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If you’ve ever wondered why some dealers win online and others don’t, it often comes down to one thing: who has better data.

JATO might not be a household name for most people in automotive retail—but quietly, for 40 years, they’ve been the data backbone behind the industry’s biggest decisions. In this conversation, Head of Retail Paul Hilton reveals how JATO has become the global source of truth for vehicle specs, pricing, options, EV attributes, and competitive insights, fueling everything from OEM strategy to dealership retailing. And even though they power 52 countries, he’s clear: the real opportunity—and the work he’s obsessed with—is giving U.S. dealers the data advantage they’ve been missing.

Paul breaks down why today’s shoppers arrive smarter than ever, why dealers are often under-equipped to match that knowledge, and how accurate option-level data can redefine used-car merchandising, valuation, and online conversion. From the complexities of EV specs to the rise of plug-ins, to why rear USB-C ports now matter more than anyone expected—this is a rare, candid look at the invisible infrastructure shaping retail automotive’s next era.

Timestamped Takeaways:

00:00 – The global data company you’ve never heard of

01:21 – What JATO actually does

02:21 – Why retail is where the real action is

03:06 – How data shapes a shopper’s decision

04:13 – The truth about VIN decoding and valuation

05:24 – EV complexity no one is talking about

06:36 – Why U.S. buyers care about range more than anyone else

07:12 – The future JATO wants to build for dealers

Connect with Paul Hilton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-hilton-27434917/

Learn more about JATO: https://www.jato.com/

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

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Most people think casinos and car dealerships live in different worlds. Until you hear Sal Scheri talk about guest experience.

As COO of Agua Caliente Casinos, Sal lays out exactly why customers will drive past multiple competitors just to get to a place that consistently delivers a better feeling — and why most businesses still underestimate what “hospitality” actually means.

From premium spas to high-energy gaming floors, Sal explains how his team builds sensory-driven experiences that make people want to come back. He also shares the story of starting his career handing out towels on an Atlantic City beach and working his way up to running one of the most respected hospitality brands in the West. This conversation is equal parts practical and memorable — especially for anyone who serves customers for a living.

Timestamped Takeaways

0:00 Intro

0:35 Why a casino shows up at the LA Auto Show

1:52 Cars, customers and casino giveaways

2:16 How hospitality has shifted to full guest experience

3:11 What makes a “favorite place” and why details matter

4:42 How they create reasons for customers to choose them

5:38 Why modern luxury is slowing down, not speeding up

6:47 Rest as part of the hospitality experience

6:54 Sal’s start: handing out towels in Atlantic City

8:19 What keeps Sal in the business decades later

9:02 Closing

Connect with Sal Scheri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saverioscheri

Learn more about Agua Caliente Casinos: https://aguacalientecasinos.com/

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

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Autonomy isn’t the future of new cars—it might be the future of used cars too.

A friend’s death pushed Will Bright to ask one question:

Why don’t most cars on the road have the safety tech that could save lives?

What he uncovered was staggering—road fatalities up 50% over the past decade, only 10% of vehicles equipped with modern pedestrian detection, and a 40+ year timeline before OEM technology reaches the full U.S. fleet.

So he built Safe Ride: a palm-sized retrofit that gives almost any car built since 2010 automatic braking, lane centering, adaptive cruise, and 100-meter pedestrian detection. Dealers have already claimed the first 5,000 units.

This conversation is a look at the future of safety—not through new car production, but through upgrading the millions of vehicles already on the road.

Timestamped Takeaways:

00:00 – The device that changes everything

01:25 – When tragedy forces a new mission

03:12 – The uncomfortable truth about road deaths

04:31 – Can you really retrofit safety into any car?

05:59 – The line between assistance and autonomy

07:13 – Why dealers jumped on the first 5,000 units

08:39 – Fixing the fleet we already have

Connect with Will Bright: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wbrght/

Learn more about Saferide: https://getsaferide.com/#hero

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

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The biggest safety challenge Honda is tackling isn’t autonomy—it’s the way people actually drive.

Honda has one of the boldest safety targets in the industry: zero traffic fatalities by 2050. It’s ambitious, but when you hear Brian Bautsch, Director of Safety Strategy, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., explain the three-part strategy behind it—technology, human behavior, and national partnerships—it starts to sound a lot more achievable. In this conversation, Brian shares how Honda is pushing both vehicle innovation and driver education at the same time, including a K–12 program already reaching nearly a million students.

We also dig into the reality of today’s safety data, why risky behavior remains the biggest hurdle, and how dealers play an essential role in helping customers understand the technology already in their cars. If you’re curious how OEMs think about the future of safety—and what it means for the people interacting with customers every day—this episode is a surprisingly practical look at where we’re heading.

