wanada bulletin # 4-14 washington auto show special … automakers round out was media morning with...

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The WANADA Bulletin is a membership publication published weekly by the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association 5301 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 210 Washington, DC 20015 Tel: (202) 237-7200 Fax: (202) 237-9090 Headlines… Snow in Washington doesn’t slow Auto Show Preview Fields trumpets Ford/MIT/Stanford research on automated driving Asian automakers round out WAS media morning with fuel cell and EV technologies Energy Secretary Moniz announces U.S. will fund $50 million in loans promoting fuel efficiency SAE advance technology professionals meet regulators at WAS Political commentator Charlie Cook previews midterm elections Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is first auto on U.S. Historic Register Cadillac ELR receives Green Car Journal Green Car Tech Award GM Foundation gives $1 million to new African American museum in DC WAS Sneak Peek Preview draws scores of Washington operatives WANADA member VIP reception at the Sneak Peek Precursor reception to the Keith Crain/Automotive News Dinner Dealer Rick Hendrick accepts Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award Thought for the week… Advertisement Kevin Reilly, WAS Chairman, opens the Media Preview Day Media arriving at the IMPA/WAPA Newsmaker Breakfast at the 2014 Washington Auto Show, Jan. 22 WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition January 31, 2014 Snow in Washington doesn’t slow Auto Show Preview Media mingle with operatives from industry, Congress, agencies Despite snowy streets and sidewalks, closed schools and delayed office openings early last week, Washington's 2014 Auto Show Media and Industry Preview commenced as scheduled on Jan. 22. And even though planned activities for the day before had to be rescheduled, there was no setback for the Preview with the Walter E. Washington Convention Center filled with reporters and automaker operatives.

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The WANADA Bulletin is a membership publication published weekly by the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association

5301 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 210 Washington, DC 20015 Tel: (202) 237-7200 Fax: (202) 237-9090

Headlines… Snow in Washington doesn’t slow Auto Show Preview Fields trumpets Ford/MIT/Stanford research on automated driving Asian automakers round out WAS media morning with fuel cell and EV technologies Energy Secretary Moniz announces U.S. will fund $50 million in loans promoting fuel efficiency SAE advance technology professionals meet regulators at WAS Political commentator Charlie Cook previews midterm elections Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe is first auto on U.S. Historic Register Cadillac ELR receives Green Car Journal Green Car Tech Award GM Foundation gives $1 million to new African American museum in DC WAS Sneak Peek Preview draws scores of Washington operatives WANADA member VIP reception at the Sneak Peek Precursor reception to the Keith Crain/Automotive News Dinner Dealer Rick Hendrick accepts Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award Thought for the week…

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Kevin Reilly, WAS Chairman, opens the Media Preview Day

Media arriving at the IMPA/WAPA Newsmaker Breakfast at the 2014 Washington Auto Show, Jan. 22

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition January 31, 2014

Snow in Washington doesn’t slow Auto Show Preview Media mingle with operatives from industry, Congress, agencies

Despite snowy streets and sidewalks, closed schools and delayed office openings early last week, Washington's 2014 Auto Show Media and Industry Preview commenced as scheduled on Jan. 22. And even though

planned activities for the day before had to be rescheduled, there was no setback for the Preview with the Walter E. Washington Convention Center filled with reporters and automaker operatives.

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 2

Ford COO Mark Fields via Skype is able to interact with the media at the WAS Newsmaker Breakfast

WAS Chairman Kevin Reilly opened the Newsmaker Breakfast with the announcement that Washington has become an OICA certified auto show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles, thereby ranking the Auto Show here among the top five in the U.S. and the foremost in the world. On hand from OICA headquarters in Paris was its president, Patrick Blain, who commended Show Chairman Reilly and WAS organizers on joining the ranks of OICA shows across the world that include the likes of Detroit, New York, Paris and Geneva. Blain then waxed optimistically about the global auto industry going from its current level of 88 million auto sales to 100 million by 2018. He pointed out that the U.S. market at that rate would exceed 18 million for years hence.

David Kiley, president of the International Motor Press Association (IMPA), sponsoring the breakfast with the Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA), focused the mission of Washington as the Public Policy Show. “Walking around the hall today, I’m reminded that the best innovation we have comes from respectful collaboration between government and industry,” Kiley said.

With the public policy predicate in mind, auto companies were eager to display their alternative-fuel vehicle credentials. The IMPA/WAPA keynoter, Ford COO Mark Fields, delivered his remarks to the Newsmaker Breakfast via Skype satellite since his flight from Detroit to D.C. was cancelled due to the earlier winter storm. Fields spoke of Ford’s Blueprint for Sustainability, discussing fuel-saving technologies, such as battery-electric vehicles, plug-in electrics, hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles.

