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This exclusive interview series from Automobility LA at the LA Auto Show is brought to you by Cars Commerce.

The next battle for customer loyalty won’t be won in the service drive… but in their driveway.

Recorded live at the LA Auto Show, this roundtable pulls together three very different perspectives with one shared problem: the customer has moved on, but most service departments haven’t. With Joe Castellino from a multi-store group, Eve Barcelo from a single-point Toyota dealership, and Cody Collins representing General Motors’ fleet and commercial arm, the conversation rips into how Amazon, DoorDash, and on-demand everything have completely rewritten expectations around convenience, timing, and control. The old “drag them to the dealership” model is colliding with a world where customers have 16 other places they can service their vehicle — and they’re taking those options.

What starts as a talk about mobile service turns into a masterclass on retention, infrastructure, and brand perception. The group breaks down how recalls and software flashes are being handled in customers’ driveways, how rental fleets are now demanding on-site service, and why some dealers went from one mobile unit to three in six months. They’re honest about the mistakes (like trying to DIY mobile service out of a random vehicle) and clear about the upside: you won’t get rich off mobile service alone, but it might be the single biggest lever for keeping customers loyal over the 13 years they hold onto a car.

Timestamped Takeaways

0:00 Why Service Is Changing Faster Than Sales

0:08 Three Perspectives: A Dealer Group, a Single-Point Store & an OEM

2:23 The Consumer Has Changed… and Dealers Haven’t

3:14 The “16 Other Options” Problem No One Wants to Admit

4:54 Why Convenience Became the New Currency in Service

5:27 How Toyota’s First Mobile Dealer Made the Leap

6:06 Recalls at the Customer’s Doorstep: The Reality of 2025 Service

7:12 Fleet & Rental Demand: When Enterprise and Avis Start Calling You

9:37 When One Mobile Van Turns Into Three — in Six Months

11:24 The DIY Mobile Service Disaster Every Dealer Tries Once

13:01 OEM View: The Push to Modernize the Entire Service Experience

15:59 The Real ROI: Retention, Loyalty & Winning the Long Game

18:06 Mobile Service as Infrastructure — Not a Side Project

Connect with Joe Castelino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecastelino

Connect with Ephraim Barcelo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ephraim-barcelo-a464aa135

Connect with Cody Collins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-c-b31aa81b

Learn more about Curbee: https://www.curbee.com/

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This exclusive interview series from Automobility LA at the LA Auto Show is brought to you by Cars Commerce.

Auto shows aren’t dying — they’re evolving. And according to someone who runs LA’s, they may be more important to the industry now than at any point in the last decade.

Recorded live at the LA Auto Show, this episode goes behind the curtain with the person responsible for building one of the most influential automotive events in the world. Andy Steinhauser, Director of Business Development, explains how a 118-year-old show is reinventing itself for a new generation of buyers, media, and industry leaders. From food trucks to multi-track thought leadership sessions, Andy shares how LA has shifted from a traditional OEM exhibit to a full automotive culture experience — one designed to spark curiosity, influence decisions, and get consumers into the “car-buying ether.”

But this isn’t nostalgia for auto shows. Andy lays out a sharp, honest case for why manufacturers should still show up, how conquesting happens in ways the industry underestimates, and why the two fastest-growing segments — huge adventure vehicles and small affordable EVs — reflect the psychology and economics of America today. Whether you’re an OEM, dealer, analyst, or just someone who loves car culture, this conversation reframes how auto shows fit into the future of automotive retail, branding, and decision-making.

Timestamped Takeaways

0:00 Intro — Live at LA Auto Show

0:18 How a “Small and Mighty” Team Builds a Massive Auto Event

0:59 Why LA Uses Food Trucks and Culture to Redefine the Auto Show Experience

2:15 Who Actually Comes to Automobility LA (And Why It Matters)

3:34 The Truth About OEM Pullback — And Why Shows Still Work

3:58 118 Years of Auto Shows: Reinvention vs. Relevance

4:49 “People Pay to See Your Car — You Should Probably Be There”

5:40 How Auto Shows Shortcut the Entire Car-Shopping Experience

6:46 The Conquesting Power of Auto Shows (You Can’t Replicate This Online)

