Auto Collabs
Collaboration through connection.
Hosted by Paul J Daly, Kyle Mountsier, and Michael Cirillo, Auto Collabs is your connect point to the human side of the retail automotive industry: what motivates its leaders, how they navigate change, and what keeps them pushing forward. It’s beyond-the-business-card conversations with real people powering dealerships, technology platforms, and everything in between.
From the team behind the More Than Cars movement, this podcast is built on one big belief: thriving people create thriving businesses. With candid conversations, industry insight, and just enough unfiltered banter to keep things interesting, Auto Collabs delivers authentic stories that inspire real collaboration.
// Auto Collabs is produced by Automotive State of the Union (ASOTU). Learn more at https://www.asotu.com
Episodes
227 episodes
(Re-Upload) Inspiration Over Motivation With Erroll Bomar III
This episode was originally released on April 24, 2025.In 2025, we joined up with Erroll Bomar III to bring the world the Unscripted podcast, live from the ASOTU CON floor. This was our first long-form conversation with him and the More ...
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34:22
You’re Not in the Car Business (And You Never Were)
A candid, hosts-only conversation about the mindset shift quietly transforming the automotive industry from the inside out.Somewhere between a conversation and a checkpoint, Paul J Daly, Kyle Mountsier, and Michael Cirillo zoo...
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18:58
Chinese EVs, Amazon, and the Future of the Dealer Model with Ted Smith
Behind every dealership is an unseen battle over regulation, competition, and control—and the next few years may decide who really owns the future of the automotive industry.Ted Smith has spent his career in the engine room of...
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31:34
74% of Service Customers Will Buy Again, If You Don’t Lose Them First with Shane Wilson
If service drives sales, why are dealers letting their best customers slip through the cracks?Shane Wilson, President of Connected Dealer Services, joins Auto Collabs with a bold claim: dealers don’t have a pricing problem in ...
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24:28
The TIME Dealer Nominee Who Built a Business Around Humility (Not Hype) with Emily Marlow Beck
Third-gen dealer leader Emily Marlow Beck breaks down why humility is a competitive advantage, how to become “essential” to customers, and how to lead through AI-era uncertainty without losing your heart.Emily Marlow Beck didn...
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25:06
(Re-Release) Unreasonable Hospitality = More Than Cars with Will Guidara
This episode originally released on April 4, 2024.Will Guidara has never told this story before.He’s now world-famous, a New York Times bestseller, and has appeared on talk shows, stages and podcasts. But this is the first time he...
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40:19
AI Is Only As Smart As Your “Regular-I” with Bob George | Auto Collabs
Bob George breaks down why AI won’t save automotive retail—unless the data underneath it is rock solid.Before Dealer.com became a household name in automotive tech, Bob George was employee number ~80, learning in real time how...
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27:46
How Toyota Thinks About Affordability, AI, and the Guest for Life with Marcus Williams
Managing 76 dealerships and 11% of Toyota’s U.S. sales isn’t about control—it’s about trust, care, and showing up better every day.Marcus Williams oversees Toyota’s Los Angeles Region—76 dealerships across Southern California ...
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23:16
Why Cheap Cars Can Still Be Great Cars with Alex Kwanten | Public Policy Day 2026
Live from the Washington, DC Auto Show at Public Policy Day 2026, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier sit down with Alex Kwanten, Managing Editor of U.S. News Autos, to unpack what “affordable” really means in today’s car market. Fresh off presentin...
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10:45
What Really Happens to EV Batteries After They Fail with Brian Skalovsky | Public Policy Day 2026
Live from the Washington, DC Auto Show at Public Policy Day 2026, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier sit down with Brian Skalovsky, Director of Battery Recycling at Cox Automotive, to unpack one of the least understood—but most critical—parts of th...
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8:53
Why Consumer Choice Is the Real Fight in Auto Policy with Drew Ferguson | Public Policy Day 2026
Live from the Washington, DC Auto Show at Public Policy Day 2026, Kyle Mountsier and Paul J Daly sit down with Drew Ferguson, Head of the Office of Policy and Government Affairs at Hyundai Motor Group, to unpack how automakers navigate uncertai...
