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From Kentucky minivan launches to Tokyo auto shows to the Wall Street Journal—Jamie Butters has been shaping automotive news for decades, and now he’s taking that storytelling to an even bigger stage.

In this episode, Paul J Daly sits down with veteran automotive journalist Jamie Butters, fresh off his transition from Automotive News to the Wall Street Journal. Jamie recounts his path from covering Toyota’s first U.S.-built Sienna in the late ’90s to reporting on the industry’s most pivotal bankruptcies, technological leaps, and retail shifts. He shares what it’s like to learn the business from the manufacturing floor up, why hybrid tech’s “overnight” success took decades, and how the view changes when you go from niche trade coverage to a global financial publication.

The conversation digs into the future of journalism in an AI-driven world—why algorithms can’t replace relationships, why trust is the most valuable currency in news, and why every retail automotive pro should read beyond industry headlines. From geopolitical EV battles to dealer lot realities, Jamie explains how the Wall Street Journal will bring broader context to the business of selling cars, and why that matters now more than ever.

Takeaways:

0:00 – Why Automotive Needs Real Journalists, Not Just Headlines

0:56 – Why Jamie Butters’ Move to the Wall Street Journal Matters for Retail Auto

3:26 – From Kentucky to Tokyo: Learning the Industry Through Toyota’s Lens

4:07 – Seeing Hybrids Before the World Was Ready

5:48 – Why You Can’t Legislate Technology Adoption Overnight

8:55 – The Financial Crisis Years: Inside GM and Chrysler Bankruptcies

13:45 – Why Every Automotive Career Should Start with Industry Awareness

14:19 – Dealers Need Global Context, Not Just Local News

16:21 – The Value of Competing News Sources in a Polarized World

17:28 – AI Can Summarize Facts, But It Can’t Build Trust

19:30 – How Human Journalists Will Remain Essential in the AI Era

21:21 – What Jamie Will Cover Next at the Wall Street Journal

Connect with Jamie Butters at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-butters-909ba45/

Read The Wall Street Journal at https://www.wsj.com

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