🚗 Volkswagen's Tumultuous Present

TOGETHER WITH

Facts don’t care about feelings—but let’s be honest, feelings have a lot to say about facts.

Which facts do we care about? Which ones shape our worldview, our decisions, or even our dealerships’ strategies? And here’s the kicker: what do those facts motivate us to change, stop, or start in our lives or businesses?

Compartments are for airplanes, not for how we live or lead. Today, let’s embrace a whole perspective—connecting facts, feelings, and the opportunities they bring to make a real impact in the retail auto world.

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

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Today's Email

• 📰 VW Strikes, Tesla Surges, China Rises

• Webinar: Data-Driven Strategies for Service-to-Sal …

• 🍽️ Turkeys and Teamwork for Thanksgiving

• 🗓️ Coming Soon

• 🥊 Quick Hits

• 🔁 Today in History

BUSINESS

📰 VW Strikes, Tesla Surges, China Rises

Volkswagen is wrestling with strikes, layoffs, and labor drama, while Tesla cozies up to the president-elect to fuel a $1.1 trillion market cap surge. Meanwhile, Chinese automakers like BYD and Xiaomi are smashing delivery records and redefining the EV game—don’t sleep on their growing U.S. ambitions.

On the flipside, Stellantis is in freefall after its CEO’s abrupt resignation, and Porsche just learned that even luxury EVs aren’t immune to software recalls (too-bright headlights, anyone?). Uber is taking to the water in India, and GAC is showing off high-tech SUVs designed with U.S. buyers in mind.

It’s clear the automotive world is speeding into uncharted territory.

Read more on these and several more stories @ Daily.ASOTU.com

TOGETHER WITH AUTOMOTIVEMASTERMIND

Webinar: Data-Driven Strategies for Service-to-Sales Success

Turning service drive opportunities into a consistent sales pipeline is no small task. The right data and strategies can make all the difference.

That’s why we’re partnering with automotiveMastermind to bring you a conversation with Shane O’Hanrahan, GM at Chapman BMW Chandler, and Wendy Engelhardt, Regional Group Manager. Shane’s dealership has cracked the code for creating a scalable service-to-sales process—and he’s ready to share what he’s learned.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• The challenges Shane faced building a service-to-sales team from the ground up.

• How predictive analytics revealed opportunities hiding in plain sight.

• Practical strategies for turning service customers into repeat buyers.

• The process that now generates 35-45 additional sales per month.

It’s not just about the tools—it’s about the vision and collaboration to make it work. Register here and join us on December 18!

MORE THAN CARS MOMENTS

🍽️ Turkeys and Teamwork for Thanksgiving

Fort Dodge Ford Toyota knows Thanksgiving is all about great food and even better company, which is why they teamed up with people who know their way around a feast—culinary arts students from Iowa Central Community College. Together, they served up over 2,500 meals at the dealership and delivered another 1,000 to homes across Fort Dodge.

For the students, Thanksgiving prep was no joke. They spent over a week breaking down 70+ turkeys, making gravy from scratch, and cooking a mountain of vegetables.

And for these aspiring chefs, it was more than just a chance to show off their skills. It was a hands-on lesson in teamwork, time management, and the joy of feeding others.

“Having students who are as passionate about food as we are about giving back made this event extra special,” said dealership owner Casey Johnson.

With full plates and full hearts, Fort Dodge Ford Toyota and their culinary partners reminded everyone what Thanksgiving is all about—coming together, sharing a meal, and taking care of one another.

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

🗓️ Coming Soon

🍾 Thursday, December 19th — ASOTU’s Year End Extravaganza (deets coming soon!)

⚜️ January 23-26th, 2025 — NADA Show in New Orleans

• Psst…

  • Are you planning a party for NADA and want more people to know?

  • Are you looking for a party at NADA?

  • OR, would you like to party with ASOTU at NADA?

    • Check out NADAParties.com 

🦀 May 13-16th, 2025 — ASOTU CON in Baltimore, Maryland

🥊 Quick Hits

• AI chatbots powered a slice of Black Friday's record-breaking $74.4B haul this year with their traffic up a mind-blowing 1,800%. 🤖

• McDonald’s is taking extra sauce to a new level this holiday season with a half-gallon jug of their McRib barbecue sauce. 🥫

• Five years after a fiery catastrophe ravaged the iconic landmark, Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral is set to reopen its doors to the public this weekend. ⛪️

🔁 Today in History

• 1800: The U.S. Electoral College casts votes for President and Vice President that result in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. 🇺🇸 

• 1979: The last AMC Pacer. 🔚 

• 1994: Sony releases the first PlayStation gaming console in Japan. 🎮️ 

Thanks for reading, friend! We’ve got plenty going on, what’s December got in store for you?