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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- Can an Italian-built Jeep make it in America?
- Detroit Auto Show 2015: what we saw, what we liked, what we didn’t see, and what we didn’t care about
- Volkswagen is dominating everywhere in the world, it seems, except the U.S.

All that and much more with Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; Dave Sullivan, AutoPacific; Jeff Sabatini, Car and Driver.

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Steven Szakaly is the Chief Economist for the NADA. He talks with John McElroy about his forecast for automotive sales over the next few years including when the next downturn is likely to happen. He also weighs in on controversial long-term car loans and explains why they aren’t a problem. Additionally, he comments on the effect of gas prices on sales, millennial trends and perfecting OEM-dealer collaboration in online marketing.

Steve Lind is the President of Kelley Blue Book. He talks with John McElroy about what makes the brand as cutting edge as ever while preparing to celebrate 90 years in the business. Lind comments on pricing transparency as well as KBB’s ability to help dealers communicate with customers based on their personalized shopping patterns.

Rob Kurnick is the President of Penske Automotive. He talks with John McElroy about the company’s outlook for 2015, the state of OEM-dealer relations and how to make better use of the customer’s time in the dealership.

Steve Hill is the Vice President of Sales, Service & Marketing for General Motors. He talks with John McElroy about the company’s Shop-Click-Drive program that its dealers are using to make the car buying experience more palatable for the younger generation of drivers they want to bring into showrooms.

Jared Rowe is the President of AutoTrader. He talks with John McElroy about improving customer awareness surrounding Certified Pre-Owned vehicles. AutoTrader sees a potential 9 million certifiable vehicles re-entering the marketplace and a big opportunity for its dealer partners to earn better-than-average margins. Rowe also discusses the satisfaction gap between online and offline car shopping and potential solutions to the problem.

Sandy Schwartz is the President of Cox Automotive. He talks with John McElroy about the new company that consists of more than 20 brands whose services can be combined to provide end-to-end solutions for dealers that want to get ahead in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Schwartz explains some of the synergies that are being realized between brands like Manheim, AutoTrader and Haystak.

John Mendel is the Executive Vice President of Automotive for American Honda. He talks with John McElroy about Honda’s warning that the industry should not offer “stupid” long-term loans that hurt the customer and reflect badly on the automaker. He also explains the company’s philosophy with regard to fleet sales and says they’re focusing on making the Honda buying experience “fun.”

Reid Bigland is the Senior Vice President of U.S. Sales for FCA U.S.A. He talks with John McElroy about the company’s message to its network of dealers, which have helped make the company the fastest growing OEM in the U.S. Bigland shares his priorities for maintaining the company’s strong sales, his outlook for 2015 and more info on when additional Alfa Romeo models will appear stateside.

Janet Barnard is the President of Manheim North America. She talks with John McElroy about the company’s mobile auction solution, which she describes as an “auction in a box.” Manheim has found this offering to be an effective option for dealers with ever-shrinking margins who want to reduce their remarketing cost. Barnard also discusses the company’s new Wholesale to Retail Initiative, which was just announced at the 2015 NADA Convention in San Francisco.