DEALERS
“Give Where We Live”
Holiday Automotive had a Christmas season marked by a generous attitude throughout the company and its people.
Four ways.
- First, Holiday Automotive adopted five families through the Boys & Girls Club. - Then, Teammates donated cash and time to the Fon Du Lac Humane Society. - They rang the Salvation Army bell at their local grocery store and matched all the donations. - Finally, they drew names and donated toys for the City of Fon du Lac Police Department's toy drive.
Telling it like it is - Taking "Season of Giving" literally, and we love it!
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AUTOMOTIVE
EV Tax Credits: A Moving Target?
Not fans. The US has signaled a willingness to address European and Asian allies' concerns over the updated Tax Credit rules in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Not a fan. The author of the act, Sen. Joe Manchin, is not in favor of what he calls "bending to the desire of the companies looking for loopholes." He expressed hopes the Treasure department will pause implementation of the program until the law's intent can reflect in its application.
Can't please them all. While the act aims to localize energy and manufacturing supply chains, protect national security, create jobs, and reduce dependencies on foreign powers, balancing it within a healthy foreign policy is still on the to-do list.
TL: DR - Leaders around the world are concerned the US is being unfair with its EV tax laws. The author of the bill says it was written to remove unfair loopholes. Eventually, dealers will get let in on where these pieces fall, and we will let you know. For now, it looks like more waiting.
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AUTOMOTIVE
New Car Sales Down In France
New car sales in France dropped 7.8% in 2022.
Since August, auto sales have bounced back but did not quite balance the poor performance in the earlier parts of the year.
November specifically had a 9.8% increase in sales, with some brands seeing significant gains: Tesla (up 168%), BMW (up 22.7%), and Toyota (up 41.3%).
Other brands were not as lucky: Stellantis (down 5.2%), Renault (down 2.4%), and Light commercial vehicles (down 8.1%)
Telling it like it is - If the explanation for the slow months was chips and supply chain issues, then the explanation for the recovery in the later months may be the same. Are we going to stop writing about the chip supply chain for good?
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TOGETHER WITH WOCAN
Builders Needed
Our formula is often backward.
We can never guess the future and live accordingly now.
We must work now for the future we hope to produce.
Women of Color Automotive Network (WOCAN) is working every day toward a better future for its members, the automotive industry, and the world.
Don't let your voice go unheard. Women of color and allies from any race and gender are needed to build the future automotive that the world deserves. Join now!
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AUTOMOTIVE
Tesla Tuesday
Weird Math. Tesla delivered about 1.31M EVs in 2022, a 40% increase year-over-year. Despite the production and delivery growth, the company did not hit its targets, which disappointed Wall Street. Stock value dropped 65%, or $700B, through 2022.
Wall Street seems a little more concerned with prophecy than production.
Double Coupon Tuesday. As expected, the company used a wave of incentives and discounts toward the end of the year to increase delivery numbers. Some of the incentives will persist, and even improve, into the New Year for its concerned Chinese buyers.
- A nearly $900 delivery incentive
- Preferential rate financial plan
- Ninety days of enhanced automatic assisted driving for trade-ins.
- Insurance discounts
Are these incentives aimed at firming up softening demand or offloading the rest of 2022's inventory? We think, "Yes."
Down the road. According to an update on the online configurator for the brand, a cheaper Model Y may be released sometime this year. The cheaper option would be rear-wheel-drive with a shorter battery range. The option is already popular outside the US.
Additionally, a well-known Tesla Analyst, Loup Ventures, claims a $25K Tesla may be announced as soon as 2024. The frequently rumored, cheaper, smaller Model 2 would not begin production until the following year, as announcing it too soon may have damaged demand for the popular Model 3.
Winning the affordability game could keep Tesla on top of the EV food chain for years longer. That, or, if you ask some people, taking away Elon’s Twitter account could do the same thing.
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AUTOMOTIVE
Volvo’s New Acquisition
Volvo bought something, and you'll never guess what.
A hydrogen-power research company? Nope.
A rocketship start-up? Also no.
A zoo? You're thinking of Matt Damon (It's a common mistake)
After buying out the last 13.5% of shares from ECARX, Volvo is now the proud owner of Zenseact, an autonomous driving software development company. The software company will remain a stand-alone subsidiary of the Swedish automaker.
Telling it like it is - Every time we listen to an audiobook while we drive, it is almost like the car drove itself because we can’t remember any of it. Have y’all tried that? Seems cheaper than buying all these software companies.
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TECHNOLOGY
Air, Water, Soil
Free bikes. Uganda is giving all motorcycle owners a free electric motorcycle. They just need to trade in their ICE bike. Investors will foot most of the bill and be given exclusive rights to operate charging and battery swap stations in the country. The bikes are valued at around $1,350 and should save owners around 50% on operating costs.
Hydration Station. A new water purification system addresses people's growing concerns with microplastic in our drinking water. A new design by a South Korean firm uses a covalent triazene framework, similar to technology used to remove dye from water, to remove 99.9% of plastic from water within 10 seconds. An additional layer to the design uses sunlight to remove over 98% of volatile organic compounds- which in my house, we call germs.
Final Arrangements. New York has become the 6th state in the US to legalize natural organic reduction, AKA human composting. The process involves being placed in a reusable vessel with plant material that allows naturally occurring microbes to quickly break down a body in a month or so. The result is about 36 bags of rich soil that can be safely used like any nutrient-dense gardening dirt.
TL: DR- Uganda is addressing motorcycle emissions, South Korea is addressing plastic in the water, and NY is addressing limited cemetery space.
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