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We’ve got that Friday feeling as we roll into the showroom this morning. Today we talk about GMs Cruise driving toward profitability. We also cover one Florida dealership who is crushing the solar game, as well as a new retail report that shows small stores are still shuttering.

GM-backed autonomous vehicle company Cruise is set to enter its rapid growth phase, targeting a revenue goal of $1 billion by 2025.

• • Cruise surpassed 1 million driverless miles as of February as they have been operating more than 300 autonomous vehicles in its three markets: San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin.

  • The focus has now shifted to scaling operations to scale into new cities while preparing for volume production of their autonomous vehicle, the Origin at GM's Factory Zero in Detroit.

  • According to calculations by Sam Abuelsamid, principal research analyst at Guidehouse Insights.Cruise will need 5,500 to 6,000 vehicles operating on a daily basis to achieve its $1 billion revenue target by 2025, That assumes Cruise is operating in 10 cities with 550 to 600 vehicles in each location, he said, and fares of about $2.50 per mile…all which is realistic
    
    
    
• The Dimmitt Chevrolet team in Clearwater, Florida, is pushing the border of innovation as it launched an onsite rooftop solar array that will generate more than 1 GWh of energy annually, which is enough to power 750 homes. 
  • Over 2,000 panels were installed, leveraging tax incentives in a partnership with Energy Services of America
  • The giant solar panel array will offset about 156 tons of CO2 emissions, cover 100% of the store's power needs, and pay for itself in under five years through energy savings.
  • Telling it like it is - Something about cooling your showroom using solar energy is peak science. Using the sun to battle the sun. 🌞 vs. 🌞
    
    
    
• According to a new study by UBS, 50,000 US retail stores are predicted to close due to rising operating costs and increasing e-commerce sales over the next 5 years with specialty retailers, such as clothing and consumer electronics stores being hit the hardest. 
  • Larger chains like Walmart, Costco, and Target are expected to do better because they are better positioned to absorb the impact of rising rent, labor, and other costs
  • They can also benefit from significant investments in fulfilling digital orders in a way that smaller companies can't keep up with
  • The projected closures represent a 5% reduction from the current count of about 940,000 stores across the US.
  • Home improvement and auto parts stores are expected to emerge relatively unscathed from the wave of closures.
  • E-commerce sales are projected to rise to 26% of total retail sales by 2028, up from the current estimated level of 20%.

Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.

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