Good morning. Before you set the weekend sales target, let’s look at which vehicles belong in the conversation. Today’s sales scorecard takes us through Toyota’s electrified lineup, Hyundai and Honda’s hybrids, and GM’s uneven quarter, with a sharper question for Florida dealers: what should you stock, promote or reconsider in October? We also flag a BMW recall milestone for your service team, then shift to the manager’s office: when an employee reports harassment, what happens next? Let's get into it.
The sales story is under the hood
2025 Toyota Camry. 2023 file image from video, not September 2026 deliveries.
Autosdeprimera · CC BY 3.0.
Toyota’s Thursday sales release offers two September headlines: U.S. volume rose 8.4% to 201,306 vehicles, while its broader “electrified” category accounted for 58.2% of sales. Both deserve attention, but neither should become a shortcut for your October inventory plan. (Toyota’s sales report)
First, the calendar matters. Toyota’s September gain was 4.0% on a daily-selling-rate basis, versus that 8.4% raw-volume increase; for the full third quarter, total volume grew just 0.6% to 633,223 vehicles. (Toyota) That is a reason to compare your store’s selling pace, not just celebrate a bigger monthly total.
Second, “electrified” does not mean battery-electric alone: Toyota’s category includes hybrids, and its third-quarter electrified sales increased 28.5%. (CNBC’s original reporting) Treating that as an EV-only demand signal would point the buying desk in the wrong direction.
For a Florida store, the useful next move is a powertrain-level check: compare your own hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric and gasoline inventory against appointments, deliveries and days in stock. These are national manufacturer results, not evidence that your local buyers suddenly changed preferences.
Before moving advertising dollars or stretching on an appraisal, ask which vehicles your team is actually losing deals on. A national growth headline can start that conversation. Your store’s sold log, aged inventory and customer objections should finish it.
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Hyundai’s record month had two very different lanes
Hyundai reported 77,439 U.S. September sales, up 9%, with hybrids up 39% and representing 28% of its volume. But Ioniq 5 sales fell to 2,928 from 8,408 a year earlier, a 65% decline. (Hyundai’s October 1 release)
That contrast is the story, not simply the record-month headline. A stronger brand total does not mean every row on the lot deserves the same acquisition or advertising strategy.
For Florida Hyundai operators, consider separating the October sales meeting by model and powertrain before discussing the overall target. For competing stores, use the report as a prompt to review cross-shopping conversations, not as permission to assume every hybrid will turn quickly. Your own lead conversion and inventory aging still have the deciding vote.
GM: a softer total, not a uniform slowdown
GM’s third-quarter U.S. sales fell 5.5% to 670,974, while sales of internal-combustion vehicles were roughly flat, according to CNBC. The comparison was against a record EV quarter a year earlier; Equinox EV sales fell 92.4% to 1,905. (CNBC)
GM’s own release also points to a smaller EV market and discontinued vehicles in explaining the decline. (GM’s October 1 update) In other words, the topline alone is a blunt instrument.
For a Florida GM store, the practical question is whether October’s forecast separates continuing models, discontinued products and powertrains. Before resetting every salesperson’s expectations downward, check which part of the comparison actually resembles the inventory you have to sell.
BMW recall notices are expected to start today
Today is the expected owner-notice mailing date for BMW recall 26V525, covering 27,720 vehicles. NHTSA’s August acknowledgment identifies a driveshaft connection defect that can cause loss of drive power or rollaway in certain 2021–23 5-Series, 2022–26 8-Series and 2024–26 750e xDrive vehicles. (NHTSA recall document)
This is a scheduled milestone, not a new recall announcement; the document does not confirm mailing or current repair availability. (NHTSA) For Florida service and used-car teams, the useful move is to check applicable VINs and confirm the repair path before promising customers an appointment.
A reported $175,000 deal, and a question for your managers
Federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. 2009 file photograph, not the settlement proceedings.
Americasroof · CC BY-SA 3.0.
Law360 reported October 1 that a dealership agreed to pay $175,000 to resolve the EEOC’s sexual-harassment lawsuit against Garden City Jeep Chrysler Dodge and VIP Auto Group of Long Island in New York federal court. This is a reported settlement agreement, not a trial finding. (Law360’s public case coverage)
In its September 30, 2024 complaint announcement, the EEOC alleged that an inventory manager harassed female employees and that complaints to management and human resources were ignored. Those are the agency’s allegations; they should not be presented as adjudicated facts. (EEOC)
The management lesson travels without importing another state’s law into Florida: a reporting policy is only useful if employees can use it. Ask who receives a complaint about a manager, who independently checks the response, and how follow-through is documented. This is a prompt to examine your process, not individualized legal advice.
Honda adds another hybrid signal
Honda’s U.S. third-quarter sales rose 9.3%, and quarterly hybrid sales exceeded 106,000, a record, according to CNBC’s October 1 report. (CNBC) For Florida stores, that is another reason to ask whether salespeople can explain the practical differences between a conventional hybrid and a plug-in vehicle without turning the walkaround into a technology lecture.
Here’s to a strong first weekend of Q4. Bring better questions to the sales meeting, and make sure the people behind the numbers get your attention, too.