Autoline This Week - Audio

Only three car companies have been able to boost sales during the pandemic, and Volvo is one of them. Anders Gustafsson, the President and CEO of Volvo Car USA, talks about how they had the right product at the right place, as well as the success of their subscription service, and their move into electrification.

Mazda is a relatively small car company that can stand toe-to-toe with the biggest automakers. So far this year it’s doing better than any other automaker in the American market, and is picking up market share. Jeff Guyton, President, Mazda North America explains how and what they’re doing.

Just a few years ago, the Chinese economy and auto industry were booming. Foreign automakers and suppliers rushed in with massive investments. Today things do not look as promising. Michael Dunne, Founder of ZoZo Go, talks about the changes and the pitfalls ahead.

Automotive startups have discovered a new way to raise a lot of money fast. They’re called reverse mergers, which involve what are called blank check companies, also known as SPACs, or Special Purpose Acquisition Companies. If you have not heard of reverse mergers, you’re going to. They’re the hottest topic in the investment community.

Volkswagen used to dominate the import segment in the American market. Today, it’s one of the smaller automakers in America. But the company is betting big on electric vehicles, and Scott Keogh, the CEO of Volkswagen of America, sees them as the key way to build market share back up again.

Because Subaru is so successful in the American market, most people don’t realize it’s actually quite a small car company. But it has the highest brand loyalty and resale value of any automaker. On this show, Tom Doll, the President and CEO of Subaru of America, talks about how they plan to keep their momentum going.

The Jeep brand grew exponentially over the last decade, mainly because it hasn’t faced much competition. That’s why Ford is bringing back the Bronco. One model is aimed right at the Jeep Wrangler, the other is aimed at the Jeep Compass. Today’s show is all about how Ford is bringing back the Bronco brand.

Automotive Lease Guide helps automakers figure out what a car will be worth in three years. That helps automakers figure out what they can charge for lease payments. It’s what they call residual values. But how do you figure out residual values? And what can car companies do to improve them? Those are the topics on this show.

Car dealers just went through the greatest economic shock that they’ve ever experienced. But right now, there are signs that the auto business is starting to recover. Even so, it’s not going to back to normal. Sandy Schwartz, CEO of Cox Automotive, says this is a teaching moment for car dealers to learn new ways to do business.

When World War II broke out the U.S. auto industry responded with alacrity, and Detroit became known as the Arsenal of Democracy. Today, with the COVID-19 crisis, the U.S. auto industry is riding to the rescue again.

China, the United States and the UK are recognized as global leaders in the development of artificial intelligence. But did you know that Canada plays an out-sized role in AI? We talk to three of Canada’s top experts in AI, and how it’s being applied in different areas of the automotive industry.

The U.S. auto industry employs nearly a million people and generates nearly one trillion dollars for the U.S. economy. The faster the auto industry gets back on its feet, the faster the U.S. economy recovers. U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell, Julie Fream, CEO of the Original Equipment Supplier Association, Steve Finlay of WardsAuto and John McElroy of Autoline.tv discuss what the industry needs.

Traditional automakers work at a much slower clock-speed than Silicon Valley. In many respects, they have to. Automobiles are very complicated pieces of machinery and can have a big impact on public safety. Even so, automakers want to speed up their clock-speed. Today’s show is about how they’re doing that.

Automakers and their suppliers desperately want to get back to normal production. If they don’t get revenue coming in soon they could face bankruptcy. But even after they restart their assembly lines, will there be customers ready to buy their cars? Today’s panel examines the challenges the auto industry faces and the likely steps it will take to get things going again.

The automotive industry made good progress over the last 30 years broadening its inclusion of women and minorities in its executive workforce. Even so, it’s falling woefully short of where it needs to be. On Autoline This Week, the panel discusses ideas and best practices on how the industry can do a better job.