🚗 TikTok For Dealers?

🚙 AI That Actually Works!

Author

Chris Reeves
May 14, 2025

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The News

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TikTok’s Not Just for Dances Anymore

It turns out that TikTok’s doing more than wasting your kids’ screen time; it’s actually generating car leads. A new white paper shows TikTok drove 9.4% of all digital auto inquiries across three major brands, even though it got a fraction of the ad budget. ROI? 90% better than online video, 12% better than other digital channels. TL;DR: TikTok’s a big deal.

👀 Dealer Takeaways:

  • Time to give TikTok a test drive — it’s not just Gen Z goofing around.

  • Full-funnel > flash-in-the-pan. Run long campaigns, include post-sale service offers.

  • Stop tossing your whole budget at Meta and Google. TikTok’s ROI might surprise you.

VW + Uber = Buzz in the Streets

Volkswagen and Uber are launching autonomous ID. Buzz vans in LA by 2026. VW’s mobility arm, MOIA, is running the show. Testing starts this year, and yes, they’re still calling it the “Buzz.” Cute.

🚨 Dealer Radar:

  • The Buzz may generate real customer buzz — keep one on the lot, just in case.

  • Robotaxi fleet builds could eat into your retail allocation.

  • Autonomous tech = service complexity. Time to sharpen your diagnostic tools.

GM + LG = EV Battery Price Drop Incoming

Starting in 2028, GM will build lower-cost, longer-range LMR battery cells with LG. They're prismatic (fewer parts, cheaper packs), and could bring EVs much closer to price parity with gas cars. GM wants 400+ miles of range without the sticker shock.

⚡️ What It Means for You:

  • EVs priced like ICE? Easier sell.

  • Expect new GM products to hit with this tech by late-decade.

  • Start training now — new chemistries = new repair rules.

Toyota’s EV Gets a Reboot (and a Rebrand)

Say goodbye to “bZ4X” (because no one could say it) and hello to the 2026 Toyota bZ. It’s got upgraded tech, better performance, and a name that doesn’t sound like a Wi-Fi password.

🛠 Heads Up:

  • Better specs = better sales pitch.

  • Educate your staff: “Yes, it’s the same car — but actually good now.”

  • Watch for a full bZ lineup if this one lands well.

Geely’s Going Euro, Starts with Poland

Chinese powerhouse Geely is launching EVs in Poland via Jameel Motors. First up: the EX5 SUV this fall. With 41% BEV sales growth in Poland, this could be Geely’s beachhead for bigger expansion.

🌍 Dealer Watchlist:

  • If Geely succeeds in Europe, U.S. entry won’t be far behind.

  • Expect to see their EVs at auction eventually.

  • OEMs with Euro exposure may have to play tech-price catch-up.

➕ More

Read more on these stories in our Daily Digest.

🥊 Quick Hits

  • Microsoft is making job cuts. 3% of its workforce. 🪟 

  • Egg prices finally came down! But they’re still near a record high. 🥚 

  • A new AI app can tell your age through a photo. 🤳 

TOGETHER WITH REYNOLDS & REYNOLDS

AI That Actually Works for Dealers

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As our industry grows and evolves, it’s only becoming more complicated to run your dealership efficiently. You need to do more, sell more, and make more with less. Automotive AI applications are ready to make the complex simple but are only as powerful as the data they rely on. Miss-keyed, double-entry, and other common data errors hold back your applications and give you false insights that keep you from your full potential.

Reynolds & Reynolds knows quality data is essential to efficiency and profitability. Their unified AI data layer, Spark AI, is designed to empower your dealership by providing your applications with clean, accurate data, providing impactful insights, and maximizing profitability.

Stop by their booth throughout ASOTU Con or visit reyrey.com/spark-ai to discover how Spark AI can help you reach your full potential.

MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS

A Few Posts From ASOTU CON 2025 (So Far)

Check out this fun clip of the first few minutes of the ACOTU CON opening reception from last night.

Then follow us on Instagram for more from the show.

🔁 Today in History

  • 1800 – The 6th United States Congress recesses, and the process of moving the Federal government of the United States from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., begins the following day. 🇺🇸 

  • 1966 – Subaru introduces the 1000 🆕 

  • 1969 – The last Chevrolet Corvair is built, then vanishes 🪄 

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