Will Robots Ever Be Considered Pets?

TOGETHER WITH

Sometimes people ask us why we do what we do every day. Sometimes that is met with a concern as to how much we REALLY believe what we say about the auto industry.

So let's set the record straight. We believe retail auto dealers are the best means to sell and service vehicles and that they have the most unique ability in the industry to be community culture drivers.

All we ask...share this community with someone you know believes the same!

Keep Pushing Back-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

Thriving Together

Berman Subaru of Chicago has shown an immense passion for helping pets and their families in need by partnering with The Anti-Cruelty Society. The society’s commitment to creating happy and healthy communities where pets and people can thrive together is evident in their efforts to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home over 40,000 pets every year.

Berman Subaru has gone above and beyond to help by hosting pet adoptions at their dealership, volunteering staff, and donating to prove that their commitment to making a positive impact goes well beyond selling cars.

Telling it like it is - Thank you, Berman Auto Group, for being a shining example of a company that genuinely cares about its community and its furry friends.

AUTOMOTIVE

Lithium Discovery and Counting the Cost

India announced the discovery of some 5.9M tonnes of lithium in deposits under Jammu and Kashmir. Experts say the deposits will help India increase private vehicle electrification by 30% before 2030 and ease the nation's reliance on Australia and Argentina for lithium imports.

According to the World Bank, the mining of critical minerals like lithium will need to increase by 500% by 2050 to meet global targets. Some question EVs' environmental soundness, considering the impact of lithium mining and processing. 

By the numbers. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact number regarding EV emissions, but some factors are data-backed and can be considered. 

• According to data from 2019, 40% of an EV's lifetime environmental impact comes from battery material mining. 

• EVs produce less than half the emissions of an ICE vehicle, but they are not carbon-neutral. Until energy production moves away from things like natural gas (40%) and coal (19.36%), EVs will still "produce" carbon as a cost of operation. 

• Considering EVs' drastic front-end carbon cost, one research group says it takes 21K miles to break even. In contrast, another group says it could be up to 94K miles before the mining emissions are balanced out by the lower operating carbon cost. 

Beyond the numbers. The impact of lithium mining extends beyond carbon. Natural resources, such as water, are exhausted in mining regions, leaving indigenous communities without. Drained resources and the devastating impact on the local ecosystem mean once an area has been mined, it is no longer suitable for much else.

Apples to Oranges. Lithium mining is not unique in its impact on the environment. All mining takes a toll. Compared to more traditional avenues such as coal mining, it is much cleaner and more efficient, with untapped possibilities. In fact, lithium can be obtained without mining at all. Geothermal power plants produce lithium as a byproduct, and one projection says 40% of the world's future need for the mineral could be met as a byproduct of geothermal power produced by the Salton Sea Geothermal Field.

Telling it like it is - We just wanted to talk about India finding lithium… how did it turn into such a long piece? We never even found a good place to make our Nirvana joke.

TOGETHER WITH INFORMATIV

Prepared for any Change

Change isn't bad, but being unprepared for it definitely hurts.  

The newly expanded FTC Safeguards rule takes effect June 9, 2023. The compliance requirements will impact your dealership, and if you're unprepared, they could result in devastating fines. 

Informativ (previously Dealer Safeguard Solutions, Credit Bureau Connection & CreditDriver) has what you need to be prepared for the change but skip the pain. Download their FTC Safeguard rule checklist of the top five violations putting your dealership at risk now, and sign up to learn more on March 9 by joining Informativ for a webinar!

AUTOMOTIVE

Ford Adds and Subtracts, Hyundai Updates Security, and Honda Partners with LG

🌍🏭🔋

Ford announced it is cutting 11% of its jobs in Europe, and Ford’s $3.5B battery plant will be in Michigan. Roughly 3,600 jobs will be eliminated, mainly in Germany and the UK, to cut costs and stay competitive in the EV market. The new battery plant in Michigan will create around 2,500 jobs initially and produce low-cost EV batteries to lower the buy-in for people new to the market.

🚨⚔️🛡️

Hyundai and Kia will provide a free anti-theft software update to 8.3M vehicles by June, 2023. The upgrade is largely in response to a dangerous TikTok trend that involves exposing flaws in security, which lead to joy rides. The update covers 2017-2020 Elantra, 2015-2019 Sonata, and 2020-2021 Venues.

⚡️🌿💸

Honda partnered with LG to level up their EV game with a plant in Ohio. Last Wednesday, they signed an agreement with the capital city to develop a battery plant about 40 miles SW of Columbus. In a move to make Ohio a hub for their North American EV development and production sect, the giants have already committed at least $4.2B to back the efforts. They anticipate more than 2,527 new jobs will be created.

TL: DR - Ford will cut some jobs and make some new ones, Hyundai and Kia are shoring up their security, and Honda and LG are spending the big bucks.

TECHNOLOGY

Amazon’s Robotaxi Begins Testing

Amazon's self-driving unit, Zoox, is successfully testing its robotaxi on public roads using employees as passengers. 

Like robotaxi projects before, the scope of the service started small and will work its way up. Starting February 11, the service shuttled employees between two Zoox buildings, roughly one mile apart, at no cost. 

CEO Aicha Evans declined to give a commercial timeline but said they would not be at this level of testing if they were not within "line of sight" for going commercial. 

Telling it like it is - It’s good Amazon worked out same-day delivery before starting their taxi service, because I am NOT waiting 7-10 days to go to the library.

Quick Hits

• What is the world coming to when even the Wienermobile isn’t safe?

• Tick-tock? In the US, time might be limited for TikTok as bipartisan efforts escalate talks of an outright ban.

• Move over Santa, a California cat shelter is making its own list of “naughty” and “nice.”

AUTOMOTIVE

History

• 1564: Philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy.

• 1864: Heineken International founded in the Netherlands.

• 1965: Canada adopts its current national flag featuring the now iconic maple leaf.