Lithia Records a Record, A Rural Dealer Group is 1st in GM EV Charger Program Rollout, Zoom Calls On Airplanes

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We’re closing out the week of regular programming as we talk about Lithia’s record Q3 numbers with a twist. We also talk about a Wisconsin Dealer Group who is the first to execute on a widespread GM EV Charger program, as well as the new Starlink internet service on commercial airplanes coming soon. 

• Lithia Motors hit a Q3 record as their net income increased by 6.9% to just over $330m and total revenue jumped 18% to $7.3B as reported in their quarterly earnings call
  • Both new and used sales were up 4.3 and 6.4% respectively
  • They continued to buy and sell throughout the quarter, returning to the Wisconsin market in july 
  • Purchased 5 Airstream dealerships in the Pacific Northwest in October
  • Avg new car sale $47,416 w $5789 gross (up 11%)
  • Avg used sale $30,361 w $2478 gross (down 19%)
  • Same store sales total units down 6.4%
  • CEO Brian DeBoer said "Our teams are focused on improving operating leverage as fundamentals normalize across our industry," 
• GM’s Dealer Community Charging Program which was announced last year has installed their first 2, level 2 EV chargers  
  • Wheelers Family Auto Group in Marshfield, Wisconsin, are the first to install the 2 chargers  
  • Owner Mary Jo Wheeler-Schueller said “This is the first one in North America. To offer this will put Marshfield on the map. This is a great stop for people commuting from other areas to stop and check out our community and what Marshfield has to offer.
  • Co-owner, Daniel Wheeler, added that “there are not a lot of chargers” in Central Wisconsin and there are “ton of people” commuting north. 
  • The Dealer Group has purchased 5 chargers total through the program for $4,447 each, or $22,245 total.
  • The GM program plans to install up to 40,000 Level 2 chargers across North America as GM notes that 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a GM Dealer
• Starlink, Elon Musks’ satellite internet service provider announced that the high speed service is coming to commercial aviation starting in 2023 offering service as fast as 350mbps per plane
  • From the starlink site: Starlink can deliver up to 350 Mbps to each plane, enabling all passengers to access streaming-capable internet at the same time. With latency as low as 20 ms, passengers can engage in activities previously not functional in flight, including video calls, online gaming, virtual private networks and other high data rate activities.
  • Currently, the very best speeds on planes top out at 100mbps
  • Other features from the site include a low profile design, easy installation, and a full hardware warranty as long as there is a monthly subscription
  • One time hardware cost of $150k, monthly subscription from 12,500-25k / mo
  • You can reserve right on the site

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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