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Toyota and Sandwich Math

Following an exceptional Q3, Toyota expects its full fiscal year profits to jump 9%. That means for every $100 they made last year, they will have $9 more this year. So, they can almost afford a $5 Footlong from Subway (ain't math confusing sometimes?).

• Hybrids and high-margin vehicles are primary contributors to the increased profits.
• Hybrid sales surged 46%.
• Overall sales increase 11%.
• In the brand's largest market by volume, North America, sales grew 28%.

📈 At the time of writing, Toyota Motor Corp | US is up 8.53% in the market.

Carvana. Next Step: Profit?

Carvana has been quiet lately. Maybe a little…too quiet?

The last 18 months have been a refocusing time for the big glass vending machine company as they prioritize cutting costs over growing.

So far, so good? The company's stock reflects positively through the changes, with the low tide of $5 per share only a distant memory now that the value is $55 per share. So far, they've cut $1.1B in annual expenses. What are they doing to cut costs?

• An AI called "Carli" has made reconditioning and pricing more efficient.
• Cut over 4,000 jobs, saving about $900 per unit.

In Q3, the company grossed about $5,952 per unit, which the CEO hopes to keep increasing with additional changes this year.

📈 At the time of writing, Carvana Co | US is up 6.37% in the market

Spillin’ the Tea with Mazda

Mazda is adopting the T-Standard. Not Earl Grey, Tesla's charging tech.

Starting in 2025, all of the brand's BEVs will come ready to use Tesla's 15K+ superchargers in the US.

No Mazda EVs are for sale in the US yet, but with a record 363K vehicles sold in 2023 and a 450K goal for 2024, the company is planning a lineup expansion to keep up with its "human-centric" values.

The Japanese multinational company says its 2025 CX-70 will be available in hybrid and fully electric models. It should be an interesting little A/B test for what Mazda drivers dig.

📈 At the time of writing, Mazda Motor Corp | US is up 1.63% in the market

Hertz, Polestar, and Volvo

When it rains, it pours. Or, in this instance, "when it rains, it Polestars."

We wrote about VW and Polestar's break-up a few days ago, but now Hertz is giving them the "don't call us, we'll call you” treatment.

• The rental car giant has paused plans to buy 65K EVs from Polestar.
• This follows Hertz's announcement that it would sell off 20K EVs, including Teslas.

Speaking of Volvo, after they announced their parting plans with Polestar, their shares jumped 26%. Apparently, shareholders dig it when you score a strong Q4 and stop paying somebody else's bills.

• Volvo is a 44% stake owner in Polestar
• Greely is a 78.65% stakeholder in Volvo
• Q4 2023 operating income hit $643M, a massive increase from Q4 2022's $370M
• In January, Volvo grabbed a 10% increase in sales with a 40% jump in EV sales in Europe.
• The Brand's EV sales were down in China and the US.

📈 At the time of writing, Hertz Global Holdings INC | US is up 7.86% in the market, Polestar | US is up 8.13%, and Volvo is down 1.37% 📉