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Who gets paid when the car fixes itself?
Thirty-five of the 997 safety recalls filed in 2025 were remedied over the air, reaching 3.7 million vehicles. When a vehicle repairs itself overnight, the dealership never opens a repair order, and the contracts that decide who gets paid were written for a technician standing in a bay.
Towards the AI-Defined Vehicle: A Framework for Choosing and Scaling an Agentic Use Case
The industry is pivoting toward AI-defined vehicles, but most OEMs must first secure a stable software-defined vehicle foundation. Five reality checks, four production use cases, and a five-step roadmap to a first governed agentic pilot.
How Rolled-In Negative Equity Turns a $680 Payment Into $1,032
Underwater trades, rolled-in balances, and 84-month terms are quietly rebuilding the monthly payment, and the affordability risk now reaches lenders, captives, and dealer groups.
AI: A New Tool for the Automotive Innovator
Fabio Taglioni had a drafting board and a ruler. Today's automotive innovators have AI — and roughly 400 million connected vehicles generating the data it needs. Turning that firehose into services people will pay for is the real work.
Trends in Visual Inspection Technology for Automotive Retailers
Innovations transforming dealership operations and customer experience. AI was everywhere at NADA in Las Vegas, but one area has immediate, direct application to automotive retail: visual inspection.
The Evolution: From Carburetors to Clouds
Thirty years after GM launched OnStar, a stroll down Connected Car Memory Lane: from OBD-I warning lights and the CAN bus to embedded telematics, OBD-II dongles, over-the-air updates, and the software-defined vehicle.
Getting HMI Right for the Autonomous Era How the in-vehicle experience is transforming
As the automotive industry accelerates toward a future defined by autonomy, the importance of Human-Machine Interface (HMI) is coming into sharper focus. Once considered a collection of knobs, buttons, and screens, HMI now stands at the intersection of safety, brand identity,…
The ITS World Congress 2025: Where AI Meets Trust on the Road to Autonomous Mobility
The ITS World Congress 2025 in Atlanta proved once again why it remains the premier stage for charting the future of mobility. Thousands of industry leaders gathered across five days, revealing a profound shift: AI has become the operating foundation of modern transportation…
Powertrain Priorities
Five years ago, EVs were predicted to be the sole future of automotive manufacturing and consumption. Politicians, consultants, pundits, industry experts, and anyone with a stake in the manufacturing process lauded EVs as the surefire next step towards saving the environment…
Tesla’s Sales Crown Taken by China
Tesla and the EV market have been near synonymous since the introduction of the Model S sedan in 2012. Over the last 13 years, Tesla’s grip on the market has seemed near-insurmountable, with a roaring stock price and loyal legions of fans supporting the company’s every move.…
Electric Vehicle Values
One of the biggest questions at the forefront of any car buyer’s mind is the future value of their vehicle. Purchasing is not a complex act. Simply put, the majority of automotive customers want the most perceived “value” for their money that they can possibly get. Value can…
The Case for EV Performance Cars
When people used to think of EVs, what sort of image would come to mind? Perhaps it would be the original Nissan Leaf… an affordable but relatively pedestrian and relaxed commuter car intended for nothing more than a typical daily commute to an office and back. Or maybe…
Tariff Test
New US government administrations are always a time of opportunity and challenge for the auto industry. Shifts in policy and ideology can heavily impact everything from the supply chain to consumer behavior, so as an administration changes from one political side to another,…
CES 2025 – AMA Summary
The start of this month marked the most important event of the year for cutting edge technology, the 57th annual Consumer Electronics Show. From January 7-10, thousands of exhibitors and over 140 thousand attendees from across the world flocked to Las Vegas to see the latest…
Charge Anxiety
Twelve years ago, Tesla Motors released their second all-electric car, the Model S. After decades of experimentation and limited release vehicles (like the short lived GM EV1), an all electric vehicle had finally broken through to the American market as a beautiful car that…
Chinese Electric Vehicles – Charging Up
Traditionally, global car manufacturing has been concentrated in three main regions: the United States, home of Detroit’s eponymous Big Three; Western Europe, from which motorsport originated; and Japan, the creator of modern vehicle reliability. Since the end of the Cold…
Wagon Wheels
For as long as the modern automobile has existed, automakers have innovated new methods for carrying greater amounts of passengers and cargo in increasing comfort and style. Not completely satisfied with the capability of pre-WWI American cars, early aftermarket coach…
MOVE Onwards and Upwards
Last week, the AMA team traveled to Austin, Texas to participate in MOVE America 2024. Taking place at the end of the 3rd Quarter of 2024, MOVE America brings together industry experts, OEMs, and suppliers with the common goal of advancing the future of mobility.
