Dealer Profits Stable, Fleet EV Transition, and Apple’s Beta

The Automotive Troublemaker w/ Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

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Happy Thursday! Today Paul’s back and we cover stabilizing dealer profits, GM & Ford helping Fleet customers transition to the EV lifecycle, and Apple’s newest beta features available now.

Show Notes with links:

• New data from the Presidio-NCM benchmark shows the sharp drop in dealership profits may be stabilizing after a tough year.
  • Average dealership pretax profits dropped 30.4% in 2024, but this is an improvement from earlier declines.
  • Used-vehicle margins showed improvement, while new-vehicle margins continued to shrink.
  • Fixed-operations performance helped offset declining overall profitability.
  • George Karolis of Presidio Group notes, "The improvement... is the strongest indicator yet that retail automotive’s profit tumble could end up stabilizing."

• GM and Ford are rolling out new tools to help fleet operators make a smooth transition to electric vehicles, addressing concerns about cost, charging, and business impact.
  • GM’s “EV Starter Kit” helps identify EV-suitable drivers and routes, offering home charging solutions.
  • Ford’s “E-Switch Assist” analyzes vehicle usage to suggest which can be replaced by EVs.
  • Ford’s tool has analyzed over 38,000 vehicles, finding 53% suitable for EV replacement.
  • GM provides telematics and OnStar analytics to support businesses with cost comparisons.
  • “Our solutions are aimed at making this transition easier and potentially reducing the total cost of ownership,” said Nate McDonald, Ford Pro’s EV brand manager.

• Apple's iOS 18.2 developer beta introduces advanced AI tools and enhanced integration with ChatGPT, expanding the capabilities of Apple’s ecosystem.
  • Developers can now access tools like Genmoji and Image Playground for image and emoji generation.
  • Visual Intelligence allows users to search using their camera on iPhone 16 models.
  • AI-powered writing features and expanded regional support are part of this release.
  • ChatGPT integration is set to enhance user interactions on Apple devices.
  • Apple Intelligence will continue rolling out in stages, with Siri’s screen-aware actions yet to arrive.

Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier
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