David Kiley, president of IMPA

Patrick Blain, president of OICA

Kevin Reilly with WUSA TV 9 host Andrea Roane for the noon show

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 3

Ford COO Mark Fields via Skype is able to interact with the media at the WAS Newsmaker Breakfast

Ford’s C-Max Solar Energi Concept

“Fuel efficiency is now a reason to buy a Ford,” said Fields. Seven vehicles in its lineup get 40 miles per gallon or better, he noted, and Ford’s share of plug-in hybrid electrics jumped from 0 to 32 percent last year. The F-series Ecoboost, with turbo charge and direct injection, now achieves 20 percent better fuel economy. The new F-150 pickup, on display at the WAS, is 700 pounds lighter than its predecessor. Ford officials on-site showcased the C-Max Solar Energi Concept at Field’s request.

This vehicle harnesses the sun’s power by using a special concentrator that acts like a magnifying glass to direct rays to solar panels on the roof. (For a complete report on Field’s remarks at the IMPA/WAPA Newsmaker Breakfast, see article below.)

Fields trumpets Ford/MIT/Stanford research on automated driving Ford COO Mark Fields,

speaking via Skype at The Washington Auto Show Newsmaker Breakfast, Jan. 22, announced research projects with MIT and Stanford on automated driving. The MIT research focuses on predicting the movements of other vehicles and pedestrians. Stanford researchers are studying how sensor technology can see around obstructions.

The projects are part of Ford’s Blueprint for Mobility, which seeks to advance various aspects of driver technology such as alerts for traffic jams and accidents, vehicle-to-vehicle commands and the use of

connected cars to improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and cut greenhouse gases.

Some technologies are already here. The Fusion, through its driver assist technology, can park itself and detect and avoid danger. Using Lidar sensors, the Fusion hybrid creates a 3-D map of the surrounding environment. Ford’s aim is to make automated driving features more affordable.

“The driver should always be in control,” said Fields. But automated driving technologies could save hundreds of dollars in fuel costs each year and could lower insurance rates.

Business, academia and government will need to work together to help create an infrastructure for automated driving, Fields said.

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 4

Mike O’Brien, Hyundai VP of Corporate and Product

Planning

2014 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell

George Doetsch with the WAS Committee of Apple Ford/Lincoln

introducing Mark Fields at the Newsmaker Breakfast

Automakers will need help from federal policymakers on tax and trade policies and regulations.

In his presentation, Fields trumpeted the comeback of the auto industry generally, and Ford in particular. Coming off 17 straight quarters of profitability, the company plans for 25 percent global sales growth in the years ahead.

Having spent more on research and development than Apple in 2012, Ford has its most ambitious plans in 20 years, Fields said. It will open two new plants in China and one in Brazil this year. Moreover, said Fields, the company will create 5,000 new U.S. jobs in 2014, adding to 14,000 jobs it created in the past two years.

Asian automakers round out WAS media morning with fuel-cell and EV technologies Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell: Ready for showrooms this spring

Hyundai and Toyota both showed off fuel-cell cars at the show. Hyundai had a Tucson Fuel Cell, which will be on showroom floors late this spring.

Hyundai has already reduced its engine size and light weighted its vehicles, said Mike O’Brien, vice president of corporate and product planning. But in California, the California Air Resources Board has mandated an 80 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. That means

manufacturers need to build more electric vehicles. Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are on the road now, but they have problems with range anxiety and a long charging time, O’Brien noted. The other choice is to make electricity on board, as hydrogen fuel-cells do. They have a range of 300 miles and can refuel in five minutes and the technology is scalable to any size or type vehicle, said O’Brien.

In a few months, the Fuel Cell Tucson will be available in Southern California, for lease only, with $2,990 down and $499 a month, to include fuel and service for the life of the car. Infrastructure remains a problem, with only a few hydrogen fuel cell stations in California and none elsewhere, but California Governor Jerry Brown signed an agreement last fall to build 100 more stations, O’Brien said.

“We will expand outside California when fuel stations are available,” he said.

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 5

Brendan Jones, Nissan’s director of EV Infrastructure Solutions

Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle Concept

Nihar Patel, VP of Toyota Business Strategy

Erik Gottfried, Nissan director of Electric Vehicle Sales and Marketing

Toyota fuel-cell concept: waiting for infrastructure

There are two challenges for fuel-cell vehicles, Toyota Business Strategy Chief Nihar Patel told reporters at the WAS: price and infrastructure. Great strides have been made in cutting costs, including a 95 percent reduction in the cost of the powertrain.

“We recognize that the success of the car will depend less on the genius of the car than the ownership experience,” said Patel. And a big part of that will be refueling the cars. But Patel said the location of the stations is more important than their numbers. California has agreed to build 20 stations by 2015, 40 by 2016 and 100 by 2025.

Patel did not give a timeline for when Toyota’s fuel-cell vehicle would hit the streets. “Fuel-cell vehicles will come to market whenever there is infrastructure to support them.” In the interim, he said, “we have asked headquarters for substantially increased volume.”

