David Thomas on LinkedIn: F&I wait times improving while total time to buy a car lags (2024)

Building in Illinois made more sense even before this news. I had been thinking that it would be better to be in one location so they could flex between lines based on demand. I'm very unsure about the timeline though. Two years is a long time for new product. Otherwise, the package and price of the R2 looks perfect. A lot of people will be crossing fingers I think...

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Just going to point out it's been 5 days since I posted this and I have seen zero stories about how cars are now more affordable.

Can you put muscle into an EV?Since Tesla put Ferrari speed into a sub-$100K sedan, there has been no doubt that electrified platforms are faster than gas. They just are.There’s a Kia hatchback that hits 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. I always questioned why we needed a Ferrari-fast Kia hatchback but that is beside the point.So now that Dodge has unveiled its 3.3 second Daytona Scat Pack (clearly a Hellcat will be coming that’s even faster) who is left to be excited about a fast EV? The Challenger returned 15 years ago as a throwback. It wasn’t what anybody needed, they wanted it because it harkened back to a time of nostalgia and combustion excess. Does an electric powertrain translate in the same way?I’m not trying to pick on Dodge, I’m sure the Daytona will be very fast and very fun to make go fast. But as we look to electrify everything, I always thought we’d be looking to the future not 50 years ago.Shouldn't that be Blade Runner instead of Dazed and Confused?

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I assume since the average transaction price dropped nearly $2K in February mainstream media will start talking about how much more affordable cars are now? This is sarcasm because that's a bad measure of affordability but most headline writers don't care.

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The Apple EV didn't really make sense. But I wonder...After all that time and money and some of those shots of a full co*ckpit of Apple CarPlay...Has Apple created a terrific automotive UI as part of this project that could be licensed to OEMs similarly to Google's? OEMs sometimes do a great job with their infotainment but I think most agree, Apple CarPlay is generally superior and better liked by consumers.

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Tracking these numbers every month for nearly two years it is really interesting to see how they're improving in today's climate. Almost every metric we track was up in February and that simple question, "was it easy to buy your car?" was a yes from nearly nine out of ten buyers.

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In nearly every comment I make about Chinese automakers coming to the U.S. I mention "if there's not government intervention." Well, looks like that intervention is coming. The difference between the U.S. and many other countries that allow Chinese brands, like Australia, is that we have a robust national automotive industry that would be directly impacted. This story even calls it "extinction." I think that's a bit strong but it would certainly do quite a bit of damage.

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I was able to share some thoughts on the current car market with Rebecca Betterton from BankRate and they're featured in this thorough explainer piece. I'd say in the week or so since, the market looks even more favorable to buyers.

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This is a terrific, terrific look deep into GM's progress with EVs. The detail around how the Ultium pack is made is all-new to me at least. And reliving all those production estimates over the years is something else. We'll see if they hit 200K this year...

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