ASOTU Recap: Feb 19-23

The ASOTU Daily Pushback email is a one-stop digest of the day's big automotive, economic, and cultural news aimed at keeping our community equipped with knowledge, connected to the industry, and encouraged to keep on moving the needle forward on remaining the best method for meeting consumer mobility needs.

As we cover the stories, we keep our finger on the pulse of retail auto by asking our readers their thoughts, opinions, or predictions regarding today's news and its impact on tomorrow.

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Some big stories:?

• The U.S. waffled through discussions on nationwide EV adoption. They are pushing hard for a quick shift, but most still think it’s aggressively ambitious to the point of being unachievable.
• Ford narrowly avoided another strike at their Kentucky plant.
• Carvana announced same-day deliveries. Sounds great, but do customers actually want that?
• The first hydrogen-powered commuter train in the nation is set to arrive in Southern California later this year. We take a look at what that might mean for the future of hydrogen vehicles.

On Monday , the auto world buzzed with Biden's EV push, Ford's pivot towards China, Mercedes' budget-friendly move, and Scout Motors' chunky buttons as the industry's giants navigate through emissions, affordability, and innovation. ??

Tuesday , we saw the U.S. consider dialing back EV ambitions (that was fast), Ford facing a looming strike, and VW, Xpeng, and Stellantis making strategic moves on the global chessboard. Amidst these shifts, the cobalt market's fluctuation hinted at cheaper EV futures, while Forvia's job cuts raised eyebrows. ??

Then, on Wednesday , Volvo revamped EV model names, Porsche amped up hybrids, Rivian targeted Europe, Toyota grappled with honesty issues, and Kia maintained strong sales. We also take a look at an old offering that Netflix is bringing back around — games. ???

Thursday , Carvana announced same-day deliveries, Toyota bet big on Kentucky for EV production (yet paused on wage talks), and Ford slashed Mach-E prices. Will doorstep deliveries eventually become the norm in car buying? Probably not anytime soon, but it’s another step in offering customers the flexibility to shop where and how they prefer. ??

We asked you:

Will to-the-door delivery will be the norm soon??

???????????? ?? Nope?

???????????? ?? Yes

???????????? ?? Yes, and so will pick-up and drop-off service options?

53% of you said, nope, no way. Most customers still want to visit a dealership and converse with an actual person before making such a large purchase, and we suspect it’ll remain that way for the foreseeable future.

By Friday , we learned that Rivian was tackling challenges with a leaner team yet boosted deliveries, and VinFast set ambitious global sales targets. Mercedes-Benz also recalibrated its electric ambitions and Ford averted a potential strike. We also dug into what’s new in the hydrogen game (lots). ??

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