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
Auto Collabs
Inside Honda’s Olympic Strategy with Jennifer Symington
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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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