TOGETHER WITH:
Howdy, Fam!
Next week is a big one for our Auto Collabs podcast, with two conversations from different corners of the car business.
Tuesday, Nov. 3: Jack Hollis.
Photo: Accrual Equity Partners
One of the most respected leaders this industry has seen in the last 30 years, Jack is the former EVP and COO of Toyota Motor North America and now managing partner at Accrual Equity Partners. Want to hear him live? Jack is one of our keynotes at ASOTU CON West on Nov. 18 in LA, and tickets are at ASOTUCONWest.com.
Thursday, Nov. 5: Tomi Mikula.
Tomi, the owner of Deliverd, sat down with Paul and Kyle in person, in a garage full of cars on lifts, and they asked him questions he’d never been asked before.
Subscribe to Auto Collabs on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen, so both episodes land in your feed the moment they drop.
In today’s email...
GM answers its dealers’ calls for hybrids
A new study finds entrepreneurs live longer, and what that means for your team
Porsche’s comeback, the real cost of a car loan, and Honda’s tariff warning
Keep Pushing Back,
—Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
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GM is adding hybrid versions of the Chevy Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia.
GM plans to build the three-row hybrids at its Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan, Reuters reported Tuesday, and Automotive News puts the investment at $750 million. GM confirmed it will invest in the plant to prepare for hybrid production, but it didn’t share timing or models.
A $500 million Energy Department grant awarded in 2024 to retool another Michigan plant for EVs, which was never released, will now go to Lansing Delta Township for hybrid production.
Why have GM dealers been pushing for hybrids?
GM’s U.S. market share fell from 17.4% to 16.6% in the first nine months of the year, while hybrid leaders Toyota and Honda gained. GM’s only U.S. hybrid today is the Corvette.
“We’ve been telling them every chance we get that we need hybrids.” A GM dealer, speaking to Reuters
Last week, Mary Barra told analysts GM would have hybrids in multiple segments. Now dealers know where the first ones are coming from.
Start a list of the customers who left for a Toyota or Honda hybrid this year, so they hear from you first when GM’s arrive.
Can Your Team See the Whole Conversation?
Most missed opportunities do not look dramatic.
They look like a call nobody followed up on, a text that never made it into the CRM, or a customer story split across three systems.
On November 4 at 2:00pm EST, CallRevu and Gaffney Buick GMC are showing how to connect those pieces and spot the gaps sooner.
If that sounds familiar, get in the room.
Entrepreneurs had a 10% lower risk of premature death in a new study.
Researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology tracked 27,501 Americans 50 and older over about 20 years. The gap held up even after accounting for age, income, wealth and education, and we dug into it on yesterday’s show.
What made the biggest difference for entrepreneurs’ health?
Choice: The benefits showed up for people who started businesses because they wanted to, rather than out of necessity.
Autonomy: They were greatest where people had the most control over their work.
Connection: Entrepreneurs also reported less depression and loneliness.
Every dealer is an entrepreneur, and purpose, meaning and vision can be built into every role in a store, from the porter to the F&I office.
Hand one person on your team ownership of a real problem this week, and let them run with it.
Porsche’s operating profit climbed from €40 million to €1.74 billion.
That’s for the first nine months of 2026, compared with a year earlier, as CEO Michael Leiters shrinks the company and leans into customization. We broke it down on yesterday’s show.
Profit margin | 6.9%, up from a record low of 1.1% in 2025 |
|---|---|
911 sales | Up 12%, the only Porsche model to grow |
Interest on a typical new-vehicle loan now totals $10,100, up 79% since 2019.
This week’s check-ins from Cox Automotive and Black Book:
Used-vehicle loan interest: $10,900, up 96% since 2019
All-in cost since 2019: up 37% for new and 43% for used, outpacing a roughly 30% rise in vehicle prices
Manheim index: 207.4 at mid-October, up 0.7% from September, though unadjusted values fell 2%
Wholesale values: down 0.71% last week, against a 0.52% average for the same week in 2017-2019
Used days-to-turn: roughly 38 days
Honda says a 50% tariff on Canadian vehicles would be “catastrophic.”
President Trump has threatened to double tariffs on Canadian vehicles and parts from 25% to 50% on Jan. 1 if the two countries don’t reach a trade deal. American Honda’s Jennifer Thomas said she’s cautiously optimistic and urged a trilateral agreement that includes Mexico.
Honda is Canada’s second-largest vehicle producer behind Toyota, though more than 60% of the Hondas sold in the U.S. are built here.
🔩 Loose Bolts
GM moves its stock listing from the NYSE, where it first listed in 1911, to Nasdaq on Nov. 17, keeping the “GM” ticker.
Stellantis reports third-quarter results today, with shares down more than 60% this year to record lows.
Scout’s Traveler isn’t scheduled for series production until 2028, and our editorial digs into why dealers want to sell Scouts anyway.
🌐 Wider Lens
Orders for computers, servers and related products rose 27% from a year earlier in September, the fastest annual pace since January 1997.
In 1886, President Grover Cleveland dedicates the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
In 1919, Congress passes the Volstead Act over President Wilson’s veto, setting up enforcement of Prohibition.
In 1965, workers complete the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
