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Today, Paul and Kyle are coming to you live on location from Paul’s office! We’re talking about how Group 1 grew in 2024 through $1.3B in acquisitions, a new face on the top 5 best-selling EVs and how grassroots is trying to take Tesla down.

Show Notes with links:

• Group 1 Automotive made waves in 2024, dropping $1.3 billion to acquire 68 dealerships across the U.S. and U.K. The move adds $3.9 billion in annual revenue and solidifies the company's aggressive expansion strategy.
• The acquisitions spanned six major deals from Southern California to London.
• Major brands acquired include Lexus, Honda, Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, Porsche, Land Rover, and Audi.
• A key purchase was the $517 million acquisition of Inchcape’s 54 U.K. stores, adding $2.7 billion in revenue.
• The company also sold off select U.S. dealerships, including a Buick-GMC store in Massachusetts and a Subaru dealership in New York.
• CEO Daryl Kenningham: “Our ability to acquire outstanding brands in desirable markets is because we perform well on the OEM eligibility metrics.”

• After a rocky 2024, the Volkswagen ID.4 is making a triumphant comeback. Following production halts due to a recall, sales of the electric SUV are now skyrocketing, making it the third best-selling EV in the U.S. last month.
  • VW sold 4,979 ID.4s in January 2025, marking a 653% increase from the previous year.
  • The ID.4 now ranks #3 in U.S. EV sales, trailing only the Tesla Model Y and Model 3.
  • The top five best-selling EVs—Tesla Model Y, Tesla Model 3, VW ID.4, Tesla Cybertruck, and Honda Prologue—accounted for 54% of total EV sales.
  • Over 102,200 EVs were sold in the U.S. in January, up 30% year-over-year.
  • VW is offering aggressive discounts on 2024 models, with leases as low as $189/month.

• Tesla showrooms across the U.S. are becoming flashpoints for protests as demonstrators rally against Elon Musk’s actions. The #TeslaTakedown movement has gained traction, with over 65 events scheduled through March.
  • Protesters in New York’s Meatpacking District hurled insults at passing Teslas, calling them “uncool” and “major loser” cars.
  • The movement took off on Bluesky, a social media competitor to Musk’s X, and has since gone viral.
  • Demonstrations started in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, California, and Colorado, but have now spread internationally.
  • The protests lack a central leader but have been amplified by legislative advocacy groups like Indivisible and Rise and Resist.

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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