EV Dreams, Climate Nightmares: Nissan Retreats, Cadillac Rises, Ford Gambles

The automotive landscape is changing underneath us, and this week's show explores three transformative stories that are reshaping how we view transportation and climate change.

I begin with my heartfelt lament for Nissan's decision to discontinue the Ariya EV—a vehicle I found truly impressive during my test drive. While Nissan cites import tariffs and declining sales as reasons, their alternative plan of producing only 500 Leaf EVs each month for the U.S. market seems woefully insufficient. Most dealerships won't even get one vehicle per month! Meanwhile, the less impressive Murano continues, highlighting the confusing priorities during this transitional period for automakers.

My hands-on experience with the Cadillac Optic EV at Road America revealed a sleek, sophisticated entry into luxury electric vehicles. This compact crossover delivers 300 miles of range from its 85 kWh battery, with all-wheel drive standard in the first model year. While impressive in many ways—including its SuperCruise capabilities and thoughtful design—its $52,895 starting price reflects the ongoing challenge of making EVs accessible to mainstream buyers.

Perhaps most alarming is my deep dive into what scientists are calling "21st century fires"—a new category of wildfire that burns hotter, faster, and with more destructive potential than anything in human history. These fires can project radiant heat of 900 degrees Fahrenheit, causing materials to combust before flames even reach them. The combination of climate change and petroleum-based building materials has created perfect conditions for these unstoppable infernos, capable of reducing substantial homes to ash in just minutes.

Finally, I analyze Ford's strategic shift as CEO Jim Farley believes the company is experiencing a "Model T moment"—a revolutionary manufacturing breakthrough that could drastically lower production costs, similar to the original assembly line over a century ago. With automotive prices averaging $50,000, the industry faces a key challenge: adapt significantly or risk falling behind global competitors.

Ready to join the conversation? Call or text 872-222-9793 or email talk@techmobility.show. The automotive future is being written now—be part of the conversation.

Chapters

• 1:07 Nissan Pauses Ariya
• 12:21 Cadillac Optic EV Review
• 22:23 Why Wildfires Are Worse Now
• 33:17 Ford's Assembly Line Revolution

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:07

Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast. Brought to you by Playbook Investors Network, your strategic partner for unstoppable growth. Visit pincommunity.org to get started.

