Latest / Auto Collabs / How Washington Shapes What We Drive | Public Policy Day 2026

Transcript

How Washington Shapes What We Drive | Public Policy Day 2026 · Auto Collabs

• 0:00
  On this episode of Auto Collabs, we're live at the Washington, D.C. Auto Show for Public Policy Day 2026, brought to you by our friends at Safelite.
• 0:13
  All right, we're here with now our old friend, Joe Koch, Vice President of Operations for Public Policy Day- Yep... and the show in general. Yep. And, uh, you're a busy man right now. A little bit.
• 0:22
  A little bit, but never too busy to have a few, have a few minutes with you guys. There you go. Well, congrats on getting the show again together this year, and, uh, we... It's a gorgeous day outside.
• 0:31
  I'm, I'm- Thank you for that... excited to talk to you. Of course, yeah. Yeah, thanks for making sure it's gorgeous. You're welcome. Yeah, yeah. We dial up the weather exactly...
• 0:36
  Well, I guess maybe we don't dial up the weather exactly like we want to, based on what's about to happen here in Washington in a little bit. Yeah, last year was- For today, though. Yeah.
• 0:42
  Uh, we, we started coming here two years ago. This is our third year here, and we've been really, um, obsessed with the conversations that have, that happen on a day like Policy Day here.
• 0:54
  And I think that it's something that just many people don't know even exists- Right... in the, in the automotive conversation. So talk about kind of how it got started and where it is today. Sure.
• 1:03
  Well, I mean, the, the bottom line is the cars that are sold, the cars that you drive every day, they won't have a road to drive on, and you won't have anything to drive in unless the people here in Washington, D.C.
• 1:12
  are making decisions about how those cars are manufactured, sold, what goes into them, not only to get you to from point A to point B, but to get you there safely.
• 1:20
  So Public Policy Day really is a, the intersection of automotive policy and the industry that produces these cars. We are, uh, the premier forum for the entire world for having these conversations.
• 1:34
  This is where all of the poli- de- policy decisions happen in the country that dictate how these cars are made and how they're sold. So, uh, what, what are the highlights this year? Who's on tap?
• 1:44
  Uh, this year we have the US Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy. He's gonna be here in just a little bit. He is a, a, a great speaker.
• 1:51
  If you've never heard him speak live, I would highly encourage everyone to stick around for that.
• 1:55
  Uh, we have Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Congresswoman Bob L- uh, Congressman Bob Latta, and NHTSA administrator, Jonathan Morrison, among others. I mean, the whole lineup is fantastic.
• 2:04
  So, um, if you're listening to this, if you're somewhere within earshot and you wanna come down to the grand lobby to enjoy Public Policy Day today, highly encourage you to do that.
• 2:12
  What are, what are the main themes, the topics that you're hearing that, that these speakers are bringing that you think are gonna dominate some of the conversations, especially as we head into Q1 of this year? Yeah.
• 2:21
  The, the two biggest things I think on everybody's mind, one is affordability. Just last week, the average price of a new car eclipsed $50,000 for the first time in our history. Unreal. That's expensive.
• 2:31
  That makes new vehicles virtually unaffordable for a large swath of the American people. Mm-hmm. So affordability has to be a, a, a topic of conversation both here today and moving forward.
• 2:41
  The other thing that I think we're gonna hear a lot about is, uh, safety and fuel economy.
• 2:46
  So, uh, there are a number of regulations that are being questioned, that are being debated, that are being discussed right now in Washington, D.C.
• 2:53
  surrounding, uh, things like fuel economy, and I think we're gonna hear some of those conversations come to light today. All right.
• 2:59
  So, uh, this is at the, the very beginning of an auto show, and, uh, auto shows, we've, we've been to more auto shows in the last 12 months- It's been amazing, actually... than we have.
• 3:07
  And, and there's a, there's a special energy around the people that show up and around even- That's right... the dealers or OEMs that are involved. Tell us about auto shows and, and what's going on with them in general.
• 3:16
  Well, here's why auto shows are important. You can see every vehicle on your shopping list in one place.
• 3:22
  You know, you would spend multiple afternoons back in the day going around to every single dealership if you have 10 cars that you're thinking about buying this year, whereas you can come here to the Washington, D.C.
