CBT automotive newscast: October 4, 2021

Inside Automotive:

Paragon’s Brian Benstock shares takeaways from recent dealers’ meeting
With tight inventory and quotas to meet, how are sales teams managing? For Paragon Honda and Acura, having a plan with the future in mind is key. On today’s edition of Inside Automotive, we’re pleased to welcome back Brian Benstock, Partner GM and Vice President of Paragon Honda and Paragon Acura to discuss sales as well as his first, in person, dealer meeting happening now. Watch the complete segment here.

Headlines:

Toyota and Mazda joint-venture factory in Alabama, plans to hire 1,700 new employees as it ramps up production. With the 2022 Toyota Corolla cross in the making, they expect to have 4,000 workers in total by 2022. The factory expects to produce 150,000 future Mazdas and 150,000 Toyota crossovers annually. Nissan is also seeing strong demand for production and is promoting career opportunities at its large assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. The company’s website claims, “For the first time in 15 years, Nissan is hiring direct.” Before Nissan relied on temp workers to staff its assembly lines, but with the tight labor market, Nissan is trying new strategies to find workers.

Almost all of General Motors’ U.S. assembly plants will be running next week, including the Lansing Grand River assembly and Lansing Delta Township assembly. Due to the ongoing chip crisis, plants in Ramos, Arizpe, and San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and Ingersoll, Ontario will remain idle. Cox Automotive predicts that GM’s sales volume will drop 29% to 471,098 vehicles in the quarter, falling more than 100,000 vehicles behind Toyota.

A brand new future of self-driving commercial service is closer to actuality. Waymo and Cruise received permits to charge money and receive compensation from operating an autonomous vehicle. They restrict the companies to operating in designated portions of the bay area. Using AVs for paid commercial passenger service requires further authorization from the California Public Utilities Commission. Both companies have tested robotaxis in the state for years.

A new study has found that ride-hailing services could be making the quantity of pollution worse, weakening public transportation. Researches at Carnegie Mellon University, stated because vehicles cause extra pollution throughout “cold starts”, and ride-hailing cars are likely newer, the swapping could stimulate a 50 to 60% decline in emissions. The downside is ride-hailing vehicles create almost a 20% increase in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions due to “deadheading”. Researchers stated, “That’s particularly concerning because it negatively impacts the most vulnerable and disempowered in society.”

Honda is the latest automaker to reveal its plans to build a small personal aircraft powered by batteries. The goal of the EVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft is to make it easier and quicker to get from one city to another. The automaker also plans to build robots to allow humans to partake in experiences without actually being there. The first full-on demonstration is expected for march 31, 2024, with the use of the robots not being put into service until after 2030.

News & Opinion:

General Motors five years ahead of schedule for 100% renewable energy
On Thursday, September 30, General Motors issued a press release to announce the carmaker plans to acquire 100% of its power from renewable energy sources by 2025. This announcement puts GM five years ahead of their own schedule that was originally set just five years ago. With the accelerated goal, General Motors can eliminate the production of an additional 1 million metric tons that might’ve been created between 2025 and 2030 when their initial goal was planned to be achieved. Read more

Using better marketing to attract better talent
Countless articles and news stories focus on the lack of workers for many businesses today. Some blame the pandemic, some blame government assistance, or that people have decided to change careers. Regardless of the reason, this can be a struggle for many companies, especially automotive dealerships. Lack of quality candidates for sales, service, or management. So this poses the question: What could a dealership do to attract the right talent for their business? Before creating a job posting or a help wanted ad, business leaders must first look internally to answer a few questions. Read more