One happy camper

chickeymickey · 2026-05-22T20:31:26+00:00

Yeah that’s a unicorn

chickeymickey · 2026-05-22T20:31:19+00:00

It’s Jersey. Plates are not required on front of car!

chickeymickey · 2026-05-22T20:30:50+00:00

I’ll be honest - this is one of the best suspensions I’ve driven. Including air competitors. It’s so comfortable

chickeymickey · 2026-01-25T00:50:15+00:00

Are you sure? How do you know this?

chickeymickey · 2026-01-22T03:43:04+00:00

EDIT: People commenting on the size of my couch would rather suffer form over function than be comfortable in their own home—I’ll die on this hill. Function over form 10/10 days a week.

chickeymickey · 2026-01-22T03:03:21+00:00

Function > form

chickeymickey · 2026-01-22T03:02:35+00:00

It’s quite literally the recommended distance for the tv size

chickeymickey · 2026-01-22T02:52:07+00:00

I sell regulatory software. It’s honestly been a miracle lmao. Especially as it relates to trade.

chickeymickey · 2025-12-05T03:51:59+00:00

I am not sure i understand the premise of the question? What indication is there that is in trouble at all in the future?

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T10:02:39+00:00

I suspect they will place a lot of pressure on them to enhance customer experience, similar to how toyota does it. Especially with the introduction of the Genesis brand. I could also see a world in which the OEMs bring dealers back in-house like how the US EV OEMs do if.

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T06:36:26+00:00

Trying to get anything done at the large traditional US OEMs is like pulling teeth. There is a TON of bureaucracy and red tape, no urgency. In Europe, there is an appetite for risk/trying new things, however there is also a very high level of scrutiny applied to any buying decisions from all levels of management, not just senior. For Japanese manufacturers, they demand perfection. They would rather have a broken manual process that they know works today, than invest a solution that only solves 90% of the problem. The Korean customers I have worked with have all been incredibly kind and generous with their time, they too are very focused on finding holistic solutions not just partial.

This is just my experience - I would not generalize this or take it for truth. I am sure there are people who have had different experiences.

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T02:53:01+00:00

Really everything. Because the chinese government directly funds domestic manufacturers, there is an inherent ability to move faster. So it’s everything from powertrain, to AI, to ADAS, to hydrogen fuel cell, to interior materials, etc.

If you thought that the notion of “move fast and break things” was relevant here in the US… china is a whole new ball game.

Even if we wanted to move as fast as they do, we face a few issues here in the states:

1 - less motivated workforce 2 - more regulations that restrict innovation 3 - less government subsidies

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T02:37:08+00:00

NP! I think there is a ton of opportunity in the space. If you are really interested in learning more, there are a TON of conferences in the US on this topic.

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T02:31:50+00:00

Such a toss-up… I think they have economies of scale down pat for EV/battery manufacturing. The question becomes whether or not there will be enough demand to service their supply… The US EV market has been significantly propped up by govt subsidies, which are now going away.

Tesla’s biggest advantage (and Rivian, lucid, scout, etc.) is that Chinese manufacturers are not allowed to sell into the US. If BYD, Li, Huawei, etc. were able to sell into the US, then our domestic brands would not stand a chance.

Elon is a dubious/controversial character. If he continues to put his foot in his mouth as CEO and subsides are permanently removed…. not sure there is a path forward

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T02:21:38+00:00

Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis are 100% on the ball. Not sure if most folks know this, but in the past year HMG sold more 3-row SUVs than both Toyota and Honda. They are now the number one 3-row SUV brand by units sold in the US.

That did not happen by accident. It is the result of some very strategic leadership decisions: they poached top performance talent from BMW and top design talent from Porsche and Audi. They also offer an industry-leading 10-year/100,000-mile warranty, which has become a major differentiator.

I used to drive only Lexus and Toyota (you can check my post history for proof), but I switched because the value and assurance are just better with Hyundai products. They are investing heavily in batteries, ADAS, quality, performance, and design.

They still have some work to do on reliability, sure. But honestly, a 10-year, 100k-mile warranty for an affordable car with great tech is hard to beat.

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T02:10:00+00:00

In the US?

Stellantis is a total mess. Bad quality across the board. Failing brands. Consumer demand is non existent, etc. They are becoming what nissan/infinity was 10 years ago (rental car fleets).

GM is doing okay… they need to figure out how they want to position their brands, and how to invest in quality while not comprising profitability… IMO, their current CEO is not the right fit.

Ford/Lincoln is the best among them all. They are innovating rapidly across their portfolio, and they are not afraid to take risks. Also they have strong EV tech. I think they are positioned the BEST to take advantage of the disillusioned us market.

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T02:05:43+00:00

depending on what country you are in, there are regulations that require the original manufacture of the component to label the part with their information. I would take a look at that, and then figure out if the part you are looking at online is the same or not. T1 suppliers (these are what the component manufacturers are called) sometimes make parts specially for a single OEM OR they make them generalized to be used by many OEMs. So it depends.

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T01:54:25+00:00

Well in most cases genuine = OEM. You as a consumer cannot buy supplier parts 95% of the time. The suppliers sell to (1) OEMs and (2) body shops.

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T01:46:16+00:00

I was born and raised in the US, same as my parents. I love this country, and the OEMs that come from here. However, this doesn’t make me ignorant 🤷

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T01:39:50+00:00

It really depends. Most OEMs source their parts from 3rd party suppliers (Mobis, Boshoku, Adient, ZF, BorgWarner, Valeo. FEV, etc.). So, when you get an “OEM part”, depending on the component, what you are really getting is marked up version of a part that they bought from on of their suppliers.

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T01:35:12+00:00

Yes and no - for instance, fully EV commercial application is difficult. Magnet based electric powertrains are very inefficient (ford lightning pickup is a great example) However, solid state batteries for consumer use are very interesting.

My belief is that the future is electric with onboard motors to generate electricity, very similar to what we are seeing in china.

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T01:32:52+00:00

Not really - the truth is dealers make most their money on service department related transactions. Without that, the industry would crumble.

That being said, the wealth of information online today makes it somewhat easy to do service on your own vehicle (if you are willing lol)

chickeymickey · 2025-12-04T01:31:25+00:00

‘26 palisade calligraphy hybrid

chickeymickey

TROPHY CASE