7:59 Two Automotive Trends Running Side-by-Side: Big Adventure vs. Small EVs

9:06 Why Industry People Need to Attend Automobility LA

10:10 Andy on the Rise of New Media at Auto Shows

10:24 Closing Thoughts & Invitation for 2026

Connect with Andy Steinhauser: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andysteinhauser/

Learn more about the LA Auto Show: https://laautoshow.com/

Our coverage of Automobility LA is brought to you by our friends at Cars Commerce: https://www.carscommerce.inc/

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This exclusive interview series from Automobility LA at the LA Auto Show is brought to you by Cars Commerce.Car buyers are experiencing more than just stress. They’re panicking.Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Jenni Newman joins us with a front-row view of the fear, confusion, and pressure buyers are carrying into showrooms today. She explains why auto shows have become one of the last places where consumers can reset, slow down, and get clarity by actually touching the thing they’re about to spend more money on than almost anything else in their lives.But this isn’t just about shoppers — it’s about the industry waking up. Jenni shares how affordability has reshaped expectations, why tools like Cars.com’s new AI assistant matter right now, and what she learned driving global EVs the U.S. doesn’t even sell. From insurance shocks to BYD test drives, she makes one thing clear: understanding the modern car buyer requires empathy, transparency, and a willingness to face how much the world has changed.Takeaways0:00 Intro & Live From the LA Auto Show0:57 Why Auto Shows Still Matter for Consumers1:44 The Energy Auto Shows Bring to the Industry2:16 How Hands-On EV Experiences Change Shopper Decisions2:44 The 2025 Affordability Problem for Car Buyers3:53 Payment Shock, Insurance Hikes, and Rising Anxiety4:53 How Dealers Can Support Stressed-Out Shoppers5:33 Carson: Cars.com’s New AI Shopping Assistant6:22 The Shift Toward Conversational Car Shopping7:03 Inside the World Car Awards Jury7:39 What Jenni Learned Driving Global EVs (BYD and More)10:16 Why Driving Feel Still Matters More Than TechConnect with Jenni Newman at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennilnewman/Our coverage of Automobility LA is brought to you by our friends at Cars Commerce: https://www.carscommerce.inc/

⭐️ Love the podcast? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your LinkedIn or Instagram handle so we can thank you personally! We have a daily email! 

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This exclusive interview series from Automobility LA at the LA Auto Show is brought to you by Cars Commerce.

LA28 is coming, and Honda plans to be at the center of it. Here’s how.

Recorded live at the LA Auto Show, this conversation dives into one of Honda’s biggest brand moments in decades: its multi-year partnership with the LA28 Olympics and Team USA. Assistant Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Symington reveals how Honda plans to merge its technology, mobility portfolio, and decades-long community relationships into a global stage moment—one designed not just to elevate the brand, but to serve athletes directly. From wind-tunnel testing bobsleds to preparing entire fleets of sustainable vehicles for the Games, she explains how Honda is building a presence that goes far beyond logos and commercials.

But this episode also steps back into the realities of the consumer marketplace. Jennifer talks candidly about Honda’s relationship with Gen Z, the shifting EV landscape, and how the company is adapting as incentives change and demand evolves. And for longtime Honda fans, she shares how one of the brand’s most iconic innovations—the humanoid robot ASIMO—lives on inside Honda’s next wave of EVs. It’s a rare look at how a legacy brand balances heritage, global culture, and an entirely new generation of buyers.

0:00 The Conversation Starts in the Heart of LA’s Future Olympic Stage

0:29 Why Honda Is Stepping Onto the World Stage With Team USA

1:24 How Honda Plans to Support Olympians Beyond Just Sponsorship

1:38 Inside Honda’s Wind-Tunnel Work Helping the U.S. Bobsled Team

2:48 The Real Reason Honda Wants to Power the LA28 Games

2:51 What Massive Activations Teach Honda About Community Influence

3:20 How Olympic Dreams Align With Honda’s Core Identity

4:14 Honda’s Wake-Up Call: Understanding Gen Z’s New Expectations

5:07 The EV Slowdown and How Honda Is Responding With Its Own Products

5:33 The RSX and Zero Series: Honda’s Next Big Bet on Electrification

5:54 The Surprising Legacy of ASIMO — And Its Rebirth Inside Honda’s EVs

6:46 Why Honda Believes Its Best Stories Are Still Ahead

Connect with Jennifer Symington: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwirthsymington/

Learn more about Honda’s Olympic plans: https://www.honda.com/teamusa

Our coverage of Automobility LA is brought to you by our friends at Cars Commerce: https://www.carscommerce.inc/v

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Igor Skinder has seen every side of the car business—and he still believes people matter more than the metal.

