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As we roll into a new week, we’ve got some fun insights from Business Insider about the United State of Automobiles. Plus, we talk about how negative equity is growing year over year and an innovative Sam’s Club concept that eliminates any type of checkout lane.

Announcement

• ASOTU Edge Webinar on October 23 at 2Pm with Amol Washampayan of fullthrottle.ai - Find Your Shoppers Using Free TV
• More Than Cars Episode 4 Releases on November 13th
• Rohrman MTC shoot Oct 28-30 - ATAE Comms Nov 6-7 -MRC Nov 16-17 - CMA MTC Shoot Nov 18-20

Show Notes with links:

• America’s love affair with cars is undeniable, shaping not just the roads but the culture, economy, and even identity of its people. Business Insider dives deep into this obsession by analyzing 1.7 million listings on CarGurus to reveal surprising trends.
  • America has the most cars per capita, and it defines much of our culture.
  • Data shows that car choices reflect identity, financial status, and even political leanings.
  • For instance: The top five most Democratic vehicles are the Toyota Prius, Audi A4, Kia EV6, Acura TL, and Jeep Commander. Meanwhile, the top five most Republican vehicles are the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Gladiator, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford F-150, and Honda Odyssey.
  • The Business Insider series also covers how car color has changed over the years with over 80% of cars now being black, white or gray and what are the most popular makes and models in different regions, 

• A recent analysis by Edmunds reveals a sharp increase in negative equity among U.S. car buyers, with more people finding themselves upside down on their car loans than ever before.
  • In Q3 2024, 24.2% of all vehicle trade-ins had negative equity, up from 18.5% of Q3 2023, with the average owed amount of $6,458 up from $5,808 in Q3 2023.
  • Over 22% of consumers with negative equity are underwater by more than $10,000, with 7.5% owing $15,000 or more.
  • The problem spans all vehicle types, with midsize SUVs (19.5%), compact SUVs (17.3%), and large trucks (10.3%) making up the largest share of trade-ins with negative equity.
  • "It's easy to assume that only specific consumers trading in higher-ticket luxury vehicles are the ones underwater on their car loans, but the reality is that this is a problem across the board," said Ivan Drury, Edmunds' director of insights.

• Sam’s Club is introducing a groundbreaking, all-digital shopp

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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