EV’s – Hope or Hype?
It only seems like yesterday when OEMs ranging from VW to Honda released grandiose pledges to eliminate their ICE vehicle lineups and convert to all electric within the next decade or two. Coming out of Tesla’s incredible pandemic-era stock success and sliding into the pole…
An (American) Sports Car Story
The Corvette C8 ZR1: A Cumulation of Eight Decades of American Automotive Passion
EXTRA! Vehicle-to-Grid Expansion Saves Planet!
During certain times of the year California simply produces far more electricity than it has a need for. During the spring months especially, temperatures have not yet reached the sweltering summer highs commonly associated with July and August. With those summer…
AutoTech 2024 - AMA's After Action Report
Last week, the AMA team returned to Novi, Michigan for the second straight year to participate in AutoTech Detroit 2024, where in-cabin monitoring, generative AI and customer personalization dominated the agenda.
US Auto’s EV Moment
In 1972, Detroit’s Big 3 automakers, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, had a combined total of nearly 90% of the American domestic automotive market. Up until that point, US OEMs fought for dominance in all segments of the US market, primarily equipped with massive gas…
Insurance – The Next Generation
In an accident? Pelted by a freak hailstorm? Hit a deer? The universal answer to all of these problems has for over a century been car insurance. The first car insurance policy was taken out by a Dayton, Ohio resident in 1897, covering the owner in case the vehicle damaged…
Auto’s Duty To Data Details
As our world has grown increasingly interconnected over the last three decades, more and more of our time is spent online. Online transactions and interactions all involve the exchange of differing amounts of data, whether it’s credit card information to make an online…
Classic Mobility
The Martin Auto Museum in Phoenix, Arizona houses 177 rare and unique cars dating back to 1886. Members of the AutoMobility Advisors team toured the collection with founder Mel Martin — here are a few of the team’s favorite vehicles.
The Nada way
Every year, dealers and other industry attendees from across the United States converge for a week in February to discuss the latest trends and business opportunities on the dealership side of the automotive industry. This year, the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA)…
CES 2024 – It’s an Auto Show!
This past week marked the 56th annual Consumer Electronics Show and the 100th anniversary of the Consumer Technology Association. From January 9-12, thousands of exhibitors and around 140 thousand attendees from across the world flocked to Las Vegas to see the cutting edge of…
Truck Truck Go!
With the holiday season upon us, millions of Americans look to purchase their next vehicle. As environmental consciousness and government incentives continue to increase, many will decide that their next vehicle will be all electric. However, navigating this growing market…
Sustaining the Auto Industry
Since the Second World War, every decade of American automotive culture has had a defining characteristic. The 1950s were defined by chrome and fins, the 60s by muscle cars, the 70s by the malaise, and so on and so forth. While it is only 2023, a fairly clear pattern has…
The Green Acceleration
Rapid technological advancement is often a symptom of great human need. On a fateful December day in 1903, the Wright Brothers accomplished the first controlled flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft. After almost 5000 years of human civilization, this was the first time that…
Turning EV Dreams Into Reality: Fleet Edition
The 2020s will one day be remembered as the era of mass electric vehicle adoption. Every quarter, the market share for EVs grows, and it feels like every month another OEM is announcing a pledge to go all electric by the end of the decade. As consumers are urged to switch…
Tech Training Transition, Today!
For the first time in history, workers from Detroit’s Big Three automakers have decided to go on strike simultaneously. After failing to reach a new deal by 11:59 pm this past Thursday night, United Auto Workers’ President Shawn Fain directed workers from the largest union in…
Electric – Connected – Predictive
As the automotive industry transitions towards EVs, many important questions have arisen about maintaining these increasingly complex and expensive vehicles. The average cost of a new car is 28% higher than it was pre-pandemic, and as technology continues to advance, it is…
Broken Record
With summer winding down, one theme dominated headlines around the world for the last two months: record heat. Temperatures from California to Greece reached record highs, with hundreds of millions of people locked in a months-long pattern of extreme temperatures with little…
Summertime Classics
This past Father’s Day, two parts of the AMA team had the opportunity to celebrate the occasion by enjoying the Cheekwood Concours d’Elegance in Nashville, Tennessee. Dan, our Advisory Director, and his son Hayden, our Head of Market Research, are lifelong car enthusiasts,…
AMA at Auto Tech: Detroit 2023
Bridging the long gap between CES 2023 and CES 2024, AutoTech Detroit marks a productive halfway point through the year for the automotive industry to showcase their latest advances and outlooks in automotive technology. Attended by nearly 2500 industry professionals, 250…
The Electron Highway
Traveling cross country in an EV was a concept thought impossible 10 years ago. Recently, part of the AutoMobility Advisors team drove from Tennessee to Massachusetts and back, observing charging stations across the Mid-South, Atlantic Coast, and New England regions of the Eastern US.
