Latest news with #KevinRoberts
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Auto sales see 'return to normal' while trying to shake off tariffs
While Ford (F) posted a 16% year-over-year increase in May auto sales — bolstered by employee pricing discounts — how have other automakers been trying to get ahead of tariff impacts? CarGurus director of economic and market intelligence Kevin Roberts joins Asking for a Trend's Josh Lipton to talk more about auto price forecasts as car brands navigate President Trump's tariff policies and proposals to tax steel imports. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Asking for a Trend here. Well, automakers led by Ford saw big sales gains in May, as price cuts and shedding inventories blunted the effect of President Trump's auto tariffs. For more on the latest numbers and the state of the auto industry, let's welcome in here Kevin Roberts, Car Gurus's director of economic and market intelligence. Kevin, always good to see you. So, auto sales for May, Kevin, just looking, I mean, nice sales gains. I'm looking at Ford sales jumped about 16%, Kevin. Truck sales, strong, hybrid strong, EV not great. Toyota looks like an increase about 7% in May. We heard from Hyundai and Kia as well. Just broadly, when you looked over that data, Kevin, how would you characterize it? What would you make of it? Yeah, it was, uh, I would say a return to normal. So, uh, I like to say end of March, early April was kind of a crazy time for the auto industry when the tariffs were first announced. May was a little bit more back to normal, uh, traditionally a really strong kind of sales month for the industry. Um, you know, end of tax season, we have, uh, Memorial Day sales. So that's been really kind of helpful for the industry. And you mentioned it, several automakers really had some strong months. Couple things I think really kind of helped there. Ford had their employee pricing for all, uh, you know, vehicle affordability has been a trend we've really been highlighting for a while now. So I think that kind of discounts really kind of helped drive sales there. And then you mentioned hybrids. That's one that helped for both Ford and Toyota. Um, hybrid sales continue to see really strong growth. Consumers really like hybrids, and Ford and particularly Toyota are really dominant in hybrid power trains, which is helping to drive sales. Do you think we saw some pull forward in those numbers too, though, Kevin? You know, folks trying to get ahead of tariffs? That is the million dollar question for the auto industry right now. Uh, how much, if if we did see pull ahead, how much did we see pull ahead? And where might that start to bite back? Um, you know, was that kind of Q2 sales towards the end of the quarter that we pulled that from, or was it later in the year? It's really an unknown at this point. Uh, did we just kind of shake people off the sidelines who, you know, weren't in the market, or did we kind of pull ahead a lot of volume, uh, in those kind of crazy weeks after the tariffs were announced? And it's, it's, it's a major unknown for the industry right now. Kevin, you know, tariffs in place. So do you think these automakers, do they maintain pricing, Kevin, or would you expect, no, starting here in June, perhaps, we're, we're going to see prices start rising? Yeah, so we've been monitoring what's been happening to the average list price of vehicles on the site. Uh, somewhat surprising, we haven't seen large shifts, uh, to this point. However, like you said, a lot of automakers I think we're kind of in a wait and see approach after the tariffs were announced. And we're starting to see a trickle of some announcements of, uh, price increases as we get into June. Uh, and that's going to be a trend we kind of monitor, um, to see if that continues and if we start to see some of that expected price inflation, uh, for vehicles as we move into the second half of the year. What did you make of the reaction in some names, um, this week, Kevin, for GM, for example, moving lower as Trump talked tough on steel tariffs? Yeah, so it, it's a little bit of a different situation than if we would have talked a month or two ago. Uh, we had another executive order signed towards the end of April, uh, which gave hierarchy to stop stacking of a number of tariffs. And so that should stop, um, section 232 auto tariffs from being stacked with those steel and aluminum tariffs. So there is some protection for the auto industry. Now, it's important to keep in mind that those, that kind of protection only exists for, uh, finished vehicles and parts covered in those tariffs specifically. So for parts not covered there, we could see an impact there. And I think that's what you, that, uh, uh, that kind of risk is where you're seeing that shift this week. By the way, should kind of just see a breaking news headline here. Uh, according to the White House, UK steel tariffs, they're going to remain at 25% for now. Um, lastly, Kevin, on Tesla, I want your views there. There, we did get some numbers this week. Broadly, weak sales for Tesla in Europe. What do you make of that, Kevin? Is that branding? Is that, you know, the Model Y change over? Is that more competition for Musk over there? Is it all three? So, uh, we, Tesla is a direct to consumer automaker, so we don't get their data in, in our listing data, so a little bit difficult to say there. What I can say from the used side of the market, even with all the noise around Tesla recently, still, uh, still seems pretty strong, uh, demand for used Teslas out in the marketplace. So can't, can't comment as much on the new side of the market, but used side still sees, uh, uh, strong interest for used Teslas. Interesting. Kevin, always great to have you on the show. Thanks so much for your time. My pleasure. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Auto sales see 'return to normal' while trying to shake off tariffs
