Full Throttle, a Presidio Podcast

In this episode of Full Throttle , host Jason Stein sits down with Kevin Tynan, Director of Research at The Presidio Group, for a revealing look under the hood of the automotive industry's most pressing shifts. Kevin breaks down the latest dealership performance benchmarks and uncovers the real drivers of profit in today’s post-inventory-reset landscape. From shrinking margins in new vehicle...

🎉 Full Throttle Episode 50 | Inside the Auto Industry with Matt Bowers of Matt Bowers Auto Group In this milestone 50th episode of Full Throttle, we sit down with Matt Bowers—President, Founder & Chairman of Matt Bowers Auto Group—for an unfiltered conversation on today’s auto retail landscape. We dive into: 📈 Matt’s take on the 2025 market so far 🧠 His viral “Market Observations” on Linked...

In this powerful episode of Full Throttle, Presidio Managing Director and host Jason Stein sits down with Jeff Brown, President of Hendrick Automotive Group, to explore the personal journey, strategic vision, and people-first leadership that now drive the nation’s largest privately held automotive retail organization. After a successful tenure as CEO of Ally Financial, Jeff took “the call he’d alw...

For our 48th episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Matt Nuffort, Director at Amazon Autos. Topics of discussion include why Amazon is getting into the automotive retail space, partnering with dealers and the benefits coming from that, their plans for expanding and enhancing operations for the future, and much more! 0:00 Intro 2:55 - What drew Amazon to the automotive retail space 5:01 - Gaini...

For our 47th episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Jimmy Douglas, Founder & CEO of Plug. Topics of discussion include what Plug is and what they do for the used EV market, his background at Tesla and working with Elon Musk, why dealers should be working with his company, and much more! 0:00 Intro 2:46 - How uncertainty & volatility in EV market is affecting Plug 4:45 - Plug’s business...

In Episode 46 of Full Throttle, we sit down with Roger Penske, Chairman of Penske Corporation. In this conversation, Roger shares stories about the influence of his father, Jay Penske, how he acquired his first dealership, the current landscape of auto retail, and—of course—his legendary involvement in racing. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to stay up to date with future episodes! Ti...

For our 45th episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Michael Dunne, President of Dunne & Company Ltd. & CEO of ZoZo Go. Topics of discussion include why and how China is dominating the global auto market, when Chinese cars might be finally sold in the US and Canada, popular Chinese car brands being sold across the world, and much more! 0:00 Intro 4:08 - Popularity and acceptance of Chin...

For our 44th episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Mike Stanton, NADA President and CEO. Topics of discussion include NADA’s letter to VW about reconsidering Scout’s distribution plan, proving the value of dealers in a third party study, where the NADA stands on tariffs and mandates, and much more! 0:00 Intro 2:27 - NADA’s letter to VW & why Scout wants to do direct-to-consumer distributi...

In the 43rd episode of Full Throttle, we’re joined by U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno for an in-depth discussion on President Trump's recent tariff announcements made on April 2nd. Don’t miss this timely conversation on trade policy and its potential impact on the U.S. economy. 0:00 Intro 2:26 The News of the Week  6:21 Senator Moreno’s Recently Drafted Bill 9:09 The Effect on Dealers  11:03 A “Ta...

For our 42nd episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Kevin Tynan, Director of Research at The Presidio Group. Topics of discussion include discussion of what he calls “The Tariff Pandemic”, implications and what to expect from the current tariff situation, how this could be another reset for the automotive industry, and much more! 0:00 Intro 2:28 - The “Tariff Pandemic” 5:29 - The challenges fa...

For our 41st episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Eric Flow, COO at Flow Automotive Companies. Topics of discussion include what 2025 is looking like for them, strategies for making things easier for the customer, perspectives and the current state of EVs, and much more! 0:00 Intro 3:08 - What 2025 is looking like & finishing strong in 2024 7:52 - How the market has changed from pre-COVI...

For our 40th episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Jay Vijayan, Founder and CEO of Tekion. Topics of discussion include the current state of DMS, Tekion's plans for deploying capital that they have acquired, Tekion's legal battles with CDK, and much more! 0:00 Intro  4:53 The state of DMS today  8:36 The road to fulfilling Tekion’s vision  12:40 Product implementation  18:21 The leg...

For our 39th episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Paul Walser. Topics of discussion include how dealers and OEMs are navigating regulatory uncertainty, Paul's attitude toward growth, the current state of affordability, and much more!  0:00 Intro  2:45 Interview begins  7:46 OEMs navigating uncertainty  11:40 If you're not growing you're dying  14:44 Affordability  17:53 EVs   ...

