EU opposes Inflation Reduction Act, VinFast ships first EVs to U.S., Ford Bronco recall

Inside Automotive:

Trade associations warn Ford is undermining the franchise system
Many dealers feel that the franchise system is under attack following the announcement of Ford’s aggressive new EV policy. The policy will require substantial investments from its franchised retailers and lists additional requirements that some feel could be especially oppressive to rural businesses. The Southern Automotive Trade Association Executives (SATAE) sent a resolution letter containing their concerns to the automaker following its decision. Today on Inside Automotive, anchor Jim Fitzpatrick sits down with a panel of the SATAE’s members to discuss what this could mean for dealers and what they hope the letter will accomplish. Watch the complete segment here.

Headlines:

The Inflation Reduction Act, which is set to go into effect this January, might make America a global leader in the electric vehicle market at the expense of Europe, the European Union argues. According to the EU, the new law violates World Trade Organization regulations and could harm the EU’s industrial foundation. As a result, the organization is seeking an exemption for EU items. Through a joint task force, the EU and the U.S. aim to reach a solution by their next meeting on December 5. Read More

VinFast, a Vietnamese manufacturer of electric vehicles, announced it has sent 999 VF 8 vehicles to the United States. The company stated the first automobiles should be delivered to consumers by the end of December, according to Reuters. Some of the VF 8 electric SUVs transported last Friday are set to go to the American car subscription service Autonomy, according to VinFast Chief Executive Le Thi Thu Thuy. The rest will go to retail customers who have ordered the vehicle. Read More

In a report released last week, nonprofit group Media Matters for America found that since Elon Musk gained control of Twitter, 50% of the platform’s top 100 advertisers appear to have stopped their ad efforts on the social media site. According to the report, Chevrolet, Ford, and Jeep are among the automakers who have either made a statement or publicly announced that they are ceasing their online advertising. As of November 21, 2022, these companies had generated over 750 million dollars in advertising revenue for Twitter. Read More

Ford announced last week it is recalling 634,000 Bronco sport and Escape vehicles with three-cylinder, 1.5-liter engines from the 2020-2023 model years due to damaged fuel injectors that might start a fire. Despite the recall, Ford is not advising owners to cease driving the vehicles or parking them outside. So far, there have been 20 reports of fire. Read More

News & Opinion

Opinion: Is Elon Musk still fit to run Tesla?
It’s hard to look at the news lately without Elon Musk being at the front and center of things. His recent $44 billion acquisition of Twitter and the resulting turmoil have been feeding the headlines for a month. But there’s much more at stake than just his social media giant; Musk leads other multi-billion enterprises, Tesla and SpaceX. Which makes his oversight of The Boring Company and Neuralink seem like hobbies. In other words, Musk has a lot on his plate, which leads to the logical question of whether he’s still capable of leading Tesla. Read More

7 tips to improve your auto dealership’s email marketing strategy
Like most auto dealerships, you’re always looking for ways to improve your email marketing strategy. After all, email is one of the most cost-effective and results-oriented marketing tools available today. The first step to successful email marketing is ensuring your list is clean and up to date. That means removing inactive subscribers and ensuring that your list’s contact information is accurate and not affecting your delivery rate. Read More

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