Timestamped Takeaways

0:00 Intro

0:36 Honda’s zero-fatality goal

1:04 The three-part strategy behind 2050

1:29 Teaching safer behavior: K–12 education program

2:24 Reaching nearly 1M students

2:45 How modern safety tech is evolving

3:27 Preparing customers for Level 3+ autonomy

3:55 Why education builds trust with drivers

4:26 How dealers fit into Honda’s safety plan

5:10 Are we on track for safer roads?

6:00 Closing

Connect with Brian Bautsch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bautsch-947b349a/

Learn more about Honda's Safety Initiatives: https://global.honda/en/safety/policy/

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

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Everyone argues about electric cars — meanwhile, electric boats quietly solve problems the auto industry hasn’t touched.

In this episode, we sit down with Mitch Lee, co-founder and CEO of Arc Boats, a company reshaping an industry most people assumed would be the last to electrify. Gas boats are famously loud, maintenance-heavy, unreliable, and inconvenient. Arc attacks all of that at once, building fully electric wake boats and center consoles that are quiet, clean, far more reliable and — shockingly — cost-competitive with gas models today. Mitch breaks down why water is actually the perfect environment for electrification, how automotive EV supply chains gave Arc a massive head start, and why most boat owners will never go back once they drive electric.

But Arc’s ambitions go far beyond weekend recreation. The company recently announced a $160M commercial contract to electrify ship-assist tugboats, a move driven by uptime, operating cost, and the staggering inefficiency of combustion marine fleets. With a background that blends engineering, software and lifelong boating, Mitch explains why electrification solves the core pain points of marine ownership and why adoption is accelerating faster than anyone expected. If you’ve ever heard “the best boat is your friend’s boat,” this episode will make you rethink that entirely.

0:00 Intro

0:40 Why Electric Boats Make More Sense Than Electric Cars

1:23 Fixing the Worst Parts of Boating

1:43 The Most Obvious Idea No One Executed — Until Now

2:29 From Wake Boats to Tugboats: Arc’s Massive Leap Forward

2:48 The Real Reason People Switch to Electric on the Water

3:47 When Maintenance Costs More Than the Boat

4:25 The Founder Who Grew Up on the Water

5:05 The Battery Question Everyone Asks (And Why It’s a Non-Issue)

5:52 Turning Non-Boaters Into Boaters

6:16 How Arc Achieved Cost Parity With Gas

6:56 Why Commercial Fleets Are Moving Even Faster

7:09 The Future of Electric Boating

Connect with Mitch Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchjlee/

Learn more about Arc Boats: https://arcboats.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.

Most people still think flying cars are science fiction.

Pivotal is already delivering them — and you don’t even need a pilot’s license to fly one.

In one of the most future-forward conversations of the LA Auto Show series, we sit down with Cal Cruickshank of Pivotal — the company bringing personal EVTOL aircraft out of the prototype phase and into real customers’ backyards. With nearly a decade of test flights and a fully developed training program, Pivotal’s Helix isn’t a concept. It’s a recreational aircraft designed to be flown by everyday people, taking off vertically from private property and cruising up to 63 mph with surprising simplicity and safety. From the ballistic parachute to multi-system redundancy, Cal breaks down how they’ve engineered an aircraft that feels far more intuitive than traditional aviation.

But the impact goes beyond thrill-seeking hobbyists. Pivotal is already exploring applications in public safety, remote response, and defense — from getting paramedics into hard-to-reach areas to enabling remote flight and supply movement. With preorders open now and first deliveries scheduled for 2026, the Helix represents a genuine step toward a future where personal air mobility is accessible, standardized, and surprisingly practical. This episode is a rare peek behind the curtain of a company that may redefine short-range travel long before the “flying taxi” headlines catch up.

Timestamped Takeaways

0:00 Intro

0:30 The Aircraft You Can Fly With No License

1:01 Learning to Fly in Just Four Days

1:45 The Parachute You Hope to Never Use

2:13 When Flying Becomes a Recreational Hobby

2:40 Early Owners Are Already in the Sky

3:23 Why EVTOLs Make Flying More Accessible Than Ever

4:12 How High, How Fast, How Far This Thing Really Goes

5:00 The Battery Reality No One Tells You About

5:28 The Public Safety Use Cases That Could Save Lives

6:33 The True Cost of Owning Your Own Aircraft

7:12 How a 100-Person Team Is Building the Future of Flight

8:08 EVTOL Safety vs Helicopters: What Actually Matters

9:15 How to Reserve a Helix Before 2026

Connect with Cal Cruickshank: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callanj/

Learn more about Pivotal: https://www.pivotal.aero/

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!

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The car-buying journey has officially changed and it's nothing to do with dealers. It's because consumers are using AI long before they ever walk onto a lot.

