By John Wysseier, President and Chief Executive Officer, The CEI Group, Inc.

I’m pleased to introduce a new blog, which is entitled “Disruptive Leadership.”

This theme is prompted by the fact that technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace and making sweeping changes to society, markets, and leadership. These changes are creating new competitive and leadership challenges and opportunities every day.

While my perspective reflects my personal and professional experience within the insurance and automotive fleet industry segments, the power of technological advances including but not limited to Big Data, Data Visualization, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Cognitive Natural Language is like a tidal wave. It can either inundate and drown decision-makers or deliver a treasure trove of newfound actionable intelligence from which to create sustainable competitive advantage.

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By Mark Boada, Executive Editor

The news is awash with calamitous headlines about the Trump tariffs, not least of which proclaim potentially significant job losses for U.S. autoworkers and price increases on both domestically made vehicles and imports.

But I look at the headlines in view of a long-standing observation that people, in general, overreact to news, both the good and the bad, and particularly to the bad.

Now, I’m not here to say that Trump’s proposed tariff of up to 25 percent on imported cars wouldn’t result in a crushing increase in the cost for the typical buyers of a Mercedes Benz, Toyota or even a sub-compact Hyundai. For its part, the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers, whose 12 members include the largest U.S. and foreign OEMs, estimates that the measure would cost American buyers $45 billion a year, which global news service Reuters calculates as an average of $5,800 per imported car sold in the U.S.

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The Verge

Over the past ten years, deep learning — a method that uses layered machine-learning algorithms to extract structured information from massive data sets — has driven almost unthinkable progress in AI and the tech industry, causing great optimism from car makers.

However, the dream of a fully autonomous car may be further than we realize. There’s growing concern among AI experts that it may be years, if not decades, before self-driving systems can reliably avoid accidents.

Read the article at The Verge.

USA Today

The computerized technology that is standard in new vehicles is amazing, with Bluetooth, rear-view cameras and zoned temperature controls featured in 2018 models. There is a vast amount of data collection happening, too.

Connected cars offer even more convenience and features to enhance your driving pleasures. What do you need to consider? Infotainment systems provide hands-free calling, audio playback and many have partnered with Google and Apple and your smartphone can link to these systems via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

Read the article at USA Today.

Digital Trends

Next year in Germany, Volkswagen will launch a new car-sharing service, called WE, exclusively utilizing all-electric vehicles. The service will expand to international markets the following year, with presences in major cities across Europe, North America, and Asia.

“Our vehicle-on-demand fleets will consist entirely of electric cars, and will therefore provide zero-emission, sustainable mobility. That is an intelligent way to relieve the strain on urban areas,” said Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen’s board member for sales.

Read the article at Digital Trends.

USA Today

Since your car is always waiting for the fob to signal, blocking the electromagnetic field by keeping your car keys in a coffee can – homemade Faraday cage – at night, and wrapping them in aluminum foil during the day is the best way to keep your car safe.

Thieves can buy legitimate devices that amplify the fob signal sitting unprotected in a purse, a pocket, on a counter at home or even just copy the code to access the vehicle.

Read the article at USA Today.

CNN Money

Uber and Lyft want a role in all of the ways you get from point A to point B, so long as you’re doing it on their platform. The future of ride-sharing is moving beyond cars to include electric scooters, bikes, and even public transit.

Lyft has acquired Motivate, the largest bike-share operator in North America. Uber is launching a “new modalities” unit to lead its expansion into bikes, scooters, and more.

Read the article at CNN Money.

The Detroit Bureau

Chinese officials declared, the U.S. has launched “the biggest trade war in economic history. It will impact a broad spectrum of industrial sectors, everything from entertainment to agriculture, though automotive manufacturers could be particularly hard-hit.

Ford could be one of the manufacturers hardest hit by the trade war. The automaker has been in an extended slump in China, sales tumbling 38% during the first half of the year.

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.

By Ed Pierce, Fleet Industry Marketer

According to Kevin Joyce, CMO and vice president of strategy services with The Pedowitz Group, there’s a significant gap between management’s expectations of Marketing accountability and its ability to quantify its performance.

While 76% of marketing organizations are accountable for, or share accountability for, P&L, only 19% of marketers have comprehensive tracking and reporting practices in place.

Given the roles of traditional marketing that is not surprising.

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The Drive

Volvo is launching M, a new mobility brand focusing on alternatives to car ownership. M will offer dependable, on-demand access to cars and services through an intuitive app.

“Volvo Cars is becoming more than just a car company,” CEO Håkan Samuelsson said in a statement. “We recognize that urban consumers are rethinking traditional car ownership. M is part of our answer.” The new brand will debut in Sweden and the United States next year.

Read the article at The Drive.