SPEAKER_01: 0:18

I'm Ken Chester. On the Docket, my review of the Cadillac Optic EV, a whole new kind of natural disaster, and Ford's new assembly plan gamble. To join the conversation by asking a question, sharing an opinion, or even suggesting a topic for future discussion, call or text the Tech Mobility Online. That number, 872-222-9793, or you can email the show directly, talk at techmobility dot show. And for those of you that enjoy Substack, you can find me at Ken C Iowa. That's K-E-N, the letter C I O W A. From the Tech Mobility News Desk. Am I gonna be the only person in the United States that is going to mourn the discontinuance of Nissan's Araya EV for 2026? I'm heartbroken. I'm heartbroken. I got a chance to drive this long-delayed vehicle a couple of years ago, and I loved it. I loved it. I thought it was perfect. The interior was wonderful, the dashboard was awesome, it drove great. It was awesome. It was well worth the wait. Nissan had put that off for a couple of years. They were going to bring it out, then the pandemic, then part shortages, everything finally came out, and I thought it was worth the wait. In fact, so much so, when I got a chance to drive the Murano a year later that looked just like the Ariya, I was expecting great things from the Murano. But if you've listened to my review of the Murano, you found out I was dramatically disappointed. So let me get this straight, Nissan. The Murano lives, the Ariah dies. And honestly, for me, having driven both, the Ariya is a much better vehicle, as far as I'm concerned. It's one of those vehicles that you would buy, whether it was EV or not. EV's just an added benefit. But let me explain, let me explain. This is from Automotive News. Breaks my heart. It was just in the last week. Nissan Motor Company is thinning its U.S. electric lineup in response to slowing sales and the import tariffs and looming expiration of a federal tax incentive for buyers. Nissan will pause U.S. market production of its compact Araya electric crossover for the 2026 model year. To that I say, boo! Nissan, boo! I get it. I understand it. But boo, it's a better vehicle. Try harder, Nissan. Try harder. Really? Now the the corporate speak for this, and I quote, this decision enables the company to reallocate resources and optimize its EV portfolio as the automotive landscape continues to evolve, Nissan said in the memo. The administration's 15% import tariff has hurt Japanese-made EV profitability in the United States. A person with knowledge of the decision told Automotive News, Nissan, it's easy. Move it to the United States, spend some money on advertising, double down. And if you had to discontinue something, may I nominate the Murano? I think this would sell better. If anyone's driven both of them, I'm serious. Hands down, it ain't even close. Seriously. But to not alone. Not alone. Cellantis, Ford, Volkswagen have either canceled or delayed EV projects. Nissan also delayed or canceled four. Count 'em, four, count 'em, four. Next generation electric models that plan to build in Canton, Mississippi. May I make a suggestion, Nissan? Build the Ariya in Canton. Been to Canton. It's a great plan. Great workers, great town. Build it in Canton. Really. And then step up. Because honestly, I would argue with all the trials and tribulations that Nissan is going through right now, and they're going through a lot, that the Ariya promises to be a bright spot. In fact, I'd go one further. Not only would I offer the Ariya and a pure electric, I would put a hybrid in that thing and offer it with a hybrid too, and give people a choice of pure electric or a hybrid electric and let the good times roll from there. And I really think for what they need, and they need something in that spot because they really don't have. They got the Amada, which is a little long in the tooth, but below that, they really don't have kind of a mid-size premium, not necessarily luxury, but premium SUV. The Murano supposedly holding that space, but not well. And I'm really disappointed. Can you tell? Really am. Because I expected it to be as good as the Ariah. And I'm telling you, the Ariya is better. Lots better. If it came down to buying one or the other, hands