Today’s guest is Igor “Iggy” Skinder, a self-proclaimed car guy who somehow manages to be both physically imposing and one of the sweetest, most grounded humans in the room. Born in former Yugoslavia, Igor grew up three hours from a VW plant, fell in love with the legendary Golf GTI, survived a brutal civil war, and arrived in small-town New Holland, Pennsylvania as a teenage refugee who didn’t speak English. Fast-forward a few years and he’s roaming local lots, hustling his way into a part-time gig at a tiny VW/Audi store, turning internet leads into a thing, and eventually becoming the CPO guy in his region.

From there, Igor moves into the franchise world and ultimately to Volkswagen of America, where he serves as National Operations & Strategy Manager for U.S. car operations and CPO. Paul digs into what that job actually looks like—residual values, incentive timing, production planning, red tape—and why incentives dropped mid-month can destroy trust at the retail level. They unpack the dealer–OEM tension, why most of us are definitely not in the same boat (just the same ocean), and Igor’s take on EVs, Scout, service capacity, and agency models. And in true Auto Collabs fashion, you’ll also hear how Igor once turned down “life-changing money” to buy a store because he refused to sacrifice time with his young daughters—proof that for him, this business isn’t just about units and margins, it’s about the humans in the middle of it all.

Takeaways

0:00 – “I Was Low-Key Afraid of Him”: First Impressions of a Giant Softie

1:45 – Why His Friends Call Him “Iggy” (and the 90s Euro Pop Star Behind It)

4:40 – Loving Cars vs. Loving People: The Line His Daughter Holds Him To

6:40 – Growing Up in a War Zone: How Yugoslavia’s Collapse Shaped His View of Conflict

8:13 – $20, One Suitcase, and a Horse & Buggy: Landing in Small-Town Pennsylvania

11:23 – The First VW Job: Washing His Own Car Turned Into a Career in Used Cars

13:53 – Becoming “The CPO Guy”: How a York, PA Store Beat Downtown LA

15:55 – Inside VW of America: What Running U.S. CPO Strategy Really Looks Like

20:38 – “We’re Not in the Same Boat”: The Real Gap Between OEMs and Dealers

25:04 – Why Mid-Month Incentives Destroy Customer Trust (and Dealership Morale)

29:27 – Igor’s Take on Scout, EV Anxiety, and the Risky Bet Dealers Are Being Asked to Make

34:37 – Fixed Ops, Tech Shortages & Absorption: The Bloodline No One Wants to Talk About

38:05 – Turning Down Life-Changing Money: Choosing His Daughters Over Owning a Store

Connect with Igor Skinder at https://www.linkedin.com/in/igorskinder/

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This former teacher used simple, repeatable hospitality—not buzzwords—to scale and auto group.

Today’s guest, Adam Gaedke helped steer a dealership group through hyper-growth, an ESOP transition, and a full-blown culture shift rooted in hospitality. Starting as a salesperson, Adam rode the wave from one store to 18 in 18 months, sat on the board during the employee-ownership transition, and learned what it really takes to make “guest experience” more than a poster on the wall.

Along the way, he swapped the industry’s old secrecy for radical transparency: ask customers how they want to buy, train for small touches that compound, and build processes that make great service the default.

In this conversation with Paul, Kyle, and Michael (with a cameo on Kazakhstani dealership hospitality), Adam breaks down the brass tacks: greeting standards, appointment confirmations that feel like a welcome, feedback loops that actually get used, and the uncomfortable—but loving—discipline of exiting non-fits fast.

His thesis is simple: most guests intend to buy when they walk in; your job is to remove the friction and honor their time. Guest experience isn’t just a metric, it’s a mindset you can operationalize—one touchpoint at a time.

Takeaways

0:00 The $0 Habit That Signals Hospitality

1:43 LinkedIn ‘Swipe Right’: How Real Collabs Start

2:54 From Six Months Teaching to Record Month Selling

4:52 “That’s Cute… But What Will You Do?”

9:26 Stop Gaming CSI, Start Earning It

11:39 The Ritz-Level Appointment Confirmation

13:11 Why We’re Not Saying ‘Digital Retailing’

15:12 Assume Intent to Buy, Then Remove Friction

16:39 “How Would You Like to Purchase Today?”

