got weird about hobbies.
We started treating them like one more thing to improve at, measure, or eventually monetize. Meanwhile, there is a lot of joy in doing something simply because you like to, even when you’re gloriously mediocre at it.
So, if you’ve got a hobby that regularly humbles you, keep it. Shank the golf ball. Burn the casserole. Miss the note.
Enjoying yourself still counts.
Keep Pushing Back,
—Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi
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ICYMI: Let’s Roll it Back
On Monday, we previewed the fuel economy rollback. The December proposal set a 2031 target of 34.5 mpg, down from 50.4. We also followed diesel at $6.51/gallon to the working truck buyers feeling it first, and celebrated Norfolk-area Hyundai dealers for helping give $200K to a children's hospital.
Working buyers' fuel math changed faster than anyone's.
On Tuesday, the rules became final at 34.9 mpg. The government estimates automakers save $1,289 per vehicle, while drivers pay more than $1,600 in added fuel over a vehicle's life. We also shared three Truth About Car Dealers stories, starting with Amariye, who went from living in his car to selling around 32 cars a month.
There's no ceiling and no floor in retail auto.
On Wednesday, Ford launched the industry's first commercial CPO program. Ford Pro Advantage covers Class 1 through 7 trucks and vans at more than 700 Ford Pro centers starting in October. Nissan also said hybrids should be its main North American powertrain by 2030, and we met Monaco Ford, a family store for four generations.
A certified used option lets working buyers keep working without stretching for new.
On Thursday, we looked at how dealers are putting guardrails around AI. More than 8 in 10 dealers now use AI, and stores like Ray Laethem, Dorsett, Koons, and O'Daniel are vetting vendors, protecting customer data, and auditing outputs. Farley and Reuss also made their case for patience, even as Chinese automakers run 18-to-24-month development cycles.
The best AI setups keep a person in the loop on every customer decision.
On Friday, we previewed a Q3 that could push Detroit's share to a record low. Cox forecasts the Detroit 3 near 36%, as hybrids climb past 1 in 5 new vehicles sold. More non-Tesla EV owners are also switching to gas, from 38.9% to 44.4%. And City Limits Subaru's team gifted a new car to a Texas State freshman who grew up in foster care.
Buyers go where the lineup fits their lives.
Automotive State of the Union Podcast
If you missed our recent announcement, ASOTU CON is heading west!
On November 18th, we're bringing 200 dealers together in Los Angeles for one focused day on profitability, Voice AI, EVs, mobile service, and leadership.
It all happens from 10am to 5pm at Plug's new West L.A. headquarters, with a happy hour afterward at the L.A. Motoring Club.
Dealer tickets are filling up fast, so don’t delay.
The Dealer Playbook
Kevin Rudolph stopped building his business around the next up.
Instead, he built a system that could support 64 cars in a month.
In this episode of The Dealer Playbook, he walks Michael Cirillo through the structure behind that volume, including staffing, handoffs, and the operating habits that let him produce at a high level on a four-day week.
If your best rep is buried, start here.
PRS Raids the Defender Paint Booth
PRS / Land Rover
Land Rover has found another way to make owning a Defender a full-time personality.
Defender, the luxury off-roader beloved by adventurers and people who enjoy very expensive rectangles, teamed up with Maryland guitar-maker PRS and six-string virtuoso John Mayer on a new Silver Sky collection inspired by actual Defender paint colors.
The collection includes four classic shades—Arles Blue, Willow Green, Portofino Red and Sandglow Yellow—with white pick-guard and knobs, Defender-branded hard cases, and engraved neck-plates.
Naturally, Mayer's own Defender 90 is Arles Blue with a white roof, which means somebody at PRS had a very easy mood board.
They cost $3,200 and will have a limited run—500 of each color. A slightly more affordable version offers up four modern Defender colors, blacked-out details and a matching gig bag.
At that price-point, it may be one of the more affordable things you can buy with a Defender badge on it. The only thing left is a snatch up the coordinating luggage. (And jacket. And watch. And water bottle. And…)
1872: The Bloomingdale brothers open their first department store at 938 Third Avenue in New York City. 🛍️
1913: The U.S. federal income tax is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson at 1%. 💸
1961: TV sitcom "Mr. Ed" premieres on CBS. 🐴
Thanks for reading, Friend!
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