Workers Winning, Dirty Come Clean, Is Google Apple’s Sugar Daddy

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It’s an amazing Tuesday to be in the car business as we talk about some favorable effects from the UAW strike for workers at other OEMs. We also cover Exxon’s transition into lithium production, as well as a little slip from a Google employee during the trial. 

We’re starting today with two labor related stories…

• The first is Stellantis has announced voluntary buyout packages for 6,400 U.S. salaried employees, citing challenging market conditions. This move aligns with the company's transition to EVs and its Dare Forward 2030 strategy 
  • In a statement the company said: "As we prepare for the transition to electric vehicles, Stellantis announced today that it will offer a voluntary separation package to assist those non-represented employees who would like to separate or retire from the company to pursue other interests with a favorable package of benefits," 
  • The decision coincides with UAW members voting on a labor agreement that includes double-digit raises and $19 billion in manufacturing investments.
• Hyundai Motor has announced a 25% wage increase for nonunion production workers at its Alabama factory by 2028, following similar moves by Toyota and Honda.
  • Honda also recently announced an 11% pay hike for U.S. production workers, influenced by UAW negotiations.

Exxon is aiming to be a leading producer of lithium production by the year 2030 as they announced their plan to start lithium production in the U.S. by 2027, and producing batteries for one million EVs annually

• Exxon aims to produce lithium from briny waters in Arkansas, using conventional drilling and direct lithium extraction technology.
• "In the long term, lithium really is a global opportunity," said Dan Ammann, president of Exxon's Low Carbon business unit. "We are starting here because there is an urgent need to ramp up domestic production of these critical materials."
• Fun fact: Exxon actually invented the rechargeable lithium-ion battery in the 70s yet has no plans to invest in EV charging stations like its rivals BP and Shell. 

Just when you thought Apple and Google were just good friends, it was revealed in Google’s antitrust trial that they pay 36% of all ad revenue from Safari to Apple. 

• This figure was revealed in Google's antitrust trial, where it was disclosed that Google spent $26.3 billion in 2021 to be Safari's default search engine, with $18 billion going to Apple.
• According to Bloomberg, Google lawyer John Schmidtlein “visibly cringed when Murphy said the number.”

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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