Decoding Tomorrow: Daily Inspiration – Automotive Industry: “Weird is where opportunity lives”

“Weird is where opportunity lives” – Futurist Jim Carroll

So, it’s become really, well, weird, to speak at events and conferences as of late.

Particularly when you decide to open up your talk by placing a picture of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor and Detroit – Canada and the US – and ask the audience if there is anything going on at the moment, because that was the headline news earlier that day. Then you share the fact that the showroom floor outside the meeting room features a tank with a snowplow and you wonder, outlook, if this represents some sort of new opportunity.

You need to watch this opening, from a few weeks ago.

Because the future is weird right now.

That’s the way I’ve come to describe a lot of what is going on.

But the ‘weird’ issue links to the storyline of innovating despite uncertainty, as captured in my book Dancing in the Rain; How Bold Leaders Grow Stronger in Stormy Times. That’s what I worked into the closing part of this keynote, and at least one person caught the overall drift of my message – noting that while things are weird, that’s where opportunity lives! Here’s a great summary from Mary Llaneta, an attendee at the event, as shared on LinkedIn. It’s worth a read.

Here’s what she wrote.

The automotive industry is… weird right now.

That’s how Futurist Jim Carroll described it. And honestly, it fits.

We’re living in a moment where:
• EV adoption is political
• Interest rates are unpredictable
• Affordability is a real crisis
• AI is exploding (and overhyped at the same time)
• Consumers feel constant economic anxiety

Volatility isn’t a phase. It’s the environment.

But here’s what stood out most:
👉 In every downturn, 60% of companies fail.
👉 30% survive.
👉 10% break through.

The difference?
The 10% focus on growth while everyone else panics.

A few sharp takeaways:
🔹 EV adoption isn’t a tech problem — it’s a behavioral one.
Mercedes said it best: Price EVs the same as ICE. Let customers decide.

🔹 The car is now a software platform.
The winner owns the screen and the experience.

🔹 Affordability is the real disruptor.
When students were asked if they’d buy a BYD if available — every hand went up. Why? Price.

🔹 AI is transformational — but still early.
Ignore the hype. Focus on real use cases.

🔹 The dealership isn’t dead.
Complex products require trust, guidance, and service excellence.

The biggest leadership challenge right now isn’t electrification or autonomy.
It’s noise.

You will wake up to worse headlines. That’s guaranteed.

You still have three choices:
1. Panic
2. Do nothing
3. Focus on growth

The future belongs to those who are fast.
-Those who adapt.
-Those who keep the customer at the center.

It’s weird.
But weird is where opportunity lives.

Thanks Canadian Automobile Dealers Association – CADA for brining such a great speaker to the stage

It’s always a thrlll to see when your key storyline hits.

In this case  despite the fact that the only way to describe the future right now is that it is … weird!