Tesla Model Y 4680 Structural Battery Pack Analysis

As posted to the Munro Live YouTube Channel on 7/5/2022 (Run Time 17 min, 23 sec) The team at Munro & Associates just dropped the structural battery pack (with 4680 cells) out of their brand-new Texas-made Tesla Model Y.  What they found is something that they've never seen . . . ever.  The seats, console, carpet, etc. are mounted to the structural battery pack which can be removed in one assembly from the bottom of the car.  Just the improvement to the ease of putting together the inside of the car on the assembly line when you're coming up from below because there is no floor is phenomenal.  But there's more. (This is Blog Post #1231) Sandy Munro is an automotive engineer who specializes in machine tools and manufacturing....

Legal Protections Franchise Dealers Have Against Direct Manufacturere Sales

As posted to CBT News on 6/14/22                 (Click Image to View Clip - Run Time: 18 min, 46 sec) Automakers have been making some unprecedented moves with regards to electric vehicles . . . so much so that many franchise dealers are becoming concerned about the future of their businesses. In this clip, automotive attorney Len Bellavia sits down virtually with Jim Fitzpatrick on CBT News' "Inside Automotive" to discuss recent factory announcements as well as his perspective on the future of the franchised dealer network model. With OEMs implying that it is their wish to implement a direct-to-consumer sales model in some form or another, Bellavia states that franchise dealers are wondering if action needs to be taken. From his perspective, the broad dealer consensus seems to be...

IRS Releases Updated Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide

On 6/1/22, the IRS made available an update to the "Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide" (Publication 5653).  Originally issued in 2004, the purpose of the Audit Techniques Guide (ATG) was to offer guidance to IRS auditors auditing cost segregation studies.  Because the ATG is an interpretation of the law, as opposed to the law itself, it cannot be cited as precedent.  It does however provide an inside look at how the IRS views this subject. The IRS maintains a library of Audit Techniques Guides (ATGs) intended to help IRS examiners during audits by providing insight into issues and accounting methods unique to specific industries. While ATGs are designed to provide guidance for IRS employees, they’re also useful to small business owners and tax professionals who prepare...

Autonomous Ride-Hailing Will Displace Industry Incumbents

As posted to the ARK Invest YouTube Channel on 5/19/22 (Run Time: 16 min, 20 sec) ARK Invest believes that autonomous ride-hailing will reduce the cost of mobility to one-eighth the average cost of ride-hail today, spurring widespread adoption and unleashing unprecedented economic productivity.  ARK believes that this could be "one of the most meaningful economic productivity delivering innovations of all time" and the GDP contribution from autonomous ride-hail systems could total around $26 trillion by 2030. Originally aired on 1/25/22, Big Ideas Summit 2022 features in-depth presentations from ARK's research team and seeks to educate attendees on the impact of breakthrough technologies and the investment opportunities they could create. (This is Blog Post #1209) ARK Invest ARK is an investment manager focused solely on disruptive innovation. Rooted in over...

SB 113 Provides Additional Relief from SALT Deduction Limits

Back in 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law which instituted a cap on the amount of state and local taxes (SALT) that individuals could report as Itemized Deductions on Schedule A.  Starting with the 2018 tax year, the maximum SALT deduction available was $10,000. Previously, there was no limit.  Since then, roughly 20 states have come up with workarounds intended to negate, or at least mitigate the effect of the SALT limitation. In 2021 California passed AB 150, which provides that, in the taxable years 2021-2025, a so-called "qualified entity" (a S corporation, partnership, or LLC taxed as a partnership or S corporation) to make an election to pay a new pass-through entity (PTE) elective tax equal to 9.3% of its...

Dont Discount the Key Person Discount

In the fourth quarter of 2021, CEO resignations were up 16% over the prior year, according to executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Recent and announced high profile departures include Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and American Airlines’ Doug Parker. This trend is expected to continue into 2022 as executives swap high-stress positions for more family time. Would your business survive if its CEO or founder suddenly jumped ship? Large public companies often have deep management structures and succession plans in place. So, they can usually recover from the loss of a C-level executive over time, except in rare instances. It’s more common for smaller businesses to depend heavily on a key person — and the actual, or even the potential, loss of that...

When Subsequent Events Count

The value of a business interest is valid as of a specific date. The effective date is a critical cutoff point because events that occur after that date generally are not taken into account when estimating value. However, there are two key exceptions when subsequent events count. (1) When an event is foreseeable Subsequent events that were reasonably foreseeable on the effective date are usually factored into a valuation. That’s because, under the definition of fair market value, hypothetical willing buyers and sellers are presumed to have reasonable knowledge of relevant facts affecting the value of a business interest. Examples of potentially relevant subsequent events are: An offer to purchase the business, A bankruptcy filing, The emergence of new technology or government regulations, A natural or...

Which OEMs Will Survive the End of the ICE Age?

As posted to the Munro Live YouTube Channel on 11/24/2021 (Run Time 46 min, 32 sec) Regarding the accelerating move to EVs, legendary automotive engineer Sandy Munro believes that OEMs are experiencing Scotoma, aka Paradigm Paralysis.  They cannot physiologically see the data that is unfolding around them.  When a paradigm shifts, success in the old paradigm will block your vision of the future.  When a paradigm changes, everything goes back to zero.  Your past success means nothing. GM promised 20 new EVs by 2023, yet they brought zero to the recent 2021 LA Auto Show. The EV technology disruption happening in the automotive industry is of an order of magnitude such that many OEMs simply will not survive.  Who's going to win when one company (or country) is thinking...

Infrastructure Law Sunsets Employee Retention Tax Credit Early

The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) was a valuable tax credit that helped employers survive the COVID-19 pandemic. A new law has retroactively terminated it before it was scheduled to end. It now only applies through September 30, 2021 (rather than through December 31, 2021) — unless the employer is a “recovery startup business.” The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA 2021), which was signed by President Biden on November 15, 2021, doesn’t have many tax provisions but this one is important for some businesses. If you anticipated receiving the ERTC based on payroll taxes after September 30 and retained payroll taxes, you must determine how and when to repay those taxes and address any other compliance issues. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)...

Chinese Vehicles are Coming - Observations from an Expert

As posted to the Now You Know YouTube Channel on 11/5/2021 (Run Time 29 min, 54 sec, when starting at time code 3:22) Now You Know sits down with legendary automotive engineer Sandy Munro in November 2021 to compare and contrast today's unfolding Chinese EV rollout with the Japanese vehicle invasion of the 1970s and 1980s.  On the Chinese EV business model, Sandy comments, "We're playing checkers . . . one move at a time.  They're playing chess.  If you're business plan is geared toward the book 'The Art of War', you'll win." (This is Blog Post #1130) Sandy Munro is an automotive engineer who specializes in machine tools and manufacturing. He joined the Ford Motor Company in 1978 and then started his own consulting company, Munro & Associates,...