down to be the Ariah, wouldn't even be close. But you know, Automaker's gonna make decisions. And right now, Nissan's in the fight of its life. It's interesting because honestly, 25 years ago, they were in the same shape. Carlos Gone bailed him out. Then he got tripped up, and then the marriage between Renault and Nissan kind of soured and got messy, and Nissan's trying to do it on their own. There was a botched attempt merger with Honda. That didn't happen. And now they're trying to write the ship again. And this is kind of the challenge in the automotive industry. This boom and bust cycles. And typically, if you're a smaller player, you're typically prone to them. Chrysler for years. Boom, bust. They'd be on fire for a few years, then they'd be in the garbage disposal in the next few years, trying to reinvent themselves. GM and Ford, they have sufficient assets to where when they do have a moment, it doesn't try to pull the whole company down around them. And that's not to say they haven't had boom and bust. In GM's case, you literally have to go back 40 years to their diesel trials and tribulations. For Ford, you've got to go back a little even a little further to Etzel if you're a certain age. But yeah, automakers have had their share of successes and downright, oh my god, failures. And honestly, they've had some problems as of late, but not to the extent of Nissan. They argue that pausing a Raya sales, and they say pause, but I got the sickening feeling it's not going to be a pause, could help financially struggling Nissan. Redirect resources is a key product launch this fall. Now they're launching the Leaf. It's still not all-wheel drive, but they're going to make it like a coupe-like crossover. And while they've doubled the miles to 200, I think really right now, for Leaf to be breakthrough, it needs to be closer to three. It really needs, Leaf needs really a battery pack that gives it at least a range of about 350 miles. Or at least a minimum of 300 miles, no less, in order to be competitive. If it's anything less than that, and I don't know because I haven't seen the numbers, but if it's anything less than that, it's really not going to work. Now, the price seems decent. They're looking at the next generation leaf, 31,485, including shipping. But because they've got so much trouble, they're only going to allocate 500 vehicles a month to the U.S. market a month. And there's pausing the Araya for that? Seriously? So you're looking at the best 6,000 units? What is that? Six thousand six thousand units? I mean, I mean Nissan dealers won't even get one a month. What is that? And you're in that makes no sense, Nissan. Those numbers make no sense to me. None. You're talking about pausing the ariot in order to boost the leaf, but you've got problems with your batteries and problems in the Japanese plants. You're going to limit U.S. dealers to 500 a month. And you think that's going to be enough to help them and for a leaf to get a toe hold. No. Mm-mm. There are other automakers building way more than that right now that are competitive. At 500, you will barely get enough out there for anybody to even know the thing exists. And that's really too bad. Because the Leaf was one of the first, in fact, I believe the first pure EV about 15 years ago. And then Nissan kind of fell asleep at the switch and lost that dominance, a lost valuable time. Because that thing should be available. Again, a hybrid and a pure electric. Because if that's where you're going to go, that's where you need to go. But we'll see. We'll see. 500 units a month. And they stopped making the araya. And I don't think the araya is going to come back. I hope it does, but I got a not so good feeling about that. I think that it's done. And that's really unfortunate because it is really, really an awesome ride. If you had a chance to drive one, I'm telling you, you'd be impressed. It's that good. I just hope that the leaf is every bit as good. And I hope they can get those numbers up because 500 ain't gonna save nobody. Calac continues its plan in the EV Luxury Crossover SUVs with my review of the Optique Next. You are listening to the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_04: 10:19

