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Forecasts suggest Stellantis to add new models to Windsor’s WAP · Kvetch & Release

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You're listening to the Shift with guest host John Letkey
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: on AM eight hundred.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: Shut up and draft.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Hey, we're back John Leckey here on AM eight hundred CKLW.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: It is five eighteen and we have some new forecasts
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  Speaker 1: out that are suggesting that Stilantis will be building four
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  Speaker 1: vehicles at its Windsor, Ontario plant. The new models could
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  Speaker 1: include a three row Dodge suv and a two row
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  Speaker 1: Chrysler Crossover. The new model, expected before the end of
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  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six, will replace the Durango, which is built
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  Speaker 1: in Detroit and set to end production in twenty twenty seven.
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  Speaker 1: Windsor is also set to build the all new and
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  Speaker 1: all electric Dodge Charger and the gas powered Dodge Charger
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  Speaker 1: version later on. And we know that the Charger, along
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  Speaker 1: with the Chrisler three hundred and the Challenger were made
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  Speaker 1: exclusively in Brampton until all of those were discontinued at
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  Speaker 1: the end of last year. Currently, Windsor builds the Chrysler
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  Speaker 1: Pacific a minivan, along with a less expensive trim variant,
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  Speaker 1: the Chrysler Grand Caravan, which is strictly for the Canadian market.
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  Speaker 1: Joining me right now to talk about this forecast this
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  Speaker 1: would be big news. Is the president of the Automotive
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  Speaker 1: Arts Manufacturers Association, Flavio Volpe. Flavio, We've talked, you know,
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  Speaker 1: about some of the hiccups in the electric vehicle industry,
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  Speaker 1: about some of the risks coming from China. It's nice
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  Speaker 1: to bring you on to talk about, you know, just
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  Speaker 1: what appears to be a pretty good news story here
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  Speaker 1: for Windsor Essex. If these forecasts come true.
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  Speaker 2: Love good news. I love to talk about fun product.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: The first time I've been introed with Rhianna's Shut Up
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  Speaker 2: and Drive, but I think it's a good one.
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  Speaker 1: It worked well. You know, producer Kyle is great at
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  Speaker 1: what he does here. What does this say about Stalanti's
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  Speaker 1: faith in the Windsor Essex market for them?
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  Speaker 2: Look, I think they've always been and you know, especially
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  Speaker 2: the last couple of decades, going back to when Sergeon
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  Speaker 2: Marcione first took on the helm here, really confident in
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  Speaker 2: the way in which we build cars. Uh, in that
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  Speaker 2: workforce there, in that assembly plant, really trusted product. There
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  Speaker 2: are obviously, uh, you know, we watched a minivan market
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  Speaker 2: shrink two essentially to the pacifica in the town and country.
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  Speaker 2: But really strong demand for those two products. And you know, uh,
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  Speaker 2: the f c A and the Stlantis has continuously said
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  Speaker 2: with growing in a trust out to winter, the move
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  Speaker 2: of the charger going there and the folding of the
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  Speaker 2: all the Alex platform, the three hundred, the charger of
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  Speaker 2: the Challenger, of which by the way, I bought five
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  Speaker 2: of them from Brampton, A big fan of the product.
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  Speaker 2: Moving the windsor says, Hey, we're going to trust the
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  Speaker 2: best selling pony car on the planet to our to
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  Speaker 2: our number one workforce. And in this port that you're
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  Speaker 2: talking about, forecasts from Auto Forecast Solutions are friend Sam
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  Speaker 2: Surandy that it would make a lot of sense. They're
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  Speaker 2: going to use that st l a large platform that
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  Speaker 2: underpins a bunch of Stlantis product. Makes sense to take
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  Speaker 2: that Durango and if it's on the same platform, do
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  Speaker 2: it there a good product had one of those two.
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  Speaker 2: I can tell you that the product made by that company,
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  Speaker 2: especially in the region, is always very good.
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  Speaker 1: It's about that platform that makes this all possible, isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. We used to make cars, you know when I
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  Speaker 2: was coming up. Used to make cars, sometimes country specific,
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  Speaker 2: but usually regionally specific. In the product that you'd buy
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  Speaker 2: from a company like Ford in Europe came out of
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  Speaker 2: the UK and they had you know, like the Ford,
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  Speaker 2: Kirtinas and the Capers, and they didn't look at anything
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  Speaker 2: like what you'd buy here in North America or in
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  Speaker 2: South America too. Global platforms, you know, probably two decades ago,
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  Speaker 2: and now we're at that next level, which is global
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  Speaker 2: platforms shared across multiple brands in these big conglomerate companies
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  Speaker 2: like Stilantis. So a couple of things happen here. You're
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  Speaker 2: able to to drive cost efficiencies, especially if you've got
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  Speaker 2: to compete with the Chinese, but also you're able to
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  Speaker 2: move around different branded product into the most the best
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  Speaker 2: performing plants. These companies know they have to compete with
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  Speaker 2: not just the most exciting product, but they have to
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  Speaker 2: have that product to be you know, handed over to
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  Speaker 2: the customer and it doesn't come back for unexpected service
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  Speaker 2: issues and quality issues.
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  Speaker 1: And so.
