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Episode #1290: Guest host Jamie Butters joins as we cover New-vehicle inventory hits 3 million units but slower sales are aging the lot. Honda begins importing cars from four countries. And a startup will pay you $800 to spend a day bullying AI chatbots.

U.S. new-vehicle inventory climbed to 3.02 million units in February—a 75-day supply heading into spring—but a slower selling rate is doing more work than the numbers suggest.

• Total inventory is nearly identical to a year ago, but days' supply jumped 10 days year-over-year as vehicles are simply taking longer to move off lots.
• Mid-range vehicles ($30K–$50K) are sitting an average of 73 days; luxury units above $80K are aging even slower at 80 days on lot.
• EV supply dropped sharply to 109 days from 132 the prior month; hybrids fell to 61 days; and ICE vehicles came in at 75 days—all trending in the right direction.
• Sedans remain the leanest segment at 60 days, while pickups and SUVs are hovering around 75–76 days.
• Toyota continues to run the tightest ship in the industry at just 27 days' supply—the only major automaker under 40 days.

Honda has a brand problem in Japan—and its solution is becoming one of the country's biggest auto importers, shipping in vehicles from the U.S., China, Thailand, and India to win back buyers it lost chasing minicars.

• Honda went all-in on domestic minicars like the N-Box, which became Japan's top-selling minicar—but left buyers wanting larger Honda nameplates like the Accord, Odyssey, and CR-V that the company had quietly stopped making at home.
• To course correct, Honda is importing four new nameplates this year: the Acura Integra Type S and Honda Passport from the U.S., a new electric Insight from China, and the CR-V from Thailand.
• The U.S.-built models will ship in left-hand drive despite Japan's right-hand-drive norm, limiting their volume—but the move is more about brand signal than scale.
• Honda is now Japan's third-largest importer behind only Mercedes-Benz and Suzuki—a stunning reversal for a brand that imported just 39 vehicles into Japan as recently as 2015.

A startup is paying $800 to hire a Professional AI Bully — no tech skills required, just a long memory for every time an AI forgot yours.

• The gig pays $100/hour for an 8-hour shift spent stress-testing the memory of popular AI chatbots — asking them to remember things, seeing what they forget, and documenting the frustration.
• The company behind it, Memvid, builds AI memory tools and says the stunt is designed to make a real problem visible: "People constantly have to repeat themselves to chatbots."
• No degree, no experience, no special skills needed — just an "extensive personal history of being let down by technology" and enough patience to ask the same question twice.

Today’s show is brought to you by iPacket Value. From accurate MS

Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.

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