Ford Rethinks 2030 (Again), Tesla's 2-way Advantage, Malibu Sunset

Paul J Daly: 0:11

SMM five day countdown is it. Five day countdown is on point. Today we are talking about 40 thinking 2030. Again, Tesla's two way charging advantage and a Malibu sunset though, the people have never seen a Malibu sunset, but this will be our first. This will be my first. Repeat. Have you ever been to Malibu? I haven't know. Very little time in California.

‍Kyle Mountsier: 0:40

Yeah, I mean, I've, I've been up and down the California coast. But never Malibu sunset actually in Malibu, like I was out to LA and San Diego basically is Yeah,

Paul J Daly: 0:55

where is pretty much all I've ever been to as well. I've been an app for compassionate bits couple of times. Oh, yeah. of San Francisco

Kyle Mountsier: 1:01

and north. But most most of the sunsets in California are very similar. They're incredible. Yes, that goes. So.

Paul J Daly: 1:12

Wait a minute. Your sun doesn't set over the ocean. What are you talking about? Because the sun sets in though. I'm wrong. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's backwards. It just takes me a minute. So now we got you there. I'm like I feel like I've seen a sunset on the I've seen sun rises on the ocean. Right. I see sunsets.

Kyle Mountsier: 1:35

If you've been to Tampa, you've seen the sunset on the ocean. Oh, that maybe that's

Paul J Daly: 1:39

confusing. That is we have seen a lot of great Tampa sunsets. Actually. It's true over the years. Over the years without a doubt, man, we are just so buried in details right now. It's hard to think straight. It's but it's good. We're so I feel like we're ready. I mean, obviously all the little details we found out one of our swag shipments is caught up in international customs. It's not a sting. It's just an inspection. But it feels more important that it's a sting. It's not so you know, little stuff like that. It's just going to come up as you get close to events, but all the big pieces are coming in and be those little things. Cream. And again, we're creeping on 500 People already and like tickets still coming in this morning. I log in I see all the tickets be registered. I'm like, Yes. Still filling up. People

Kyle Mountsier: 2:24

come in. Yeah, I think we're pacing close to 500 people being there, which will be just not so fun. Oh,

Paul J Daly: 2:32

yeah. Less Yeah, it's gonna be it's gonna feel full packed, happy. learn things, go back things make relationships with things thank you to our CO sponsoring presenting sponsors Gugu and Reynolds for helping us make a soda con 2024 happen it's all about setting the stage setting the table for an amazing meal. We'll get Dara is going to be there the author of unreasonable hospitality getting so excited my wife has been reading unreasonable hospitality. So every night like in bed, she's got like the book open. She looks like Richie from the bear, you know, like reading unreasonable hospitality. And she just keeps pulling out parallels for family for business for what we do in asoto and it's just really cool to like, infuse that culture into the soda culture and just watch that thing just spin right up. So if you can be in Baltimore, May 14 through 17 it's actually getting 16th Just do it. Just Just do it. Make it happen. Go to ASOTU.com check out everything and before you know it we're just going to be showing you sessions and posts about how it went so be

Kyle Mountsier: 3:32

there don't miss out don't All right, I'm on the late on the late by speaking

Paul J Daly: 3:37

speaking to the late by the way. I never thought I'd be able to use this twice in one week. But earlier the week it was Lincoln, who was rethinking things and now Ford's parent company is pumping the brakes overall in their all electric pledge by the year 2030. In Europe, of all markets adjusting to slower than expected uptake of EVs across the continent and Ford have originally committed in 2021 to sell only EVs by 2030, outpacing all the EU Emissions goals. Now they might extend sales of ice vehicles if demand persists as it is, and the company reports a softer demand for EVs than anticipated prompting a reevaluation to this point Ford has invested 2 billion in converting its cologne France factory for electric vehicle production, with new Evie models set to launch from there soon. In response to the EU, UK they had some very strict ZTE V mandates. They are going to limit ice vehicle sales rather than incur losses on Ford electric sales. So Martin Sander had a Ford's passenger cars business in Europe said we're not going to pay penalties or not. We're just we're not going to sell electric vehicles as huge losses just to buy compliance. So basically, they're they're stepping back to saying we're in Yeah, it's like he's at a loss of money.

Kyle Mountsier: 4:57

Do you want to lose, you know,

Paul J Daly: 4:59

yeah, penalties is not it. Yeah. Penalties is not it is funny. It feels like capitalism is working in Europe. I feel like we have to move on to the next. Consumers or consumers,

Kyle Mountsier: 5:15

we have a sticker that says it won't do what consumers,

Paul J Daly: 5:19

right, you can tell them they have to buy, but at the end, they're like, unless I have to like by law.

Kyle Mountsier: 5:24

What's interesting on this story to me is that it's the Europe based organization that's saying this because EVs have been said to be picking up more quickly in Europe, you know, shorter driving distance, and they aren't. But yeah, a little bit different, like incentives to move that way, clutter charging infrastructure, or infrastructure, you know, so it is like, that's actually more shocking to me than if they came out. And we're like, ah, the US when I'm going to make electric vehicles, you know, for that to be the change in in Europe, you know, is just like, you know, that's overspill on, on what we're already seeing here in the US. So, you know, kudos to Ford for just listening to the customer. We saw GM, do this with Lincoln do this. It's just like the dominoes are falling. And here's, here's what we keep saying. We know alternative fuel vehicles are coming. They are great. For some portions of the population right now. They will be for more later, but demanding the market by regulation is not the way to go. We've seen that over and over. And it's great that we're seeing more manufacturers listen to the consumer. Yeah, kudos.

