TOGETHER WITH:
Howdy, Fam!
What's CarPlay got to do with it? Apparently, everything.
The 2027 Cadillac Lyriq configurator still lists Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, three years after GM said it would phase both out to push customers onto its own platform. The subscription revenue and driver data GM wanted only exist if a customer chooses the vehicle first, and CarPlay turned out to be non-negotiable for exactly the buyers GM needed.
Also in today's email:
Consumer sentiment is up, but customers still don't feel like they're thriving, here's how to read that room before the price conversation starts
Toyota's $6 billion buyback is a bigger signal than it looks like on the surface
A vehicle acquisition panel from earlier this year that still holds up completely, plus Tesla's China numbers, Denmark's EV milestone, and a beetle named after a cartoon pirate
Keep Pushing Back,
—Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
Reading time: 4 mins
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GM Is Quietly Backing Off Killing Apple CarPlay. Here's Why That's the Right Call.
GM may be easing off its 2023 plan to eliminate Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with the 2027 Cadillac Lyriq configurator still listing both as standard.
Cadillac is continuing to evolve its infotainment strategy across the EV portfolio, based on customer feedback.
Want the full conversation?
🎙️ Listen to today's Automotive State of the Union episode for the complete discussion.
GM's original logic made sense on paper: keep customers on its own platform, capture subscription revenue, own more driver data. What it missed is that none of that revenue exists unless a customer chooses the vehicle first, and CarPlay and Android Auto are exactly the kind of familiar interface most mainstream buyers won't compromise on.
Tesla and Rivian get away without it because their customers bought into a different kind of brand relationship. GM's customers didn't sign up for that trade.
What This Means for Your Store
If you're fielding CarPlay questions on any GM EV right now, you have a real answer: it's back on the table for 2027 models, and the company's own language suggests that trend continues.
The Next Chapter of Mobile Service Starts Here
When the dealership that helped set the standard for mobile service chooses a new platform, it says something.
Bozard Ford Lincoln, which completes more than 2,000 mobile service appointments a month with a fleet of 40-plus vehicles, has selected Curbee to power what comes next. After a broad market evaluation, Bozard chose Curbee for its speed, flexibility, and willingness to build alongside one of the most advanced mobile service operations in the country.
That is more than a new vendor relationship. It is a major vote of confidence in Curbee’s vision for dealership service beyond the bay.
Consumers Aren't Thriving. Here's How to Read the Room and Flip the AI Story.
Consumer sentiment rose for a second straight month in July but remains 11% below last year, with half of consumers still citing high prices as a real strain. AI job-loss anxiety is also rising, with at least 10% of consumers mentioning it for three months running.
Consider this today
Brief your team on reading customer uncertainty before the price conversation starts.
And if you're actively hiring, say so specifically in your community marketing; "everybody else is firing, we're hiring" is a message that cuts through right now.
Toyota Flexes a Strong Quarter and a $6 Billion Buyback
Toyota raised its full-year outlook after a 76% jump in first-quarter profit, backing it with a massive share buyback and a $3.6 billion bet on bringing Tacoma assembly back to San Antonio, a tariff hedge as much as a manufacturing story.
Tesla's China Numbers Aren't What the Headline Says
Tesla's China retail sales fell 9% in the first half of 2026, even as wholesale output looked strong, because exports out of Shanghai surged 127%. Nearly half of everything the plant builds now leaves the country, complicating any future SpaceX-driven spinoff of the China business.
312 Cars a Month in a Town of 2,700. The Math Still Works.
A panel recorded months ago at ASOTU CON on vehicle acquisition still holds up completely today: single-minded specialists, owners who stay in the weeds, and appraisal speed built on upfront honesty instead of surprises at the counter.
What This Means for Your Store
Pick one piece and test it this week, quote a firm number instead of a range on your next ten trade-in calls, or spend a day inside your own acquisition department if you haven't in a month.
🚘 Car Stuff
Volvo's May-July sales fell 4% year over year, dragged down by a China downturn, even as U.S. sales grew double digits for a third straight month and electrified models grew to 53% of total sales.
Ford's U.S. sales dropped 10.2% in July, and the company is calling it a good month, saying the decline was "by design" as it phases out the Escape and Corsair and pulls back on low-margin rental fleet volume.
Denmark hit a new EV milestone: 97% of new cars bought by private individuals in July were fully electric, and the country expects 1 million EVs on the road by 2027.
Auto repossessions are rising sharply as high prices and long loan terms squeeze buyers, with Manheim reporting repo-related auction volume up 11% year over year and 36% since 2019.
💰 Not Car Stuff
The U.S. trade deficit narrowed to $73.3 billion in June, its smallest gap since earlier this year, as imports fell 1.8% and exports dipped a smaller 0.9%. The pullback in imports spanned consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and industrial supplies, a signal some economists are watching closely as an early read on both consumer demand and how companies are managing costs heading into the back half of the year.
August 12 is shaping up to be one of the best skywatching nights in years: a partial solar eclipse, the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, Venus at its best viewing angle, and the Milky Way all lining up on the same night. Worth putting on the calendar now.
Scientists named a newly discovered beetle genus "Luffy," after the stretchy-limbed hero of the wildly popular Japanese manga and anime series One Piece. Luffy's signature power is a rubber body that stretches like elastic, and these beetles earned the name for their unusually long, bendy-looking mandibles and mouthparts.
1858 - The first message was sent across the Atlantic via a transatlantic telegraph cable, connecting Europe and North America for the first time.
1914 - Cleveland, Ohio, installed the first electric traffic light in the U.S., featuring just red and green lights.
1926 - Magician Harry Houdini performed his final public stunt, staying sealed in an underwater airtight coffin for roughly 90 minutes to beat a rival's time.
1957 - "American Bandstand" premiered on ABC with host Dick Clark, helping launch rock 'n' roll into American living rooms.
