GUEST Matt Lasher: Dealers To the Rescue, Powered By Pickups, Cox’s Crystal Ball

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We’re on the final approach for 2022 and talking about how the auto industry has helped communities weather the recent (literal) storms. We also review Cox’s top 10 prediction list for 2023

• Let’s talk about Buffalo NY for a moment. In case you missed it, it's been cold outside. Like, really, really cold. A 27-hour power outage at the Vive Shelter in Buffalo, NY, was resolved by our friends at West Herr Auto Group and a payloader they found. They used the sizable tractor-type machine and succeeded where pickups and other 4-wheel drives failed. They dragged generators and fuel for 4 hours through 15 miles of blizzard to get power back to the shelter.
  
  By Monday, main power was restored for the shelter's 150 residents and additional families who found refuge in the building during the worst of the storm.

• A Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck owner was able to power his home in Ontario, Canada for 44 hours during a winter storm that left thousands without electricity…and still had 65% of battery left over
  • RapsFanLJ posted a picture of his EV pickup on Reddit, saying, “this baby saved us.” as he used the Pro Power Onboard system to power lights, a refrigerator, wifi, TV, and other items for almost 2 days until power was restored
  • The truck has 11 outlets and one 240v port in the back
  • Kumar Galhotra, president of Ford Blue, explains: We’re not here to make an electric truck for the few – Ford is committed to building one that solves real problems for real people.
    • provides full-home power for up to three days or as long as ten days,” depending on energy usage.
      
      
• COX Automotives Top 10 predictions for 2023 are out
  • 1. A slow-growing economy will place pressure on the automotive market.
  • 2. New-vehicle inventory levels will continue to increase.
  • 3. Total retail vehicle sales will fall in 2023 as new-vehicle sales grow and used sales decline.
  • 4. Sales of electric vehicles in the U.S. will surpass 1 million units for the first time.
  • 5. Used-vehicle values will see above-normal depreciation for a second straight year.
  • 6. Vehicle affordability will be the greatest challenge facing vehicle buyers.
  • 7. All-cash deals will increase to levels not seen in decades.
  • 8. Dealership service operations volume and revenue climb.
  • 9. Half of vehicle buyers will engage with digital retailing tools.
  • 10. Federal incentives will encourage more fleet buyers to consider electrified solutions.
    
    
  • Jonathan Smoke gave his team a B-minus for their predictions from the previous year. One missed prediction was that lease demand woul

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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