TOGETHER WITH:
Howdy, Fam!
Ford's been building its America-first credentials for years, with most hourly U.S. autoworkers and its own battery plants. The Trump administration just publicly said that story doesn't hold up.
Meanwhile, dealers are figuring out how to compete with Carvana's convenience play, and mobile service just crossed from experiment to expectation.
Also in today's email:
Mobile service just crossed from "early adopter" to "everyone's doing this"
A guest commentary makes the case dealers can beat Carvana at its own game
Dealer confidence softened in Q3, but not everywhere
Gas prices are pushing more drivers toward EVs
Keep Pushing Back,
—Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
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The White House Just Called Ford's China Strategy a "Troubling Picture"
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Ford CEO Jim Farley a letter this week expressing "profound concern" over the automaker's ties to Chinese companies, specifically its CATL battery licensing deal, its dealings with Geely and BYD, and Farley's own comments floating Chinese joint ventures on U.S. soil.
The Company's recent strategic decisions paint a troubling picture of a foundational American brand actively intertwining its future with Chinese state-backed enterprises.
Ford didn't back down.
Duffy's letter is a wrongheaded attempt to capture headlines. While others continue to import Chinese batteries, Ford is investing to build batteries here in America. Ford owns the plant, controls the operation and employs the workforce.
The timing isn't coincidental. Automakers, Ford included, urged Congress last week to permanently ban Chinese connected vehicles before year's end. Trump meets with Xi Jinping later this month. Ford is now defending its own Chinese partnerships as smart business while simultaneously pushing Washington for tougher restrictions on Chinese competitors, and this week it found out that contradiction isn't going unnoticed.
The $20 Billion Problem Hiding in Your Dealership
Retail auto loses nearly $20 billion a year to turnover. Most of it was predictable.
ESiQ measures employee satisfaction so you know what's driving engagement, and what's driving people out, before they walk.
As the leading researcher in dealership workforce data, ESiQ replaces guesswork with real insight. No crossed fingers. No "we thought morale was fine."
Proactive beats reactive. Every time.
Stop guessing. Find out what your team isn't telling you with ESiQ.
Mobile Service Just Crossed From "Early Adopter" to "Everyone's Doing This"
A year ago, Curbee was in conversations with two or three OEMs about mobile service. Today that number is 15 to 16.
How do we increase our throughput in fixed ops with CSI without asking dealerships to spend $20 million on facilities right now?
Consider this today
A mobile program runs about a tenth the cost of new service bays and launches in 4-6 weeks. One dealer facing eight months of construction launched immediately just to stay connected to customers who'd otherwise assume the store was closed. The real obstacle isn't cost or technology, it's change management: trusting a job's done right without watching it happen.
Want the full conversation?
🎙️ Listen to today's Automotive State of the Union episode for the complete discussion.
A Dealer's Guest Commentary Makes the Case: You Can Beat Carvana at Its Own Game
Carvana turned a 30-car-a-month Stellantis store into the brand's highest-volume dealership nationally, moving nearly 1,000 units a month, without being the cheapest option. It charges up to $4,533 more than local competitors. The draw is convenience, not price.
DriveItAway CEO John Possumato argues dealers can go a step further than Carvana ever could: flexible, no-commitment leasing with no down payment, no credit threshold, and no immediate multiyear obligation, turning "not now" into "start now" for exactly the shopper who'd otherwise walk away.
Dealer Confidence Softened in Q3
Cox Automotive's latest Dealer Sentiment Index shows current market confidence and customer traffic both declining, with franchised dealers reporting the sharpest drop. But profit sentiment actually improved, cost pressures eased slightly, and sentiment toward EV sales rose even as everything else softened.
The economy remains the top concern cited by 54% of dealers, followed by market conditions and interest rates.
🚘 Car Stuff
Wholesale car values posted their steepest weekly decline since November, down 0.69% per Black Book, with EV segments continuing to face outsized pressure even as select 2023-model-year crossovers and sedans held stronger bids.
56% of drivers say high gas prices have increased their interest in EVs, according to a new HERE Technologies/SBD Automotive survey. Charging anxiety is easing too, 47% now say there's a good number of public chargers, up from just 28% last year. The holdout: EV buyers paid an average of $56,126 in July, over $6,000 more than the average vehicle.
💰 Not Car Stuff
The U.S. launches new attacks on Iranian oil tankers just as crude hits $100 a barrel.
Trump bans some Canadian imports as North America trade war intensifies.
A 4,300-year-old tomb is discovered "exceptionally well-preserved" in Egypt.
1608: John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown Colony Council, taking charge of the first permanent English settlement in North America.
1962: The Ford Motor Company officially approved production for the legendary Ford Mustang, a project championed by Lee Iacocca.
2009: Amid ongoing corporate restructuring, General Motors announced plans to phase out the historic Pontiac brand.
