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Episode #1025: We cover Nissan’s plan to hold vehicle prices through early June and increase U.S. production in response to tariffs. Plus we examine Tesla’s strategic repositioning of the Cybertruck and how cybercriminals are creating a realistic-looking phishing campaign using Google’s own tools.

Show Notes with links:

• Nissan is staying steady on pricing through June 2 and looking to its underused U.S. factories to soften the blow of auto tariffs. The strategy focuses on affordability and domestic production leverage.
  • Nissan has a 3-month supply of tariff-free vehicles and won’t raise prices yet.
  • The company plans to boost output at Smyrna, TN and Canton, MS plants, all of which operated at half their capacity in 2024.
  • Rogue production will jump by 54% over the next year, adding 60,000 units, while price cuts of $1K on 2025 Rogue and Pathfinder aim to drive demand.
  • Nissan is incentivizing retailers with its April and May dealer volume bonus program, which pays extra cash to stores that meet sales targets.
  • “We count all the cars [toward the sales target], but we only pay on the U.S.-made cars because we want to give [them a] tailwind,” said Nissan Americas Chair Christian Meunier

• Tesla is quietly shifting the Cybertruck's identity from status symbol to workhorse after early hype faded, trucks stockpiled, and political ties turned divisive. The new approach aims to resonate with a more traditional truck-buying audience.
  • Cybertruck deliveries remain under 50,000; demand has sharply declined with sales dropping 50% in Q1.
  • Tesla updated the product page with rugged, utilitarian imagery, aligning with Ford’s F-150 ads.
  • Sales teams report it’s harder to sell the truck to actual truck buyers; its novelty isn’t enough.
  • "They need to advertise durability. It needs to be used and abused, and all of the capabilities that make it a work truck need to be on full display," said Edmunds' Ivan Drury.

• Cybercriminals are exploiting Google’s own “Sites” app to run a phishing campaign that convincingly mimics law enforcement subpoenas and bypasses email authentication safeguards.
  • Emails appear from “[email protected]” and claim law enforcement access to your account.
  • Attackers use Google Sites to create convincing portals that evade DKIM checks.
  • DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) authentication is passed since the emails originate from Google’s own infrastructure.
  • Google has acknowledged the issue and is deploying mitigations while encouraging 2FA and passkeys.

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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