Welcome to today's edition of the Daily 5.
Hans Greimel's report today from Japan about Jeep's future hybrid plans has absolutely nothing to do with the declining allure of international auto shows.
Until you look at the pictures.
Jeep unveiled its first full-electric vehicle, the Avenger compact crossover, to Japan. Jeep parent Stellantis wants to get more traction in this tough-to-crack market as the brand ramps up its EV plans.
What better way to make a new-vehicle splash than to do the unveiling on the 46th floor of a Tokyo high-rise with a breathtaking view of the nation's capital?
In short, you can't do an unveiling like this on the site of a typical auto show. How does an expensive big-city convention center compete with something like this?
In other news today, Volkswagen is telling its U.S. dealers how it will allocate the highly anticipated ID Buzz electric van this fall. Reporter Jack Walsworth tells us how. The vehicle is being priced starting at $61,545, including shipping, but it will be interesting to see whether dealers try to add their own markup to what will be VW's most expensive U.S. model.
On Wall Street, CarMax is having a good day after a generally positive quarterly earnings report. Net income rose 12 percent to $133 million on stable revenue. C.J. Moore's story tells us why.
Meanwhile, CarMax and any dealer group with stores in northwest Florida aren't having such a good day today as Hurricane Helene bears down on the Gulf Coast potentially as a Category 4 storm with winds of about 150 mph. Here's a look at the current situation and we'll be following the storm as it makes its way north toward Georgia and beyond.
Looking ahead to Friday, we'll preview third-quarter U.S. sales reports, which come out early next week for most automakers.
That's it for now. Have a great rest of your day.
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— Philip Nussel, online editor