For our 38th episode, we are joined by Rich Sands, CEO of Stella Automotive AI. Topics of discussion include how customers feel about interacting with AI, where Stella AI is going, some of the large partnerships that Stella AI is now involved in, and much more.  Check out The Presidio Group on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-presidio-group-llc/ And The Presidio Group's Websit...

For our 37th episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Corina Diehl, CEO of Diehl automotive group. Topics of discussion include Corina's exciting start to the new year, a look back on 2024, and much more!  0:00 Intro  5:25 Corina’s Year in 2024  11:55 What do Brands Need to do? 16:13 What Happened with Stellantis in 2024 21:15 Reflecting on Corina’s 20 Years in the Industry  Check out The P...

For our 36th episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Kevin Tynan, Director of Research at The Presidio Group. Topics of discussion include what we can look forward to in 2025 as well as what to look out for, Amazon entering into the auto industry, and much more. Tune in now and don't forget to like the video and subscribe!  0:00 Intro  3:32 Concerns for 2025  8:20 A Scary Statistic  11:39...

For our 35th episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Don Hicks, President and CEO of Shortline Auto Group. Topics of discussion include the future of EVs and biofuels, the threats to the franchise dealership model, China's position in the automobile market, and much more. Tune in now and don't forget to subscribe!  Intro: 0:00 5:34 Propulsion alternatives for everyone  9:21 The electi...

Presidio Multimedia and Events Director Jason Stein interviews Kendall Rawls of the Rawls Group to discuss succession from a more approachable perspective. How to tackle the tough topics with a bit more grace? Kendall shares the Rawls story.  0:00 Intro  2:53 The Genesis of Dr. Merlot  6:30 Dr. Merlot at NADA  9:20 Making Succession more Palatable  15:03 The Most Common Succession Mistake 19:54 se...

Presidio Multimedia and Events Director Jason Stein interviews retail industry expert Glenn Mercer, to discuss industry disruption, the direct-to-consumer model and the future of the retail industry. 0:00 Intro 2:14 A History of Disruptors  14:55 Glenn’s Predictions from 7 Years Ago  16:43 Existential Threats to the Traditional Dealership Model   21:55 Can China Change the Industry in America?  24...

For our 32nd episode of Full Throttle, we are joined by Mack McLarty, Chairman of McLarty Associates. Topics of discussion include climate change, the upcoming election, the state of the automotive retail world, and much more. Tune in and don't forget to subscribe to Full Throttle!  0:00 Intro  4:40 Climate Change  8:04 Is the United States a Leader or a Lagger? 10:02 The Upcoming Election’s...

Tune in now to Full Throttle: The meeting point for automotive retail and technology.   Presidio Multimedia and Events Director Jason Stein interviews Presidio’s Managing Director, Keith Style, to discuss the upcoming Presidio Auto Technology Summit. We talk speakers, themes and trends ahead of the Oct. 23 event in Denver.   Tune in every month for insights from the insiders.   Full Throttle, a Pr...

Tune in now for Episode 30: Jason Stein interviews Warren Henry Auto Group’s Executive General Manager and third-generation leader, Larry Zinn, about the challenges of the current retail market, as well as Warren Henry’s desire to innovate and invest in technology. 0:00 Intro  5:31 Interest Rates and Dealership Operations 10:02 Dealing with the CDK Outage  14:40 Warren Henry’s Current Approach to...

Tune in now for Episode 29: Jason Stein interviews Kevin Tynan, Presidio’s Director of Research, to talk about the challenges facing automakers and dealers. From inventory to truck dependance to EVs and transaction pricing – there is much to discuss on the roadway to a final quarter of 2024. 0:00 Intro  3:53 The 4 Buckets of Pain  9:18 Truck Mix Shift  14:14 Overflowing EV Inventory  16:50 Afforda...

Tune in now for Episode 28: Jason Stein interviews Chris Walsh, President of Reynolds & Reynolds, to discuss the latest in cybersecurity and the aftermath of the recent industry-rattling moment.    We also talk AI, productivity and dealers unlocking the ability to do more with less. Chris Walsh has been with Reynolds for more than 35 years, holding various leadership roles in business developm...

Tune in now for Season 2, episode 7: Jason Stein interviews Sandy Schwartz, CEO, Cox Family Office, to talk about an illustrious 40-year career at Cox, as well as his view on lessons learned -- and lessons that could be applied for all entrepreneurs and innovators. 0:00 Intro 5:00 How Sandy ended up with Cox  7:45 Sandy invented Automotive Tech  14:35 Sandy's advice to entrepreneurs  18:50 Wh...