In business, opportunity doesn't wait, and neither should you. At Playbook Investors Network, we connect visionary entrepreneurs with the strategies, resources, and capital they need to win. Whether you're launching, scaling, or reimagining your business, our network turns ambition into measurable success. Your vision deserves more than a plan, it deserves a playbook that works. Playbook Investors Network, where bold ideas meet bold results. Visit pincommunity.org today.

SPEAKER_00: 10:51

Are you tired of jumping for apps and platforms for meetings, webinars, and staying connected? Look at the further than AONmeetings.com. All in one process platform that does it all with AON meetings. You can effortlessly communicate with friends, post virtual meetings and webinars, and stay in touch with family and friends. All in one place and for one place. You can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. AON Meetings.com where innovation meets connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate.

SPEAKER_01: 11:23

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at Techmobility.show.

SPEAKER_04: 11:56

That's where Playbook Investors Network comes in. We're your strategic partner for accelerating growth, navigating challenges, and capturing market opportunities before your competition does. Your business is more than an idea. Let's make it an impact. Playbook Investors Network. Your future starts here. Learn more at pincommunity.org.

SPEAKER_03: 12:30

Only one feeling reading like it's revealed. Only one of this like Only one can play like this. Seville STS with the North Star System. The great performers are always creating a higher standard.