17:02 Operationalizing Care: Scripts, Follow-Up, and Video

21:18 Scaling to 18 Stores Without Losing the Plot

23:00 The Kindest Hard Thing: Fast Non-Fit Exits

Connect with Adam Gaedke on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgaedke/

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If your appraisals still start with a sharpie on a worksheet, this one’s for you. 

Derek Hansen has lived in the deep end of dealer data—Manheim to vAuto—helping thousands of rooftops translate live market signals into real-world inventory wins. In this conversation with Paul and Kyle, he walks through the three-legged stool every modern dealer needs: superior data, purpose-built workflows, and performance management that respects each store’s strategy. 

Translation: less guessing, more learning loops.

The discussion digs into where AI is actually working right now (pricing probabilities, instant merchandising, smarter appraisals) and where human judgment still matters (trust, context, and the “who” behind every vehicle’s next owner).

Over the next year, Derek’s challenge to dealers is simple: test everything. Small experiments create clarity, build confidence, and keep your team ahead of the curve.

Takeaways

0:00 — Why showing the real you is the best PR

2:26 — Derek Hansen’s path from Bain and finance to the world of dealer data

2:51 — What outsiders miss about 18,000 dealers and their wildly different strategies

6:18 — How software can serve everyone without serving no one

9:23 — The 3-legged stool: data, focused workflows, and hands-on performance management

10:30 — The AI adoption gap: why saying you’re using AI isn’t the same as doing it

13:15 — From guessing to predicting with probability-based pricing and smarter appraisals

15:07 — Trust at the booth: damage scans, recon estimates, and printouts that close deals

17:12 — The 12-month warning: if you’re not testing, your reputation will show it

18:39 — Low-lift testing: offers, anchors, and incentives worth experimenting with

20:21 — Avoiding the AI race to the bottom by remembering every buyer values differently

23:27 — Iteration in public: small tests beat big promises every time

Connect with Derek Hansen at https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-hansen-6a7a941/

Learn more about vAuto at https://www.vauto.com

⭐️ Love the podcast? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your LinkedIn or Instagram handle so we can thank you personally! We have a daily email! 

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What if one number could cut burnout, fix your follow-up, and turn “lost” leads into lifetime service customers?

Kristine Lentz from Urban Science joins Auto Collabs for her first-ever podcast—and promptly makes everyone smile while talking about the least smiley topic in retail: customer defection. From starting in support to leading a team, Kristine lays out how dealers can spot where customers slip away, why our instincts often lie, and how to turn cold data into warm conversations that actually convert.

We get into the uncomfortable stuff—ego vs evidence, “those lead sources are trash” (spoiler: they’re often not), and why about 20% of the leads in your CRM may have already purchased elsewhere. The unlock? Use defection as your North Star to stop chasing ghosts, redirect messaging, and re-humanize sales. In a world racing toward AI-everything, Kristine argues that human is the new premium—and shows how to deploy people exactly where they matter most.

Timestamps

0:00 — First-Time Guest, Big Topic

2:12 — Salesperson to Data Sherpa

3:53 — The “Dealer Reality Check”

8:53 — Your North Star Isn’t Sales—It’s Defection

10:07 — Ego Off, Evidence On

11:20 — The Lead Source Myth

12:28 — The 20% You Should Stop Calling

12:57 — Flip the Script, Win the Relationship

15:57 — Human > Bot (Used Wisely)

18:45 — Human Is the New Premium

21:17 — Culture That Connects

24:50 — Action List for Dealers

Connect with Kristine Lentz at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristine-lentz-a2582910b/

Learn more about Urban Science at https://www.urbanscience.com

⭐️ Love the podcast? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your LinkedIn or Instagram handle so we can thank you personally! We have a daily email! 

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Apple Store energy meets Ford retail as JB Burnett builds a concierge dealership that actually fits how people buy.

Today’s guest, JB Burnett (GM at Preston Automotive Group), went from serving tables at 20 to running his first dealership at 23. He’s now opening what Ford calls the world’s first Signature 2.0 facility—a wide-open, concierge-style showroom where advisors work on iPads, coffee comes before paperwork, and financing options hit the screen in about a minute and a half. He’s betting big that the future of car buying isn’t one lane—it’s dozens—and the store should flex to match every guest’s journey.

