Episode #1396: California revives EV rebates after the federal tax credit disappears, Toyota leads an effort to standardize parts across Japan's auto industry, and Missouri dealer Eric Gentry returns to where his career began as he launches his own dealership group.

Show Notes with links:

• California is putting its own money, plus apparently some OEMs’, behind EV adoption. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $270 million rebate program aimed at first-time buyers, reviving state incentives as federal support retreats and EV sales growth continues to cool.

  • First-time buyers can receive $3,500 toward a new EV, while used-EV buyers can qualify for $1,750.

  • Eligibility is limited to new vehicles priced at $50,000 or less and used EVs priced at $25,000 or less, keeping the focus on more affordable models.

  • The program is being funded by California and several still-unnamed automakers, with participating brands expected to be disclosed next month.

  • California is also fighting federal EV policy rollbacks through lawsuits and a regulatory “backstop” designed to preserve stricter emissions standards.

  • “Donald Trump is doing everything in his power to pollute our air and surrender the clean car industry to China on a silver platter. California is putting its foot on the accelerator,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.

• Facing fierce competition from China and mounting technology costs, Toyota Chairman Koji Sato is leading an unprecedented push for Japan’s automakers to cooperate on standardized parts. The idea: compete on software and innovation—not steel grades and wire harnesses.

  • Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki are exploring shared standards for commodity parts like steel, plastics, and wire harnesses to cut costs and boost efficiency.

  • Sato says standardizing wire harnesses alone could increase supplier productivity by more than 10x, freeing up resources for EVs, software, batteries, and advanced manufacturing.

  • The effort comes as Japanese automakers face growing pressure from Chinese competitors, who are winning market share with faster development cycles and lower costs.

  • The first "Japan standard" components could arrive within the next year or two, though analysts question whether seven competing OEMs can truly align on common specifications.

  • "Unless things change, we will not survive," said Toyota Chairman Koji Sato.

• After buying out his longtime business partner Troy Duhon earlier this year, Missouri dealer Eric Gentry has purchased a second Chevrolet-Buick-GMC store, the same dealership where he started selling cars in 1994. Now he's building a dealer group with a hometown approach and a focus on fixed ops.

  • Gentry acquired the former Hulett Chevrolet Buick GMC dealership in Camdenton, Missouri, giving him two stores as he begins building an independent dealership group.

  • His path to ownership included literally "betting the farm"—his aunt used her farm as collateral so he could invest in a Ford dealership partnership back in 2014.

  • Gentry plans to invest heavily in service, adding lifts, upgrading technology, and even installing air conditioning in the shop to help recruit and retain technicians.

  • He's also bringing marketing in-house, using GM's digital advertising tools with help from his daughter, while focusing on faster used-car inventory turns between his two stores.

  • "I spent a lot of money a few weeks ago to go back to working 12 to 14 hours a day... I thought I was kind of done with that, but I'm loving it," said Eric Gentry.