Waiting for to Go!
Part three of a three part series on the development of EVs and their supporting infrastructure in the United States: how the industry can fill the idle time created by extended EV charging sessions.
The Weakest Link
This is part two of a three part series on the development of EVs and their supporting infrastructure in the United States.
Cars and Copper
This is part one of a three part series on the development of EVs and their supporting infrastructure in the United States: can the US power grid keep up with electric vehicle demand?
An Automobility Start-up from ITALY!
Innovation and technological development in the automotive industry is a global phenomenon. Companies hailing from all over the world create and invent revolutionary products and services, driving the advancement of technology forward at a breakneck pace. Hailing from Rome,…
Infrastructure Implications
On Wednesday, January 25th, US Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced legislation to the senate that would prevent automakers from receiving EV tax credits for vehicles that are unable to meet the new battery and mineral standards outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).…
CES 2023: The Return of Automotive Technology's Most Important Show
2023 was a return to form for the largest trade show of the year. With over 115,000 attendees and 3000 companies on display at the show over four days, it seemed that the years of Covid throttling CES were over.
AutoMobility Advisors Year End Review
Happy New Year and Happy Holidays from the growing AMA Team! 2022 has been a fantastic year for AMA and our clients, with the team doubling in size and our services expanding to new companies looking to scale their automotive businesses.
How the IRA will Charge the EV Market
Signed into law by President Biden on August 16, the Inflation Reduction Act provisions $391 billion for clean energy — and its automotive machinations reach far beyond the $7,500 light-vehicle credit.
The Durability of Automobility: How Automotive Tech Benefits from High-Tech Layoffs
2022 has been a particularly tumultuous year in the global economy. As high tech sheds tens of thousands of jobs, the automotive technology sector has a rare opportunity to hire the talent it has been chasing.
Carpe EV Diem
So many things are now happening within the mobility space, all at the same time, that there seems to be some new momentum for change. It’s now getting much harder to see that we might go anywhere but forward. More electric vehicles have been purchased by more open-minded…
The High Cost of EV Adoption Today
The transformation of the auto industry from internal combustion engines to battery power is accelerating. But the main barrier holding the undecided majority back today is not range or charging — it is simply cost.
The Auto Digital Experience Fight Club
Automakers, Apple, Google and the tech platforms are all swinging for control of the in-car digital experience. The winners will be the ones whose systems are the most open, flexible and easiest to work with.
The Circle of EV Life
Battery electric vehicles are really built just once — 95% or more of their battery materials can be re-used, recycled, and remanufactured. What that closed loop means for automakers, regulators, and recyclers.
There's no business like Show business
A walk through the 2022 New York Auto Show: an entire floor given over to EVs, newcomers like VinFast and Indi EV, and the question of why so many automakers skipped the chance to educate buyers.
Hold onto your EV assets!
Many of the electric vehicles coming to market will be owned by fleets, not individuals. How fleet operators will monitor battery health, insure the pack as a separate asset, and coach EV drivers.
Is Your Knowledge Electric?
More models and more chargers are coming. The missing piece for the early majority of EV buyers is knowledge — and the dealers, salespeople and advertising that can deliver it.
What's the Value of Electric Vehicles?
New vehicle prices are at record highs and EVs cost even more. What drives residual value for an electric vehicle, why battery health matters most, and why EV insurance still costs more.
Not your grandmother's electric vehicle
EVs were just 3% of US new vehicle sales in 2021. Reading the market through Geoffrey Moore's adoption curve, and what automakers must do to help Early Majority buyers cross the chasm.
Written by the team, for people building the industry
The Roadmap is not a marketing list. It is the same short note the AMA team shares with the operators, executives, and investors we work with every week.