TOGETHER WITH:
Howdy, Fam!
Sometimes the biggest automotive story isn't about what dealers will sell next year. It's about what manufacturers believe customers will expect ten years from now.
Today we're looking at why Toyota's latest investment in electric air taxis says more about trust than aircraft, and why paying attention to those long-term bets helps us understand where mobility is headed.
Also in today's email:
Honda's CR-V just passed the F-150, and inventory had a lot to do with it.
Ford's sales show what happens when your best product isn't available.
It's a holiday weekend. We hope you'll find a chance to serve somebody while you're away from the store.
Keep Pushing Back,
—Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
Reading time: 4 mins
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Toyota's Biggest Bet Isn't the Aircraft
Toyota
Trust may be the real product.
Toyota's new joint venture with Joby Aviation isn't just about electric air taxis. It's about bringing decades of manufacturing credibility to an entirely new category.
New technology gets attention. Trusted manufacturing earns adoption.
Dealers won't be selling air taxis anytime soon, but it's worth watching where OEMs invest their engineering talent and long-term capital. Those bets often point toward tomorrow's customer expectations.
CR-V Shows What Happens When You're Ready
pexel
Inventory opened the door.
Honda's CR-V became America's best-selling vehicle through the first half of 2026, helped by strong hybrid demand while Ford and Toyota dealt with supply constraints.
The market rewards the brands that have inventory when customers are ready to buy.
For dealers, it's another reminder to watch inventory, lease maturities, and hybrid demand together. Those factors are increasingly moving in lockstep.
Ford's Quarter Reinforces the Same Lesson
pexel
Customers can't buy what's missing.
Ford reported second-quarter U.S. sales down 10.3%, largely because F-150 inventory remained constrained.
The takeaway isn't just about Ford. It's another example that product availability continues to shape market share as much as pricing or incentives.
Inventory is still one of the strongest competitive advantages a dealership can have.
A Strong Deal Starts with Clear Payments
Customers are asking more payment questions. SelectFI helps dealerships take the guesswork out of those early finance conversations.
Lender Selector uses soft-pull data and Predictive Lending to help teams understand customer buying power, quote more accurate payments, and identify lender options that fit the deal.
It helps customers get clearer answers and helps dealership teams work faster from first pencil to final approval.
Get a closer look at how SelectFI can help your store—schedule a demo.
The Holiday Hustle Is Here
FAA
The Fourth of July travel rush is in full throttle.
AAA says 72.2M Americans will travel at least 50 miles over the holiday stretch, with 61.4M driving and 5.85M flying. And if the airport felt extra chaotic yesterday, that tracks. The FAA expected Thursday, July 2, to be the busiest day in the sky, with more than 52,000 flights.
If you’re still heading out today, leave early, check your flight status before you leave, and give yourself more time than your optimistic brain wants to allow. This weekend already has fireworks covered. It doesn’t need you adding to the drama.
AAA
🔋 Auto-ish Creatures
Rivian is gaining momentum while Lucid hits another speed bump. One EV maker just raised its delivery forecast, while the other is reshuffling leadership after missing expectations.
Tesla crushed delivery estimates... and the stock still fell. Wall Street keeps reminding us that expectations don't stop at yesterday's good news.
Amazon wants to help pay for your holiday road trip. Prime members can save 50¢ per gallon this weekend, proving customer loyalty programs aren't slowing down.
🧠 Robot Soup
The AI layoffs are already getting walked back. Companies like Ford and IBM are rehiring people after learning AI still needs experienced humans behind the wheel.
Microsoft isn't selling more AI. It's sending in 6,000 people to make it work. A $2.5 billion investment says implementation has become more valuable than demonstration.
Nvidia is becoming more than a chip company. Its latest deal lets startups trade future revenue for AI computing power. GPUs are starting to look a lot like venture capital.
🧾 Wallet Weather
The job market cooled more than expected in June. Payroll growth slowed sharply, but unemployment stayed low enough that the Fed probably isn't reaching for the panic button.
🔭 Space Goblin
Astronomers just started filming the biggest movie ever made. A new telescope will photograph the southern sky every 40 seconds for the next decade, giving us a front-row seat to a changing universe.
🦫 Roadside Kingdoms
America's gas stations are getting bigger, stranger, and more competitive. Buc-ee's started the race. Now new players, including Dolly Parton, are turning fuel stops into destinations.
1775: George Washington officially took command of the Continental Army in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the American Revolution. 🎖️
1884: Dow Jones & Company published its very first stock average, which was the precursor to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. 📈
1945: More than a month before World War II ended, Ford Motor Company began building 1946 model year cars, granting them a massive head start over their Detroit competitors. The first car off the assembly line—a white Super DeLuxe Tudor sedan—was famously gifted to President Harry S. Truman. 🎁
Thanks for reading, Friend!
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