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7:51
Why the Average Car Price Is Misleading Everyone with Erin Keating | Auto Collabs
Live from the Washington, DC Auto Show at Public Policy Day 2026, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier sit down with Erin Keating, Executive Analyst at Cox Automotive, to challenge one of the most repeated headlines in the industry: the $50,000 new c...
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7:58
Why The F&I Office Feels Like A Timeshare Presentation with Robert Steenbergh, Esq. | Auto Collabs
As auto loans stretch longer and negative equity piles up, one former prosecutor explains why transparency—not pressure—might be the most profitable move dealers can make.Robert Steenbergh didn’t come up through the showroom—h...
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24:18
What Chinese Vehicles in Canada Means For The USA | Public Policy Day 2025
Live from the Washington, DC Auto Show at Public Policy Day 2026, Paul J Daly sits down with John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, to unpack the rapidly shifting landscape of U.S. auto policy. With fuel economy rules und...
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7:06
Most People Don’t Want Self-Driving Cars. They Want Safer Ones | Public Policy Day 2026
Live from the Washington, DC Auto Show during Public Policy Day 2026, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier sit down with Will Bright of SafeRide AI to unpack what autonomy really means—and what consumers actually want from it. After experiencing Safe...
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11:40
Why One-Third of Americans Can’t Afford a New Car—and What Dealers Must Do Next | Public Policy Day 2026
At Public Policy Day 2026, Kyle Mountsier and Paul J Daly sit down with Jamie Darvish, owner of Darcars, to unpack the growing affordability crisis facing the automotive industry. With the average new car price now hovering around $50,000, Darv...
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9:40
How Washington Shapes What We Drive | Public Policy Day 2026
Behind every car is a chain of decisions — made by lawmakers, regulators, and executives long before the vehicle hits the road.Joe Koch from the Washington D.C. Auto Show joins us to unpack how politics, pricing, and technology collide t...
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6:50
He Built an AI Wingman for Dealers… and It’s Not What You Think with Jay Ku
Jay Ku says the next wave of AI in automotive won’t win by automating people out—it’ll win by making average teams deliver a top-tier human experience every single time.Jay’s path into automotive is the kind you don’t storyboa...
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38:12
Throwback To Our First Conversation with Senator Bernie Moreno
Since we'll be at Public Policy Day on January 21, we're releasing one of the best conversations we had at last year's event.In this episode, we sit down with Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio, a former car dealer turned policymak...
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7:00
(Re-Release) Don't Make the Process Shorter, Make It Funner with Jesse Cole of the Savannah Bananas
New episodes release Thursday.This episode was originally released in August 2023, when we had the opportunity to interview the one and only Jesse Cole.Just imagine having a dream so powerful that you'd risk everything, even mortg...
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29:39
(Re-Release) "So we had to..." with Jim McKelvey
New episodes every Thursday!This episode was originally released in July 2022.Today we're throwing back to the very first episode of Auto Collabs, where our guest was a NYT Bestselling Author, the Co-Founder of Square, the Chairm...
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49:08
What Auto Investment Really Does to American Communities with Drew Ferguson | The Merge 2025
Recorded live at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation's The Merge 2025, this episode features Drew Ferguson, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis, sharing a deeply personal view of what automotive investme...
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10:46
The Fight for America’s Auto Future with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell | The Merge 2025
Recorded live at Merge 2025, this episode of Auto Collabs features Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan, a lifelong advocate for the auto industry and someone whose personal and professional history is deeply tied to it. From growi...
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9:09
Inside Mercedes-Benz’s Biggest Product Push Ever with North American CEO Jason Hoff | The Merge 2025
Recorded live at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation's the Merge 2025, this episode of Auto Collabs features Jason Hoff, CEO of Mercedes-Benz North America, sharing a clear look at where the brand is headed—and what that means for dealers. H...
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5:42
China Is the Only Story That Matters Right Now with Michael Dunne | The Merge 2025
Recorded live at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation's the Merge 2025, this episode features Michael Dunne, one of the most respected global analysts on the Chinese auto industry. From his vantage point tracking China for decades, Dunne deli...
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9:01