• 3:32
  Auto Show and you can see them all in one spot. Mm-hmm. You can sit in them.
• 3:34
  You can let your kids run around, uh, the cars, have a nice time, get, climb in and out, and, and really have a good experience while you're shopping and preparing for that purchase decision.
• 3:44
  It really is unique, uh, for shoppers, and that's why auto shows sell cars because you have this high concentration of people who are in the market. They wanna buy a car. They know they need a new car.
• 3:56
  The only question that they have left to answer is which car are they gonna buy? Right. Yeah. If that car's not here for them to see, for them to experience, for them to sit in, it's off the list.
• 4:05
  Well, I think, uh, you know, what's so interesting in the, in the d- digitization of the world, a lot of people have kind of claimed, like, "Oh, everybody's just gonna buy a car online. They're gonna do that."
• 4:14
  But we've seen over and- over and again, especially post-COVID, people going back to the dealerships. 97% of purchases still happening in showrooms. That's right.
• 4:23
  And so when you aggregate that knowledge base plus the ability to, to be in person with so many cars at once, I think that people actually desire to touch and to feel this major purchase, right? That's right.
• 4:35
  That's right. Digital media can only take you so far down the sales funnel, and I think that's been proven over and over again. Experiential is still the way to go.
• 4:43
  Uh, and we have two different ways to experience the cars here at the DC Auto Show.
• 4:46
  Of course, you can walk around the cars and get them on the show floor, but you can also get in them and drive them around the city, and there really is no replacement- Hmm...
• 4:52
  for sitting in a vehicle and driving a vehicle. Oh, that's a great... I didn't realize you were doing that here. Absolutely. We have many brands out on, uh, L... what we call L Street here, uh, that you can hop in.
• 5:02
  You can take a ride and decide if that's the right car for you. What are some of the cool things or innovative things that brands are bringing to the show this year?
• 5:08
  Is there anything like, "Oh, wow, we, we didn't expect that. You kind of, you kind of threw us for a loop." That's fun. Uh, you know what? The cars are the stars, really.
• 5:16
  So we love having this, uh, the, the new, really cool product here. Uh, up-and-coming brands like Grenadier- Mm-hmm... you know, Ineos Grenadier, those are really, really cool cars. Love seeing those.
• 5:26
  Uh, we got Land Rover back this year, so really, uh, cool Land Rovers that you can see. Uh, and right behind me in the Public Policy Day room, we're gonna be getting a first look at the brand-new Lamborghini Temerario.
• 5:36
  We're gonna be getting a first look at the brand-new Aston Martin, uh, Vantage Volante. I probably didn't say that right, but- [laughs] It's all right. Um- It sounded good to me... they're beautiful, beautiful cars.
• 5:45
  So you can see everything from a $30,000 car to a $300,000-plus car here at the auto show.
• 5:51
  I think that's one of the brilliant things about a car show, and I've been reading that, um, a lot of OEMs are focusing on making sure there are, uh, a lot of their most affordable vehicles on display, and I think sometimes might- people might think, that have never been to a show, that show is only, like, the fancy stuff.
• 6:06
  Right. No, it's very practical- That's it... to come. There's, like, an entertainment value. You see, like, oh, man, can you believe... look at this thing right here.
• 6:12
  And then you can say like, "Oh, I can actually buy this one." That's right. Um, and so I think that's one of the, the misnomers about car shows in general, and I think there's no better time for a car show than February.
• 6:21
  That's right. Right? Oh, that's great. You can come inside- Come inside... with the family. There's space if you have kids. They're not gonna make... they're not gonna, like, be too loud. Let 'em run around. That's it.
• 6:28
  I know. So, um, it's an exciting place to be.
• 6:30
  The energy is right, and it brings everything back to our core belief about the automotive industry, that it is just, like, a staple in the fabric of this country- That's it... and this community.
• 6:38
  And, uh, what better way to bring it all together than Washington, D.C.? That's it. Come down to the car show. No pl- no better place to be. Awesome. That's right.
• 6:45
  [laughs] Well, Joe, thanks for spending a little time with us and having us out. I appreciate you guys.