SPEAKER_01: 12:52

The Cadillac STS with the North Star system, the North Star 4.6 liter V8, which was supposed to be technologically advanced for Cadillac. Did you notice if you're a golf aficionado, the references, this was back 30 years ago. Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, to name two of the three, names that even folks today would recognize. Cadillac always wanted to be relatable to its audience. And what they're saying really, and there was other series, one was akin to music, others was akin to sports, is that they wanted to align touchstones with their base. The average Cadillac owner, golfer, older, established, moneyed, what you would probably call old money back in the day, back when Cadillac was still an aspirational brand. Um not as aspirational now, but not like it used to be. Years ago, that was the vehicle. If you had a Cadillac parked in your driveway, you had arrived. And that was for many years. They claw on their way back, though. Cadillac today is in the midst of a transformation. Once known for huge land yachts weighing thousands of pounds, the nameplate once known as the standard of the world, and the same one whose leaders vowed, and this is back in the 90s, that there would never, quote unquote, be a Cadillac truck, unquote, now fields a variety of crossovers, full-on SUVs, and an increasing number of fully electric crossover SUVs. The latest of which is the all-new Cadillac Optic. Now, the optic is six inches shorter than the Lyric. And this new battery electric luxury crossover is manufactured by SAICGM, which is a joint venture between Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, a Chinese automaker, and General Motors. Now let me help you before you go there. Yes, initially it was manufactured in China, but they've added production for the North American market at GM's Ramos Arispi assembly plant in Mexico. The North American version of the new Cadillac was introduced to the world in Paris in May 2024. Cadillac boasts that the new Optic is a new entry point of EV luxury for the brand. And it's propelled by Jam's own in-house Ultium 85 kilowatt hour nickel Maganese Cobalt 10 modular battery pack that delivers 300 horsepower and 354 foot pounds of torque to two electric motors, one in each axle, which makes it all-wheel drive. Estimated range is 302 miles or 3.55 miles per kilowatt hour. Regular listeners know why I quote that. Because I liken total available power to like the amount of gallons of gasoline in your tank, and I think it is a better description of performance. Mileage is one thing, but knowing the size of the battery pack and knowing how the vehicle optimizes the power it gets from the battery pack gives you some apples to apples to compare to. As opposed to the EPA's convoluted, I don't even get it still, gasoline equivalent comparison, which is useless because it doesn't tell you what you need to know. What you want to know is mileage is fine. How efficient is this at using the available power on board? And I can tell you, 3.55 miles per kilowatt hour. By comparison, just so you know, and I am always using this as the rule stick. Right now, the liters is the lucid air, which is a performance EV car, and it gets over five miles per kilowatt hour. A version of the Tesla Model S, the Model S plaid, which is also up there. And the range for both of these cars are in the 500-mile range, by the way. So I thought I'd share that with you, and why I use that term. Cargo capacity is 57 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Towing capacity is 1,500 pounds. For 2026, they're going to add a front-wheel drive model. But if you buy a 2025, you can only get all-wheel drive. It is the only way they make them that year. My impressions of this vehicle were experienced at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin this past spring. Road America is actually a sport racing venue that has all kinds of terrain and street roads and speed roads and straightaways and off-road, all sorts of stuff. And once a year, the organization that I belong to evaluates vehicles up there. It gives me an opportunity to evaluate vehicles like the optic that they're not going to bring to my house out here in Iowa. So I can share this with you. Here's what I liked about it. Small, sleek, and personal, the optic is smooth, comfortable, and fast, typical of what I've come to expect from a pure electric vehicle. The optic features what is called motor sounds setting that lets you choose how you want your vehicle to quote unquote sound when underway. Literally, they literally engineered sounds that you can choose from for this car. I don't know how I feel about that. That's to say that this newest Cadillac has plenty of attitude, bolstered by a robust menu of safety, technological, and entertainment choices. Add in features like supercruise, an auto park, and you end up with a very sophisticated mode of conveyance. Here's what I didn't like about the optic. And this is the weird part. There's no actual engine start button. It's something that GM is going to. I don't like it. You gotta press the brake to start. You're gonna carry a credit card-sized plastic card. There's no buttons to press. It's the way that the vehicle knows you're legit, so it will start. Without that, it don't start. And obviously they're unique to every vehicle. Do I like this? No. Because it gets weird. Okay, I park it. How do I know it's off? How can I lock it? Volvo's trying to do something like that, and Volvo's even weirder, folks, let me tell you. In addition, it has no front storage area, known by some folks as a front, which I think would have helped. I mean, it's a smaller vehicle, but you know, I'll take the added storage. And finally, and I realize this is subjective, so don't hold me to it. I am not a fan of the rear side stripes on the exterior. Not a fan. Just not. So here's my bottom line. Although the original assembly was in China, Cadillac wisely mitigated the image the impact of tariffs by adding an assembly plant in Mexico and sourcing the vehicle so that a business case can still justify its availability and sale in the United States. The efficiency of the powertrain is towards the high end of the middle performance, which is pretty good. And I expect the range to expand in coming years with the ability to offer that enhancement to those who purchase the vehicle today. Having said this, with a base price of over 50 grand, I find it to be highly entry-level, even for a small luxury crossover. There's just so many excellent choices in the marketplace. Manufacturing suggested retail price for the optic starts at$52.895 for the luxury one and up to$55,595 for the Sport 2 model. Destination charges add$1,495. 21st century fire is a whole new kind of natural disaster. We explain next. This is the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_04: 21:36

We're your co-pilots in success. Because in business, standing still is not an option. Playbook Investors Network, fueling ambition, delivering results. Visit pincommunity.org.