Live from Automobility LA, we sit down with Amie Lindaas, Director of Research and Insights at Cars Commerce, to uncover the truth about how consumers are actually shopping in 2025. Amie reveals a striking insight: 83% of shoppers have now used an AI tool, and nearly half have used one specifically for car shopping. That means comparison shopping, research, and narrowing down choices aren’t starting on automotive sites anymore. They’re starting in ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI assistants. She breaks down what this shift means for the entire customer journey, especially when 70% of shoppers arrive at Cars.com undecided on make and model.

Amie also explains how Cars Commerce is responding with Carson — an AI-powered search tool that lets shoppers describe their needs in plain language instead of picking a make and model first. The results are staggering: higher return rates, more saved vehicles, deeper engagement, and double the number of leads. Most importantly, Amie shares how dealers should communicate with AI-informed shoppers who arrive with recommendations in hand — and why consumers still want a human to guide them through the final decision. It’s a clear look into how AI is reshaping retail auto from the very first click.

Timestamped Takeaways

0:00 Intro — Live at Automobility LA

0:40 Why Amie Loves the Customer Journey (And Lives It Herself)

1:10 The “Always In Market” Mindset of Today’s Shopper

1:52 83% of Shoppers Now Use AI — Here’s What It Means

2:50 Half of AI Users Apply It Directly to Car Shopping

3:17 Why Consumers Prefer AI for Comparisons & Deep Questions

3:56 The Big Gap: 70% Arrive Undecided on Make & Model

4:55 Carson: How Plain-Language Search Changes Everything

5:22 Why Shoppers Often Buy Something Different Than They Intended

5:50 How Carson Surfaces Vehicles Shoppers Never Considered

6:11 Early Carson Insights: Higher Engagement, More Leads, More Saves

7:00 The New Next Step: Surfacing Trade-In, Pre-Qual & Test Drive at the Right Time

8:12 Do Shoppers Trust Dealer Advice After Using AI? (Yes — 2/3 Do)

9:22 How Dealers Should Communicate With AI-Informed Shoppers

10:00 Why Relationship Still Beats Recommendation

Connect with Amie Lindaas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amie-lindaas-8b8b472/

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!

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The biggest mistake dealers make with AI? Treating it like a tool, not an ecosystem.

Recorded live at Automobility LA, this conversation with Marianne Johnson (EVP & Chief Product Officer, Cox Automotive) and David Foutz (VP of Enterprise Client Management) cuts straight through the noise surrounding AI. Instead of buzzwords, they focus on what AI can actually do for dealers today — from hyper-personalized communication that lifts appointment conversion by 26%, to intelligent agents that work on behalf of the dealership long after business hours. They lay out a simple framework every retailer should be thinking about: grow your business, protect your business, and drive efficiency. AI is no longer theoretical — Cox is already deploying generative and agentic systems that elevate productivity, improve messaging, and extend the sales team’s reach.

But the bigger story is the shift in consumer behavior. Search is no longer keyword-driven — it’s answer-driven. Consumers aren’t browsing; they’re asking. And unless dealer content is “agent-ready,” they’ll never appear in the results that matter. Marianne and David explain why orchestrated AI across DMS, CRM, service and retail experiences is now essential — not optional. The future of automotive retail won’t be won by point solutions, but by cohesive systems that follow the customer from the first question to the final signature. This episode is a masterclass in where AI is truly taking the industry.

Timestamped Takeaways

0:00 Intro — Live at Automobility LA

0:27 Bringing Warmth on a Rainy LA Day

1:22 The Three Priorities: Grow, Protect, Drive Efficiency

2:08 Why Unique Data Will Decide the Next Era of Automotive

2:24 What Dealers Are Asking for: Faster Without Losing Quality

3:13 Dealers Don’t Want the Hype — They Want Results Now

3:25 What AI Can Actually Do Today (Not in Three Years)

3:53 Hyper-Personalized Messaging That Converts at 26%+

4:55 Agentic AI: Real Assistants Doing Real Work

5:28 How Agents Handle Customer Conversations 24/7

6:08 Why Connected Data Layers Matter More Than Ever

7:36 The Consumer Side: Search Has Officially Changed

7:54 Answer Engines, Agentic SEO & Becoming “Agent Ready”

9:00 Commerce at the Edge: Transacting Without Ever Visiting a Website

9:29 Why AI Must Be Orchestrated Across the Entire Experience

9:48 Closing Thoughts — The Future Is Fully Connected

Connect with Marianne Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariannemcpeakjohnson/

Connect with David Foutz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-foutz-8459274/

Learn more about Cox Automotive: https://www.coxautoinc.com/

Our coverage of Automobility LA is brought to you by

⭐️ 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!

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