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It’s a fresh week and we’re talking about the UAW’s landmark unionization victory at Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant. We also cover Dealer response and legal threats over new sales models from Scout and Sony Honda Mobility as well as Tesla's swift response to a safety recall with a riveting fix.

In a historic win for the UAW, employees at Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant in Tennessee voted decisively to unionize, marking the UAW's first significant success in the South.

• • After two prior attempts, the UAW succeeded with 2,628 votes for and 985 against, setting a new course for worker representation in Southern automotive plants.
  • This victory at Chattanooga, previously the only VW plant globally without union representation, may signal a broader shift in the U.S. auto industry.
  • UAW President Shawn Fain celebrated the win, noting its potential to catalyze further unionization across the region: "Once you see the first domino fall, you're going to see a lot more follow."

As Scout and Sony Honda Mobility venture into the U.S. market with plans to potentially bypass traditional dealership networks, dealer associations are gearing up for a possible legal confrontation.

• State dealer associations are advocating for Scout and Sony Honda Mobility to adhere to the traditional franchised dealer model, citing legal and regulatory concerns with direct sales models
• The dealer groups have voiced their readiness to challenge these plans legally, emphasizing the advantages of the franchise model in a nationwide advertising campaign which included taking out a full page ad in Automotive News
• Geoffrey Pohanka, hinted that the absence of a clear commitment to using dealerships might suggest a move towards direct sales, stating, "Silence speaks."
• John Devlin, the 2024 chairman and CEO of the Pennsylvania Automotive Association, expressed strong sentiments about the situation: "After two years of asking and getting nothing, frustration is very high." He also added, "We think this is going down the wrong road. I hope that there's good news at the end of this, but we wanted to proactively get out ahead of it."

Tesla has responded swiftly to a significant safety concern with the Cybertruck's accelerator pedal by introducing a rivet-based solution to prevent the pedal pad from slipping off.

• Tesla temporarily stopped Cybertruck deliveries and issued a recall after discovering that the pedal pad could detach and become lodged, causing the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably.
• The repair involves a fast but precise procedure where Tesla technicians drill a hole and install a rivet to secure the pedal pad, ensuring it stays in place.
• Total materials, less than $1.  Total time, less than  1 minute.
• The fix, demonstrated at Tesla's "Cyber Takeover" event in California, is touted as a quick "35-second recall fix," though initial setup involves critical measurements and checks.

Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

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