Shoot us a Text. Episode #1189: Ford unveils its hospitality-first Signature 2.0 dealership design, Holman jumps into the robotics game, and Walmart goes full throttle with back-to-back Black Friday deals. Ford is rolling out its first dealership image program in over two decades—and it’s less showroom, more hotel lobby. The new "Signature 2.0" design rethinks the car-buying experience with a focus on comfort, visibility, and choice.The first build, a $12.5M Boulevard Ford in Delaware, cent...
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Shoot us a Text. Episode #1189: Ford unveils its hospitality-first Signature 2.0 dealership design, Holman jumps into the robotics game, and Walmart goes full throttle with back-to-back Black Friday deals. Ford is rolling out its first dealership image program in over two decades—and it’s less showroom, more hotel lobby. The new "Signature 2.0" design rethinks the car-buying experience with a focus on comfort, visibility, and choice.The first build, a $12.5M Boulevard Ford in Delaware, cent...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1189: Ford unveils its hospitality-first Signature 2.0 dealership design, Holman jumps into the robotics game, and Walmart goes full throttle with back-to-back Black Friday deals. Ford is rolling out its first dealership image program in over two decades—and it’s less showroom, more hotel lobby. The new "Signature 2.0" design rethinks the car-buying experience with a focus on comfort, visibility, and choice.The first build, a $12.5M Boulevard Ford in Delaware, cent...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1188: Today we’re talking Toyota’s global muscle amid U.S. tariffs, Waymo’s bold autonomous rollout into new cities, and why your store’s holiday playlist might be just early enough to keep shoppers smiling. Show Notes with links: Toyota posted a surprising 62% jump in second-quarter profit and raised its annual outlook, even as U.S. tariffs continue to take a multi-billion-dollar toll. The automaker’s resilience stems from its increasingly global revenue base and ...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1187: GM trims its workforce and tech leadership as it reassesses priorities. Kia hits pause on its next U.S. EV launch amid regulatory roadblocks. And Walmart leans into nostalgia with a print catalog push designed to elevate its home game. Show Notes with links: General Motors made sweeping changes last week, laying off workers and restructuring leadership as it adjusted to shifting market signals. What began as a response to softening EV demand quickly expanded in...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1186: Dealerships are investing big in mobile service as customer demand and capacity challenges make on-the-go repairs a serious growth opportunity. France launches the world’s first live EV-charging highway, while new data shows holiday shoppers are blending online convenience with a strong return to in-store experiences. Show Notes with links: As consumers crave convenience and service bays become scarce, dealerships are rethinking what “fixed ops” means. B...
Shoot us a Text. After a couple of weeks off due to international travel and a new baby, Chris, Paul and Kyle are back to talk about how car dealerships are caring for their community. Today, they cover how the Rohrman Auto Group donated $77,500 to support multiple organizations across Indiana and Chicagoland dedicated to pediatric cancer research, treatment and support. Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots ac...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1184: Today we cover Toyota’s response to potential chip shortages, new research showing improved employee satisfaction at dealerships, and what Gen Z travelers want most from their hotel stays. Show Notes with links: Toyota CEO Koji Sato says the automaker isn’t facing an immediate chip shortage despite rising concerns after China blocked exports from Dutch chipmaker Nexperia. The move is part of an escalating global tech standoff involving national security con...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1183: Today we’re talking about the billion-dollar blaze disrupting Ford’s aluminum supply chain, Tekion’s confident response to new DMS rival Pinewood.AI, and why the retail world’s record CEO shuffle says more about skill sets than burnout. A mid-September fire at Novelis’s massive Oswego, N.Y. aluminum plant has shaken the auto supply chain, putting Ford and other OEMs in damage-control mode as crews work nonstop to rebuild the damaged facility.A Sept. 16 ...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1182: Today we’re talking about Slate Auto’s bold move to use independent repair shops instead of dealers, China pulling back EV subsidies to let the market decide, and PayPal teaming up with OpenAI to turn ChatGPT into a next-gen shopping hub. Show Notes with links: Electric startup Slate Auto is flipping the traditional service model by partnering with independent repair shops instead of building dealerships or factory-run service centers. The company aims to lau...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1181: Today we’re talking about an EV market hitting the brakes post–tax credit, why most electric drivers are just fine charging at home, and Amazon’s billion-dollar bet on future jobs—while cutting tens of thousands of its own. Show Notes with links: The EV market is undergoing a “recalibration” following the end of the federal $7,500 tax credit. J.D. Power says October electric vehicle deliveries are expected to drop 43% from last year, taking EV market share fr...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1180: Fresh off a global adventure, Paul and Kyle return with stories from Kazakhstan, a look at why destination fees are climbing faster than car prices, and how Rivian and GM are tightening up their EV operations as the market cools. Destination fees — the unavoidable “shipping” charges tacked onto every new vehicle — are climbing faster than sticker prices. Once a minor line item, these fees have ballooned across brands, marking the steepest industrywide increas...