Paul J Daly: 6:37

There you go. I don't think you can do any better than that. Let's talk about some dominoes falling Tesla is enhancing its competitive edge with a new bi directional charging technology. They're setting the stage for significant advances and positioning itself as an energy business Tesla's introducing bidirectional bidirectional charging with the cybertruck first test the vehicle able to send power both ways. And their whole bidirectional charging ecosystem, like we know like the Ford F 150, lightnings, doing this some other vehicles. But Tesla's ecosystem to do this is substantially substantially cheaper than any other platform by a lot, because they have been developing powerwall technology and things like that for a long time. So basically, they've been showcasing the higher profitability in the energy sector than in their automotive sector meeting, their profit margin profit percentage on their energy business is actually now higher than this automotive business. You know, and they're expecting to boost their stores deployments by at least 75%. This year. They also have what they call an auto bitter, bi DD er platform, where they can sell power from the vehicles back to the grid at peak times to produce a revenue stream or offset charging costs for Tesla owners. You know, it could they're saying this could direct disrupt their powerwall sales was the big battery pack you can have installed in your house powerwall. Because now, maybe I don't need a power wall. If I have a big battery inside this vehicle that can function that same way. A quote from bhiva of 10 Asia CFO Tesla says we're aiming to exploit the significant storage capacity with an expected increase of energy storage deployments by at least 75%. This year, and they're not a car company.

Kyle Mountsier: 8:20

They're definitely not well, they're, I mean, a portion of their business is selling cars the biggest season right now the biggest revenue driver, biggest revenue driver, revenue driver was will shift to data will shift to energy will shift to multi vertical revenue streams, which is something that they have had a strategy from the very beginning, right, like Tesla selling shingle, like roofing shingles to provide energy. Remember that? Still, it's still a part of his business. But that's so bad. I know. It's so cool. But this is an my my only commentary on this is watch Tesla as a business owner, to see how you should be looking at multi vertical approaches to revenue strategies that create optionality when one of those revenue strategies has a deficiency right? And that's what that's what they're doing and they have done for years and years is vehicle sales dip out here we go with another revenue strategy opportunity that doesn't require vehicle sales, right? Data, all of those pieces like as a business ops thing, huge but also, you know, when you when you look at just like selling against this for dealers, your people have to be aware that the value prop of a Tesla is more than just as it get me back and forth to work. And they're leaning in on that value prop so you have to be able to talk to that and against that, whether you're selling them used or whether you're selling against them on the new side. For sure.

Paul J Daly: 9:59

Take stops Fix UPS we've been talking a lot about fix this actually I mean because you can't have a fixed x ops department unless at one point you show you service the Chevy Malibu a lot of those and I used to be a service writer at GM dealership and we saw a Malibu or two we're ending the

Kyle Mountsier: 10:22

show. This is your you go you got this I feel like this is just like I don't know why but I feel like there's already use art because I'm sure you fix so many Chevy Malibu definitely yours.

Paul J Daly: 10:32

Oh boy, Todd Caputo. Let's tell you the story first, though ending the show today with a fond farewell to a vehicle that started off as cool back in the 60s and muscley and then develop the DadBod. To be more utilitarian. There's TM is bidding farewell to the Chevy Malibu after six decades in a shift in its focus to EVs. They're stopping production of the Malibu in November making way for a significant investment to produce the Chevy Bolt, Evie at its Kansas City plant which currently developing the Malibu are producing it. They sold over 10 million Malibu's globally as a couple of vehicles. Wow, it's the end of an era leaving the Corvette get this as the final last gas powered car in Chevy's lineup. Yeah, the third was the Camaro discontinued that Malibu discontinue it Corvette last one standing. How about that? Basically, GM just says they're making room for big investment in the updated Chevy Volt which is going to be released on the Altium platform now, maybe may 9, especially the GM apparently I saw this in our daily email if you don't get it, you should ASOTU.com signup rate happens to be the same day may 9 1969, when GM announced the end of the Corvair Whoa,

Kyle Mountsier: 11:46

what are

Paul J Daly: 11:48

so I don't know. They they're putting them down untied. Kabuto posts a little a little ode to the Malibu on his LinkedIn profile. Talked about affordability and how manufacturers may have missed the mark. But yeah, he Caputo used to let me just tell you, he was the guy who was like 200 to choose from, you know what I mean? Like he bumps every off because

Kyle Mountsier: 12:08

for years and years 11 grand was like the going price of any Chevy Malibu that was three model years or older, right? Like it was just he literally

Paul J Daly: 12:17

erased them all the same to take our $1,100

Kyle Mountsier: 12:22

A month 72 month payment right it was just right up the gut, get a service contract on it and you are good to go. If you have never driven past a lot if you never felt the or felt the understanding of driving past a lot with like a lineup of white purple and red Chevy Malibu's it just seemed like those just always hung out for quite quite some time all lined up perfect on the front line, trying to get out of there. I just remember that like that's established for me. And you know, kind of wild that it's, it's going to be gone.

Paul J Daly: 12:59

I guess but it is. All good things must come to an end. I don't know if this show is good or not to you, but it's coming to an end. We have just a couple more days. Five more days to Soto con check it out of the soda con.com But if not just sign up for the email ASOTU.com trying to take care of you

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