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  Speaker 2: That's really benefited windsor Assembly. There are so many different
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  Speaker 2: products under so many brands in the Stilantis family that
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  Speaker 2: are going to be using that STLA large it's also
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  Speaker 2: going to benefit benefit Brampton. You know. Part of that
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  Speaker 2: report also said but the Brampton plant may lust the
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  Speaker 2: new charger, but it's getting a compass, cheap compass replacement. Also,
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  Speaker 2: it's got the st LA medium you know, everything from
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  Speaker 2: you know, the North American brands went off to the
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  Speaker 2: European brands like Alphro Male use that use that platform.
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  Speaker 2: So if there's demand in North America for those products,
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  Speaker 2: you'll see those products going to Brampton and any part
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  Speaker 2: supplier in between Brampton and Windsors are gonna win.
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  Speaker 1: You know, hearing these forecasts yesterday, it was it was
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  Speaker 1: just again a nice news story to hear after hearing
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  Speaker 1: about some ev projects being shelved throughout North America, that
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  Speaker 1: this expansion is still happening here. We're still getting these vehicles,
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  Speaker 1: is what it looks like. Again, just good news stories
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  Speaker 1: for Windsor. It looks like if this does all roll out,
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  Speaker 1: Windsor's auto future is secure here for you know, a
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  Speaker 1: couple more decades at least.
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  Speaker 2: I'm gonna tell you what Stlantis has done when Windsor
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  Speaker 2: in in that whole, not just the next Star battery plant,
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  Speaker 2: not just reinvestment into a new product and the Windsor assembly,
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  Speaker 2: but also that six hundred and fifty person a six
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  Speaker 2: and fifty engineer R and D plan that came with
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  Speaker 2: it means that the ninety five year history of that
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  Speaker 2: facility has got a real long term future. There's a
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  Speaker 2: lot of facilities just across the river that are in
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  Speaker 2: the crosshairs of the leadership of that company that says,
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  Speaker 2: if we can't build profitable product and profitable brands, they're gone.
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  Speaker 2: But not here. They've doubled down in a way in
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  Speaker 2: which few of us, I think would have predicted ten
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  Speaker 2: fifteen years ago. I think ten to fifteen years ago,
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  Speaker 2: if you listened to people, you know, with time to
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  Speaker 2: pack our bags and go the way of the way
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  Speaker 2: the GM transmission plans and it certainly there have been
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  Speaker 2: a lot of local champions and governments of all stripes
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  Speaker 2: have said let's do it. But they wouldn't have been
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  Speaker 2: able to say let's do it if the workforce and
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  Speaker 2: the suppliers to winsor assembly weren't the best in the company.
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  Speaker 1: And so I wonder, just more broadly, what does this
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  Speaker 1: say about the future of you know, Canadian auto Seeing
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  Speaker 1: that you know this is it's it's doubling down, it's
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  Speaker 1: a tripling down.
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  Speaker 2: Some things and so it's a chicken and egg debate.
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  Speaker 2: It's like, well, if you did, if if we invest uh,
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  Speaker 2: you know, we the people, both levels of government and
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  Speaker 2: the Canadian taxpayer invest, then we're going to convince the
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  Speaker 2: automakers to uh to put the best product her high
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  Speaker 2: volume product for good jobs and or the flip side
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  Speaker 2: as well. If the automakers show that commitment, then then
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  Speaker 2: the government will invest. At the core of it, the
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  Speaker 2: most important part in the auto business, can you build
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  Speaker 2: a vehicle, a very high quality vehicle for the most
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  Speaker 2: competitive price those things that's a compromise, and most companies,
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  Speaker 2: by us one way or another. If you find that balance,
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  Speaker 2: you can sell a lot of them. And if you
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  Speaker 2: sell a lot of them, you can employ a lot
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  Speaker 2: of people. And then if a lot of people are committed,
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  Speaker 2: like like that uniform group down there that you know
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  Speaker 2: and that you know, let me give the credit where
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  Speaker 2: it's due four four four is amazing, then you make
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  Speaker 2: the argument a lot easier. And those arguments, by the way, John,
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  Speaker 2: don't happen in in Windsor, and they don't even happen
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  Speaker 2: in Toronto. You know, they happen in these auto capitals
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  Speaker 2: around the world. People in Paris. Know how good of
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  Speaker 2: the you know, the shifts are in Windsor. It's a
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  Speaker 2: whole new world.
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  Speaker 1: Well, you know again, I just I love the fact
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  Speaker 1: that we were able to talk about something positive in
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  Speaker 1: the sector. Not that the overall industry isn't a positive one.
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  Speaker 1: It's just these past couple of stories have been a
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  Speaker 1: little bit more negative than what you know. I guess
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  Speaker 1: maybe last year we were having conversations about. But here's
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  Speaker 1: a good news story. Four new vehicles forecast to be
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  Speaker 1: built here in Windsor at three row Dodge SUV, two
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  Speaker 1: row Chrysler cross Over, the all new and all electric
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  Speaker 1: Dodge Charger, eventual gas powered Dodge Charger, the Pacifica of course,
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  Speaker 1: and the Chrysler Grand Caravan. Good news all around with Flavia.
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  Speaker 2: Great news, John, I really do appreciate that me on
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  Speaker 2: that Every once in a while, you know, I get
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  Speaker 2: so used to punching it up. It's nice to have
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  Speaker 2: a nice meal and you know, with friends in between
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  Speaker 2: the fights. And this report made me really happy over
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  Speaker 2: the weekend. So I'm glad you had me on the talk.
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  Speaker 1: About me too. Well, thank you so much for joining me,
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  Speaker 1: and I hope that you have a great day.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks John, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: Flavio Volpe is the president of the Automotive Arts Manufacturers
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  Speaker 1: Association