We get into the “why” behind the build: Apple-like consult spaces, a barista bar that starts the experience, and tech (AutoFi) that connects online starts to in-store finishes without the dreaded “let me ask my manager” lap. We also talk team prep, culture shifts, and why experiential retail is resurging right as everyone debates online vs. in-store. Spoiler: a dealership isn’t just a place to transact—it’s a place people actually want to be.

0:00 — The Apple Store Feeling That Broke the Dealership Mold

3:54 — Meet JB: From Server to GM at 23 (and What Flipped the Switch)

4:37 — “I Wouldn’t Buy a Car From Me” — The Brutally Honest Epiphany

7:18 — Why Some People Need 8 Hours—and Others Want the Keys in 8 Minutes

10:12 — Inside Ford’s Signature 2.0: Barista Bar, iPads, and Zero Cubicles

15:45 — Weeks From Opening: The First Signature 2.0 Store in the World

18:37 — The 90-Second Finance Loop: AutoFi + RouteOne Changes the Game

20:49 — Open Lines of Sight = Open Trust: Service and Sales Merge

23:20 — Moving a Dealership a City Away: Why Environment Elevates Behavior

24:24 — From Salespeople to Concierges: Training the Mindset, Not Just the Tools

27:20 — Physical Retail Isn’t Dying—Bad Experiences Are

28:38 — Experiential Retail Wins: Make the Store a Place People Choose to Be

Connect with JB Burnett at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jb-burnett-14534626/

Learn more about the Preston Auto Group at https://www.prestonmotor.com/

⭐️ Love the podcast? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your LinkedIn or Instagram handle so we can thank you personally! We have a daily email! 

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Streaming is splintered, AI is the new TV guide, and last-click is dead—Michael Kraut lays out the dealer playbook for what’s next.

Auto Collabs history: our first ever in-studio guest! Experian’s Michael Kraut sits down with Paul to map the new media reality—where streaming splinters attention, Yahoo and Amazon quietly re-emerge as ad heavyweights, and AI agents become the front door to what we watch and how we buy. Marketing isn’t just media, it’s math—and Michael explains how identity, enrichment, and hygiene turn messy dealer data into competitive advantage.

We dig into practicals dealers can act on today: service as a growth engine, outcome-based measurement borrowed from retail media, and the signals that actually predict lift. We also get real about affordability, totaled-vehicle dynamics, fewer true “new” model launches, and a Gen Z buyer who cares more about tech than badge. Plus a little Syracuse nostalgia and a hot take: we may all be headed back to a cable-like bundle (with AI riding shotgun).

Takeaways

0:00 — Our First In-Studio Guest & Why Being In-Person Changes the Conversation

0:58 — “We’re Building More Sets”: The Plan to Bring Dealers to Syracuse

3:17 — From Circuit City to CarMax: Why Adaptation Beats Legacy Every Time

4:11 — LinkedIn’s Organic Reach Is Gone: What We’d Do Differently (x5 Harder)

6:42 — Your Ads Are Everywhere (and Nowhere): The Platform Explosion No One Can Manage

8:32 — Streaming Fatigue Is Real: Why “Cable 2.0” Might Win the Sunday Sports Fight

10:32 — AI As Your TV Guide: Voice-In, Watch-Now, With Ads Baked Into the Agent

12:46 — Your Best Data Isn’t for Sale: CRM/DMS Hygiene as the Unfair Advantage

16:33 — Stop Worshiping Last-Click: How Outcome-Based Marketing Actually Looks in Auto

18:32 — Measuring Lift the Real Way: Service RO Signals, Search Intent & Scheduling

24:07 — What We’ll Talk About at NADA: Fixed Ops as the 2025 Growth Thesis

25:22 — Affordability Won’t Blink: Totals, Insurance, and the Case for Keeping Cars Longer

26:32 — Fewer True Launches, More Rebadges: Why Creative Has to Sell Utility, Not Novelty

27:17 — Gen Z Isn’t Loyal to Badges: If the Tech Works, They’ll Switch

29:23 — From 13 Subscriptions to One Bill: The Bundle Is Coming Back (With Hyper-Personalization)

Connect with Michael Kraut at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kraut-1b9b3/

Learn more about Experian Automotive at https://www.experian.com/automotive/

⭐️ Love the podcast? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your LinkedIn or Instagram handle so we can thank you personally! We have a daily email! 

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