Generous Ford and Hybrid Pickups, Auto Congress Is Rocking , Old School Goodwill Meets Ecomm

When asked yesterday about the looming UAW strike, Ford CEO, Jim Farley, described the latest contract proposal to UAW as their "most generous offer in 80 years." However, the UAW might strike selected plants if no deal is achieved with Detroit's big three automakers before the looming deadline.

Ford believes its F-150 could soon rank as the top-selling hybrid model, according to Kumar Galhotra, president of Ford Blue. Ford is set to release an updated 2024 F-150, including a new hybrid variant, aiming to quadruple hybrid sales in the next two years with F-150 and Maverick compact pickup as focal points

• Currently, 10% of F-150s sold are hybrids. Ford sold an estimated 25,000-30,000 F-150 hybrids in the first half of this year, while Toyota sold 57,208 RAV4 hybrids in the same period.

As U.S. legislators are pushing for an accelerated transition to EVs, Dealers have been left to bridge consumers' knowledge gaps according to panelists at the 2023 Automotive News Congress Retail Future panel. Our own Damon Lester and other Dealers highlighted key barriers to EV adoption, including range anxiety, affordability, and the challenges of establishing home charging infrastructures.

• Damon Lester, owner of Lester Automotive Group, emphasized the importance of charging infrastructure, stating that everyday use of an EV isn't feasible without it. He remarked, "We urge consumers to ask those types of questions because many are not looking at EV ownership through that lens."
• Lester proposed an expansion of incentives, suggesting, "We are urging some legislators to put a moratorium on the income-based formula for incentives, to make it open again for a certain period of time so that everyone is able to get them."
  

Thrift store shopping has never been more popular, and it’s starting to feel more native to younger generations as GoodwillFinds.com, the online platform launched by Goodwill last year, has expanded its reach to over 500 stores with the addition of four new regional members.

• Many Goodwill regions had previously been selling on external platforms, like eBay. GoodwillFinds offers them a direct relationship with online customers and enhanced analytics
• A report from GlobalData, consumer surveys, and other sources, show 85% of shoppers have bought or sold secondhand items over the last year. 27% of them doing so for the first time.

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