While Ford (F) posted a 16% year-over-year increase in May auto sales — bolstered by employee pricing discounts — how have other automakers been trying to get ahead of tariff impacts? CarGurus director of economic and market intelligence Kevin Roberts joins Asking for a Trend's Josh Lipton to talk more about auto price forecasts as car brands navigate President Trump's tariff policies and proposals to tax steel imports. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Asking for a Trend here.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Shocking moment jilted husband crashes into his wife's car when she started seeing a new man after their 24-year marriage ended
A jilted husband crashed furiously into his estranged wife's car when it emerged she was seeing a new man just three weeks after their 24-year-marriage ended. Shocking footage shows Kevin Roberts, 40, unable to contain his anger as he hurtles down a road in Anglesey, North Wales, clipping the vehicle before driving off. Caernarforn Crown Court heard the raging husband felt 'betrayed' by his school sweetheart Emma Roberts who he had five children with before their separation last year. He later returned to the scene with one of his adult children to check on Ms Roberts' well-being. The court heard her car was damaged with Ms Roberts uninjured - though badly shaken. In a statement she said the event had left her feeling 'on edge' and scared to drive. Roberts, now of Enfield, London, admitted dangerous driving. Dafydd Roberts, defending, said the breakdown of the couple's long-term relationship was the 'root cause' of his behaviour. The jilted husband crashed furiously into his estranged wife's car when it emerged she was seeing a new man just three weeks after their 24-year-marriage ended 'He accepts his driving was very much out of order', he said. The court heard Roberts had since left the area and was caring for his terminally ill father. Judge Nicola Jones handed Roberts a 10-month suspended sentence and restraining order banning him from contacting his wife for one year. He was also handed a 12-month driving ban and ordered him to take an extended re-test. Judge Jones told him: 'This was a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road.' But she said she would suspend Roberts' sentence due to him showing 'genuine remorse'.
Techday NZ
19-05-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Whip Around appoints new directors as global expansion accelerates
Two new directors have joined the board of Whip Around, a fleet inspection and maintenance software provider. International business advisor Kevin Roberts and B2B SaaS business builder Ricky Sevta have been appointed as directors at the company, which was founded in New Zealand in 2016 and now serves a global base of fleet operators across sectors including logistics, construction, sanitation, emergency response, transportation, municipal, and landscaping. Whip Around's software platform is used by fleet operators in all 50 US states as well as in South America, Europe, South Africa, and Australia. The technology is designed to assist fleet managers, operators, and mechanics in improving safety, compliance, and cost efficiency through digitised inspection and maintenance processes. Kevin Roberts brings experience from roles held at Procter & Gamble, Pepsi-Cola, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, and Publicis Groupe. Over the past decade, Roberts has provided consultancy through Red Rose, working with startups, agencies, and corporations in various sectors and regions. His previous positions include Chief Operating Officer and board member at Lion Nathan and Chair of My Food Bag, which he led to a public listing. He has authored five books on branding, leadership, and performance, and is based in North America. Kevin Roberts said, "It's incredible that services that are vital to the daily life of communities, cities and countries are still largely stuck in paper. The opportunities for greenfield growth are vast, and Whip Around has a proven foothold to exponentially expand in the U.S. and globally." Ricky Sevta joins the board with background in SaaS and market expansion strategies. As Chief Revenue Officer of Simpro, a software provider for trades and field services, Sevta led the company from its early growth phase to surpassing USD $100 million in annual recurring revenue, and helped secure a USD $550 million investment alongside a billion-dollar valuation. He has engineering expertise in mechatronics, robotics, and automation, and is co-founder of VentureOn Partners, which guides companies around Australia and New Zealand to scale through growth planning and M&A. Sevta is also CEO of Deep Space, a business focused on construction management software. Ricky Sevta said, "I'm passionate about creating user-friendly software for people who work in field service management which involves every sort of commercial vehicle and piece of moveable equipment imaginable. Blue-collar trades make the world function. Whip Around has an entire global industry ahead of it, it's not a niche." Noah Hickey, CEO of Whip Around, said that the appointments come at a significant moment for the company's growth. "With over 32 million commercial vehicles and 3.5 million fleets in the U.S., and much of fleet maintenance still a mix of whiteboards, spreadsheets, Post-it notes and filing cabinets stuffed with paper, the trajectory for Whip Around is accelerating," says Hickey. "Whip Around's immediate focus is sell-through partnerships with companies specializing in mobile, telematics, advanced