SPEAKER_01: 21:52

Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like, and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out. Fire historian Stephen Pine calls it the Pyrocene Age. And we are now a quarter of the way through a historic century during which we will see the cresting of f fossil fuel use and of human population, in conjunction with a cataclysmic loss of species and the integrity of ecosystems marine and terrestrial alike. What's going on here? This is topic B. I want to talk about fire. Fire. If there's a little voice in the back of your head that's wondering, gee, seems like I'm hearing a lot more about wildfires over these past few years everywhere. Canada, Western United States, everywhere. Seems to be on fire, and it seems to be a lot more. Hard truth, you're not wrong. But in preparing and doing the research for this segment, I learned it is far worse than even I realized. And this is a piece from the Boston Globe opinion piece, but he was laying down facts. So let me let me give you this because I want to give you an idea of what's really going on. Most of the horrific fires we can now reel off by name, Tubbs in 2017, Camp in 2018, Dixie in 2021, Lahana in 2023, LA in 2025 had not yet been ignited by this time. And he was referring to the Fort McMurray fire back in 2016. But these are not abstract events lurking in the future. They are underway and they are accelerating in real time. As we go about our lives, rapidly increasing excess heat generated by fossil fuel emissions is pushing the limits of urine endurance. I want you to put a pin in that because we're going to magnify that in a minute. 122 degrees Fahrenheit is an increasingly common summer temperature and not just in the Middle East. If you live in Arizona and you live in Phoenix, falling down on the asphalt can give you second and third degree burns in this heat. If the ambient temperature is slight over 100 degrees, because asphalt and cement absorb heat, they're likely to be 20 to 30 degrees hotter. And falling down, just falling down, can burn you. I want you to think about that. During the Dixie fire four years ago, which burned 1,500 square miles of forest in Northern California, embers flew 10 miles, starting new fires where they landed. And why is that? Low humidity, high temperatures. And against that, water has little effect on high-intensity fires, and fire retardant drops are about as effective as fire breaks. Nothing can stop flying embers. This is the power of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide, what I call 21st century fires. They're hotter, faster, more destructive events that burn longer, grow larger, kill more people, and are harder to suppress. Some also expand aggressively around the clock due to rising nighttime temperatures. In addition, so-called zombie or holdover fires are now surviving our shorter, warmer winters by smoldering in root systems to emerge the following spring. I didn't know about that. This is exhausting and clearly dangerous for firefighters. When the car fire broke out in California in 2018, many local firefighters worked nonstop for days. These changes in fire behavior have, in turn, changed the role firefighters play in these events. Here's a wake-up call for you. Four years ago, 2021, a ferociously hot and stubborn fire burned through California's Sequoia National Park for four months, killing thousands of the majestic giant trees. Why is that unusual? Like Redwoods, Sequoias can live for millennia, in large part because they've evolved to withstand fire. Even freak 1,000-year events. Let me say that again. For millennia, large in part because they have evolved to withstand fire. But a 21st century fire is different. Hotter and drier now. The atmosphere has been tilted in the fire's favor. Let's talk about radiant heat for a minute. It's hard to appreciate the extraordinary energy generated by such a fire if you haven't experienced one for yourself, but a lot of their energy manifests itself as radiant heat. So what's radiant heat? It's that heat you feel from a distance. If you've got a major bonfire, and long before you get to the fire you feel the heat, it's that. It's invisible and it moves at the speed of light. Think about this. Radiant fire off the leading edge of a 21st century California wildfire can hit 900 degrees. You ain't even near the fire. 900 degrees. Radiant heat projects. It means it superheats future fuels. Including you, your car, your camp, the force. To the point that they can even combust even before the fire gets there. The fact that radiant heat from the fire from a distance is so hot, is so dry. The stuff is combusting before the fire even reaches it because it preheated it to a point it would combust. Without an ember, without a spark. Australia's Black Saturday fires in 2009 killed people and animals by radiant heat alone from hundreds of meters away. As if they had been felled by a death ray. Water dropped or sprayed under these conditions will vaporize hundreds, if not thousands, of feet before reaching any actual flame. This people is what's going on in the real world right now. I pray that you never have to deal with a wildfire, that your family is spared, that you're not in a situation where this is a thing. It's bad, the heat and the fire is bad enough. But radiant heat from a distance that is so hot it dries everything out and gets it ready to combust, where it will combust on the heat alone, without a spark, without flame. But there's more. Infiltrated by petroleum products to the point that the modern home is composed entirely of volatile hydrocarbons. When you superheat plastic, gap garbage cans, polyurethane mattresses, and sofa cushions, synthetic rugs, linoleum floors, vinyl siding, and tire shingles, they off-gas, turning every room into a combustion chamber. The same thing happens in superheated forests. Those sheets and towers of flame we see igniting above the treetops are clouds of hydrocarbons exploding like vapor in a gas can, just like they do inside the modern petrochemical infused home. I leave you with this. This is why a 50-ton, two-story,$750,000 house in Fort McMurray, Alberta, deep in Canada's subarctic, was observed burning to their foundation in six minutes, leaving nothing but the metal shell of heavy appliances and piles of nails. Ford is calling it the multi moment. It may determine the future of the company. That's next. We are the Tech Mobility Show.

