Business Insights and Market Implications Summary

Event Industry Trends

• Rock Yard Concert Series: Free outdoor tribute concerts attracting 18+ audiences.
• Ace Hotel & Swim Club: Poolside DJs and drinks, targeting luxury travelers.
• Desert Rodeo: PRCA-sanctioned event with top cowboys, livestreaming on Cowboy Channel+, and fundraising for fire foundations.

Accommodation Insights

• Drift Palm Springs: Stylish hotel with pool, restaurant, and wellness features at $439/night.
• Onyx House: High-end rental with saltwater pool and yoga platform at $1,165/night.

Mitchell & Santana High School Program

• Mitchell Collision Repair Tech Program partners with Santana High to address technician shortages.
• Mitchell donated estimating and diagnostics systems to the school.
• Students also visited Fix Auto Poway, supported by Gary Leger.

Tesla Cybertruck Sales

• Q1 2023 Cybertruck sales: ~6,400 units (down from previous quarters).
• Production at ~21% of capacity.
• Competitors: Ford F-150 Lightning (~7,187 units), Chevy Silverado EV/GMC Sierra EV (~3,632 units), Rivian R1T (~1,727 units), and GM Hummer EVs (~3,479 units).

Slate Auto Electric Pickup

• Troy-based startup introduces a $30k bare-bones EV pickup with optional crossover conversion.

Canadian Tech News

• Federal election: Liberals propose flow-through shares; Conservatives suggest capital gains deferral.
• Cloud computing: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Oracle shortlisted for Canadian government contracts.
• Retail: Frank and Oak closing stores.
• Rivian: Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez joins board.

Pony.ai & Tencent Partnership

• Collaboration on robotaxi services via WeChat and Tencent Maps.
• Co-developing L4 autonomous vehicles using Hesai Group lidar.
• Testing in Luxembourg, operational in Shenzhen.

IndustryWeek's Weekly Reads

• Focus on 5G in manufacturing (John Deere), tariffs, earnings reports, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
• Topics include truck maker vehicle development, Elon Musk’s challenges, layoffs due to tariffs, and capital spending decline.

Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund

• $2B fund led by Matt Peterson targeting net-zero carbon by 2040.
• Investments in electric vehicles (Rivian), advanced nuclear energy (X-energy), low-carbon fuels (Infinium), and sustainable building materials (CarbonCure).

NHTSA Self-Driving Vehicle Rules

• Easing autonomous vehicle regulations supported by Elon Musk.
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cites competition with China.

Rivian Automotive

• JPMorgan lowers Rivian’s price target to $10 from $11, maintaining "Underweight" rating.

2025 Human Development Report (HDR)

• Focus on digital transformation’s impact on human development.
• Explores AI’s role, data diversity, inequality, and sustainability.
• Consultations with global regions and organizations like UNESCO and OECD.