GPS and workflow automation solutions for the transportation industry." In 2025 Whip Around signed strategic partnerships with Fullbay of Phoenix, Arizona, and Platform Science of San Diego. Hickey stated that further partnership integrations are being negotiated with the aim of supporting exponential scaling of the business. He also noted that Whip Around's growth potential extends both horizontally, due to the number of fleet operators in the US and internationally, and vertically, as the software can support the monitoring and maintenance of other physical assets at workplaces, such as trailers, forklifts, pallet jacks, scaffolding, tools, machinery, appliances, medical supplies, and office equipment. "Our goal is to make user-friendly software to keep things moving," says Hickey. "Whip Around makes life easier for owners, drivers, mechanics by ensuring compliance, increasing safety, reducing downtime and streamlining processes." Whip Around operates offices in San Diego, Charlotte, and Auckland. The company has recorded increased annual recurring revenue for the past eight quarters and is chaired by Peter Drummond, who has experience as Chair, Director, or CEO with major infrastructure and private sector companies.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump-appointed federal judge rules against Biden-era sex-based employment discrimination guidance
A Trump-appointed federal judge slapped down portions of Biden-era Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance that claims Title VII protections against sex-based employment discrimination include the concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity. The ruling, signed by Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court for the Northwestern District of Texas, declares that language in the guidance that defines "sex" in Title VII as encompassing sexual orientation and gender identity is "contrary to law." The ruling declares the same regarding "all language defining 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity' as a protected class." "Sex-based discrimination under Title VII includes employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity," part of the EEOC's Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace reads. "Accordingly, sex-based harassment includes harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity, including how that identity is expressed." Us Judge Rules That Biden Team's Lgbtq Proposal Wrongly Interpreted Obamacare Provision The guidance notes that, "The contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law, are not meant to bind the public in any way, and do not obviate the need for the EEOC and its staff to consider the facts of each case and applicable legal principles when exercising their enforcement discretion." Read On The Fox News App The ruling comes in a legal challenge lodged by the Heritage Foundation — a conservative D.C. think tank — and the state of Texas. "The Biden EEOC tried to compel businesses – and the American people – to deny basic biological truth," Dr. Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action for America, said in a statement, noting that "thanks to the great state of Texas and the work of my Heritage colleagues, a federal judge said: not so fast. READ THE JUDGE'S ORDER – App Users, Click Here: "This ruling is more than a legal victory. It's a cultural one," he added. "It says no – you don't have to surrender common sense at the altar of leftist ideology. You don't have to pretend men are women. And you don't have to lie to keep your job. Heritage is doing exactly what the conservative movement needs to do: stop apologizing, start suing, and take back institutions." The White House called it a "major win for women and commonsense." The judge "confirmed what the Trump Administration consistently maintains: government-imposed DEI policies requiring bathroom, dress, and pronoun accommodations are illegal," White House spokesman Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. On Inauguration Day earlier this year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring it U.S. policy "to recognize two sexes, male and female." That order called for rescinding guidance documents, or portions of documents, that clash with the order. The EEOC's Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace was specifically mentioned in the order. Clinton-appointed Federal Judge Blocks Trump Admin From Pulling Foreign Service Workers' Bargaining Rights However, after Trump issued the order, EEOC Commissioners Charlotte Burrows, Jocelyn Samuels and Kalpana Kotagal said in a joint statement that "like all workers, LGBTQI+ workers — including transgender workers — are protected by federal law and entitled to the full measure of America's promise of equal opportunity in the workplace." Samuels and Burrows later said in January they had been informed by the White House that Trump was removing them from their roles as EEOC commissioners. The EEOC notes on its website that it needs a quorum to vote on rescinding guidance documents. "As of January 28, 2025, the EEOC no longer has a quorum of its bipartisan leadership panel of Commissioners, following the departures of two Commissioners. The Commission panel currently is comprised of Republican Acting Chair Andrea Lucas (designated as Acting Chair by President Trump on January 20, 2025) and Democrat Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal," the website explains. New House Bill Would Make Trump Ban On Transgender Troops Permanent The Texas attorney general's office and the EEOC did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital on article source: Trump-appointed federal judge rules against Biden-era sex-based employment discrimination guidance