SPEAKER_00: 31:18

Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and platforms for meetings, webinars, and staying connected? Look no further than AON Meetings.com, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AON Meetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, host virtual meetings and webinars, and stay in touch with family and friends, all in one place and for one price. Here's the best part. You can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. AON Meetings.com, where innovation meets connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate.

SPEAKER_01: 31:51

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. That's Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at Techmobility.show.

SPEAKER_04: 32:21

In business, opportunity doesn't wait, and neither should you. At Playbook Investors Network, we connect visionary entrepreneurs with the strategies, resources, and capital they need to win. Whether you're launching, scaling, or reimagining your business, our network turns ambition into measurable success. Your vision deserves more than a plan. It deserves a playbook that works. Playbook Investors Network, where bold ideas meet bold results. Visit pincommunity.org today.

SPEAKER_01: 32:53

Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like, and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out. The Ford Motor Company finds itself at a crossroads. After 122 years of business, they're facing real global competition from almost every side. They readily acknowledge that the way they've been doing things, even down to the assembly line process on the shop floor, is outdated and needs to change. Where do they go from here? This is topic C. For those of you that may not have ever followed history or the auto industry, let me explain what Jim Farley was relating to. The year was 1912. Ford had introduced the Model T in 1909. But back then it was a very hands-on, very um, there was no assembly line. You you worked on cars and everybody worked on a car until it was done, and they were different and they were not the same. But yet, with the introduction of the Model T, Ford was selling a thousand cars a week could only make 700. They needed to change. And they watched how meat was coming down on a hook, uh, down an assembly line where each worker carved a specific cut off the meat as it came down the line. And they reasoned, gee, what if we changed it up and actually put parts on a car as it came by? Well, they started with what they call the magneto line, and the magneto line is basically a forerunner of today's generators, automotive generators, and they started in that small line just trying to get it to work, and they drug a Model T around and put parts in different places and they timed it. They found out that yeah, yeah, this could work. As they implemented this across the Ford Motor Company, they were able to cut the time to assemble a Model T by 78%. It literally meant, and I can't remember if it was every minute or almost a minute that those planets were running, a Model T ran off the assembly line. It took 24 hours to build a Model T by that time. From the time it came in as raw materials to the time it rolled out the door under its own power, 24 hours. There are various different types of assembly lines at different speeds, but basically, pretty much the way they invented it over a hundred years ago is pretty much the way it is now. Well, let me tell you well what else happened as a result of that modernization. The price of the Model T dropped to$360. Less than half of what it's selling for before. And within two years of implementing the modern assembly line, they were generating so much money that the Ford Motor Company caused a stir in manufacturing circles when in 1915 they declared the$5 day. Now$5 don't sound like nothing today, but it was almost double what you could make doing that kind of work anywhere else.$5 day changed everything. Changed everything. And it also made the workers able to buy the cars they were building. Think about that for a minute. Why the Model T moment? Well, Jim Farley was in China. He drove a fancy Japanese electric car, was blown away at its quality and the price that was a fraction of what they charge for an EV in the United States today. Jim smart guy. I know him personally. And he saw the writing on the wall. He said that if we don't change, we won't be here. Full stop. But he's not the first. We've reported here Toyota's reimagining the line before that Tesla turned the whole world on its ear a few years back. Said, hey, we figured out a way to do something. We called it uh a gigapress, where we are able to mold a whole section of vehicle. We can put it in a jig and build it all at once and cut the cost of manufacturing between 25 and 40 percent. Tesla was the one that shot across the bow of Toyota and across Ford. We've reported here, Toyota's doing the same thing. They've got a line in Georgetown that is almost ready to build almost anything they make on a particular chassis to order on demand in sequence on time. Ain't playing. Toyota had a wake-up call. So it's not just Ford. Ford is converting a part of their St. Louis plant that currently makes the Lincoln Corsair and one other vehicle, and that's going to be the line that they launched this on. Now they're looking at EVs, but what they learn from this, no doubt they will apply to the rest of their factories. They have to. I've said it a million times. I'll say it again. The automotive industry is a capital-intensive industry. It's long range, long thinking, big money, big gamble, big cost. They is you can't they can't respond week to week. They're trying. There's been the holy grail for years. But with all the money that's involved, with hundreds of suppliers, thousands of employees, billions of dollars at risk. Hundreds, if not thousands, of dealers, and the employees of the dealers and the suppliers and everybody that's involved. There's hundreds of thousands of people involved, billions and billions of dollars involved. They can't do things on a whim. They can't do things on a feeling. And then they got to look at not just one country, but most of these automakers do business in hundreds of countries. And they want to sell everywhere they can sell. And that means looking at how we can do it to be competitive in the most markets and still be a survivor planning for the future. Ford's even gone as far as building new space nearer their engineers and the what they call the glasshouse, Ford Corporate, Ford HQ, World HQ, a million square feet, 12 stories. It'll be a shell in two years. They will demolish it in three. And it's been Ford Motor Company for almost 70 years. That's the change. Lots of changes. Will Ford do it? They have no choice. But they have the capital, they have the means, they have the determination to do it. And they will bring it to market, not because they want to, but because they have to. And that's the problem. Lee Akoka once said it lead, follow, or get out of the way. Auto industry is no different. To the victor go the spoils, the people who figure it out and get their prices competitive by any means necessary are the ones that are still going to be in business 20 years from now. Ford wants to see 150, maybe even 200. And to do it, they have to change. And more importantly, so does the rest of the industry. And the industry will. Because$50,000 average price for a new car is too much. They know it, their consumers know it, and they're trying to come to grips with it. And I think EVs would be a perfect way to get prices down, contrary to what you may believe.

SPEAKER_02: 41:49

This is the Tech Mobility Podcast.

SPEAKER_04: 41:54

Every great business starts with a spark, but taking it to the next level takes strategy, connections, and capital. That's where Playbook Investors Network comes in. We're your strategic partner for accelerating growth, navigating challenges, and capturing market opportunities before your competition does. Your business is more than an idea. Let's make it an impact. Playbook Investors Network. Your future starts here. Learn more at pincommunity.org.

SPEAKER_01: 42:25

To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting Techmobility.show. You can also drop us a line at talk at TechMobility.show.

SPEAKER_00: 42:50

Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and platforms for meetings, webinars, and staying connected? Look no further than AON Meetings.com, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AON Meetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, post virtual meetings and webinars, and stay in touch with family and friends, all in one place and for one price. Here's the best part. You can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. AON Meetings.com, where innovation meets connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate.

SPEAKER_04: 43:24

You've got the drive. Now you need the right partner to make it happen. At Playbook Investors Network, we power ambitious leaders with the tools, insight, and investment connections to move faster, grow stronger, and lead markets. We're more than advisors, we're your co pilots in success. Because in business, standing still is not an option. Playbook Investors Network, fueling ambition and delivering results. Visit pincommunity.org.