Moment of Silence, UAW Sentiment Tracker, Ford Loves Apple, Toyota Dealers Love Toyota
- Author
- More Than Cars Media Network
- Published
- Mon 11 Sep 2023
- Episode Link
- None
We’re starting Monday off right as we remember the heroes that made us stronger. We also bring some updates on the UAW negotiations, Toyota’s annual dealer meeting, as well as Ford getting cozier with Apple.
- UAW Strike SENTIMENT TRACKER… Last week “Insulting” was the word UAW President Shawn Fain used to describe the offer that GM slid across the table at 16%. On Friday we ticked down a notch to “deeply inadequate” as Fain addressed the Stellantis offer of 14.5%.
- This comes as the September 14th contract deadline is only days away and negotiations seem to be in full swing across all of Detroit's Big 3
- Stellantis announced they'll provide employees with $10,500 bonuses tied to inflation, with $6,000 distributed in the deal's first year.
- Regarding the cost of living increases (COLA): Fain quipped, ““That’s not COLA; that’s not even diet COLA,” Fain quipped. “That’s Coke Zero.”
- Over 1,200 enthusiastic Dealer attendees are gearing up for the Toyota National Dealer Meeting this week in Las Vegas from Sept. 12-14. This annual event promises excitement, especially with Toyota celebrating its best retail sales month in nearly two years and the recent launch of the Tacoma and Land Cruiser vehicles.
- Toyota has been slower than other OEMs in its approach to EVs, and David Christ, the group VP and GM said, “I think the general feedback from our dealers on our approach to electrification has been extremely positive. I feel that they like the approach. Most dealers (are multi-franchise) and dealers have communicated to us that they like the ability at Toyota to give their customers choices. They like the direction our powertrains are going as far as (fuel) economy, horsepower, torque and the drivability aspects. And, honestly, they are telling us to keep going with our approach.”
- The meeting also marks the one-year anniversary of the introduction of the company's SmartPath tool. Toyota designed the platform to bridge the gap between online and in-person shopping, attempting to offer customers a seamless transition from digital browsing to the dealership experience, and highlighting Toyota's commitment to modernizing the car-buying journey.
- As GM gets ready to pluck Apple from their EV lineup, Ford is taking a bigger bite as they announce that the F-150 Lightning will integrate Apple Maps EV routing by year's end.
- Apple Maps EV routing offers detailed navigation based on the car's charge, including charging stops, estimated charge upon arrival, and rerouting to the nearest station if charge gets too low.
- The advanced navigation feature will optimize routes based on vehicle charge, with a Q4 2023 rollout anticipated.
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