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1179: We close out Q4 Strategy Week with Ryan Rohrman, CEO of the Rohrman Auto Group. He breaks down how cleaner data, connected systems, and smarter marketing decisions can save you money, sharpen your efficiency, and help you finish the year with momentum. Show Notes: The goal is frictionless customer access — tech that talks and data that actually works.Rohrman Auto Group discovered 40% of their data was “dirty” just six months post-cleanup — now they scrub it m...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1178: We dive into Q4 service strategy with Joe Castelino, VP of Fixed Ops at American Motors Group. From holiday PTO and campus ebb-and-flow to tech-enabled check-ins and bay visibility, Joe shows how disciplined processes and smart tools keep throughput high and customers happy into year-end. Show Notes with links: Plan for dual PTO: your team and your customers. College-town stores see sharp holiday rushes from parents and students—staff and stock accordingly.St...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1177: Q4 Strategy Week rolls on with EV operator-extraordinaire Andy Guelcher. We dig into life after federal credits, the coming surge of affordable used EVs, New York’s eye-popping BrightDrop incentives, and why dealers must become “energy experts” to win the next phase of EV adoption. Show Notes: Post-credit reality check: EVs must stand on their own. Falling MSRPs (hello, $29K Bolt) + better charging infrastructure are easing range anxiety and widening the addr...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1176: Day two of Q4 Strategy Week brings social media powerhouse Russell Richardson — aka Russ Flips Whips — to talk about how dealers can turn content into car deals. He shares real-world results, easy-to-start strategies, and why empowering your people might be your best Q4 move yet. Show Notes: Q4 is the best time to make an ask — if you’ve spent the year giving value through social media, now’s when it pays off.One trained team created 4M+ impressions and over ...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1175: It’s Q4 Strategy Week on The Automotive State of the Union! Paul and Kyle sit down with Patrick Abad of Beaver Toyota and Mazda to talk about leading your team through the holidays — when emotions run high, sales run hotter, and leadership matters most. Show Notes: The holiday season brings both family time and the busiest sales stretch of the year — and great leaders have to balance both.Involve your people in event planning (like Black Friday or end-of-year...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1174: Gov. Newsom vetoes a dealer doc fee hike, Tesla unleashes “Mad Max” mode amid mounting scrutiny, and Home Depot opens free training lanes to fuel America’s next generation of skilled pros. Show Notes with links: California dealers were ready for a long-overdue bump to their doc fee cap, but Gov. Gavin Newsom hit the veto button — just a week after tightening dealership disclosure rules with the new CARS Act.The proposed bill would’ve raised the $85 doc fee ca...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1173: Scott Painter steers TrueCar back to private ownership, CarGurus says buyers are going older to stay on budget, and freelancers navigate the double-edged sword of AI—faster work, smaller paychecks, and a whole lot of “good enough.” Show Notes with links: TrueCar’s founder and former CEO, Scott Painter, is back. Nearly a decade after his controversial exit, Painter is leading a $227 million investor group to take the publicly traded company private — a bold mo...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1172: Stellantis bets big on American production with its largest investment ever, NADA makes history with a new vice chair, and three Nissan dealers take the scenic route to prove the CVT isn’t the punchline anymore. Show Notes with links: Stellantis just dropped the biggest investment announcement in company history—$13 billion to bring more Jeep, Dodge, and Ram production back home.The plan adds 5,000 U.S. jobs and launches five new vehicles and a new four-cylin...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1171: Ford scrambles after a supplier fire halts SUV production, Rivian doubles down on AI instead of Apple CarPlay, and young people rediscover the joy of “hanging up”... literally Ford is pausing production for several key vehicles, including the Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and F-150 Lightning, after a massive fire shut down operations at its main aluminum supplier, Novelis. Novelis’ upstate New York facility is responsible for 40% of U.S. aluminum sheet ...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1170: California’s new CARS Act sets tough transparency rules for dealers, a new report exposes EV charging’s reliability gap, and Elon Musk’s xAI looks to raise $20 billion—with Nvidia both selling the chips and buying in. Show Notes with links: Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the California Combating Auto Retail Scams (CARS) Act, a landmark law that establishes new consumer protection standards and stricter sales transparency across the state beginning in 2026.T...
Shoot us a Text. Episode #1189: Ford unveils its hospitality-first Signature 2.0 dealership design, Holman jumps into the robotics game, and Walmart goes full throttle with back-to-back Black Friday deals. Ford is rolling out its first dealership image program in over two decades—and it’s less showroom, more hotel lobby. The new "Signature 2.0" design rethinks the car-buying experience with a focus on comfort, visibility, and choice.The first build, a $12.5M Boulevard Ford in Delaware, cent...