Nissan: Building EV infrastructure

Nissan has met its goal of doubling the number of electric vehicle fast-charger stations a year ahead of schedule, said Brendan Jones, director of electric vehicle infrastructure strategy for Nissan, at the WAS. Last year, it had 198 stations. Today there are 570 stations across the U.S. at 130 Nissan dealerships and in workplaces

and communities. The stations can charge a Nissan Leaf to 80 percent of capacity in 30 minutes. Several are in the Washington area.

Nissan also told reporters that it has partnered with FedEx to start testing the Nissan e-NV200, an electric compact cargo vehicle, on the streets of Washington. The vehicle, on display in Nissan’s WAS exhibit, will undergo field tests

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 6

DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz

DOE Secretary Moniz with the media

DOE Secretary Moniz touring the WAS

that subject it to the routine requirements of a delivery vehicle, said Erik Gottfried, director of electric vehicle sales and marketing. The results will be used to help determine the viability of using an electric vehicle in a delivery fleet in the United States. Nissan is scheduled to begin mass production of the e-NV200 later this year in Europe.

Energy Sec. Moniz announces that U.S. will fund $50 million for loans promoting fuel efficiency

Keynoting the public sector side of Washington’s Auto Show Media Day, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz promised $50 million in funding for fuel-efficient vehicles. The funding includes support of the Energy Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, an initiative launched in March 2012 to make

plug-in electric vehicles more affordable and convenient to own and drive than today’s gasoline-powered vehicles over the next 10 years. The funding can be used for such things as creating advanced batteries, and “lightweighting” vehicles, thereby reducing friction. Sec. Moniz said DOE research and development funds helped make nickel metal hydride batteries more efficient.

Spotlighting the growth of electric vehicles Moniz said that nearly 100,000 plug-in electrics were sold last year. He mentioned the “e-gallon” measure on DOE’s website, which shows the cost of driving an EV by city. It is $1.03 per gallon in Washington. But infrastructure remains the challenge for EVs through-out the country. It requires a team effort among the states, federal government and the industry, added David Danielson, assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Moniz took a tour to see some of the alternative-fuel vehicles displayed at the WAS before his remarks to the media.

“It’s encouraging walking around this Auto Show and seeing the diversity and vehicle-design innovation,” he said. “It’s simply great to see the many options we have in gas, diesel, natural gas and fuel-cell vehicles.”

SAE advance technology professionals meet regulators at WAS

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 7

2014 SAE’s Govt/Industry Meeting at the WAS

SAE’s Govt/Industry Plenary Session panel: From the left, Mitch Bainwol, CEO, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers; Christopher Grundler, director,

Transportation and Air Quality, EPA; Dan Smith, associate administrator, Vehicle Safety, NHTSA; Tomiji Sugimoto, exec. gm, Honda Motor Co.; Leslie

Goodbody, air resources engineer, California Air Resources Board; with Gerard Murphy, WAS producer.

For the sixth consecutive year, SAE International co-located its annual Government/Industry Meeting with The Washington Auto Show.

And as in previous times, leading authorities from the auto industry, the regulatory establishment and academia converged to address the advanced automotive technology developments in vehicle design and the laws that will affect them over the course of the three-day meeting. The program commenced on Wednesday, January 22 - coinciding with the Auto Show's Media and Industry Day - featuring a plenary session entitled, "Continuing Collaboration for the Protection of all Road Users and the Environment."

The SAE panel spoke of what Christopher Grundler of EPA called government and industry’s “shared goal to reduce emissions and fuel consumption.” He said EPA aimed to “go to industry early and often, and listen.”

Mitch Bainwol, of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said its member companies were on board with the fuel economy standard of 54.5 mpg by 2025, with a caveat: “This is a program based on assumptions, not on production.

“We’ve clearly picked the early gains” in fuel economy, said Bainwol. “But it’s going to require consumer buy-in, and we don’t know when that’s going to occur.”

Grundler said he is optimistic about future gains. “The industry’s off to a great start,” he said. “The early signs are very encouraging. Competition will continue to drive innovation.”

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 8

From left: Charlie Cook, Mike Stanton, Global Automakers and John

O’Donnell, WANADA

Political commentator Charlie Cook previews midterm elections Courtesy of the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers and Global Automakers

The main question about the midterms, political analyst Charlie Cook told a packed room during a WAS Media Day session, is what this election will be about. Will Republican problems from 2012 carry over to 2014? Or will it be a classic midterm election, characterized by “Obama fatigue?” Some of both, Cook concluded.

Because of snow, the session with the popular Cook, editor and publisher of The Cook Political Report and columnist for National Journal, had to be moved from its original time and venue the day before, where it had been sold out at the Cannon House Office Building. But by the afternoon of the next day, a throng of reporters and Capitol Hill staffers came to hear him on-site at the WAS.

Cook said it is 95 percent certain that the House will stay in Republican hands because of the way the districts are drawn. If the election were held today, the

Republicans would likely pick up nine House seats. But the election is a long way off, and the accuracy of forecasts so far ahead is zero, said Cook. The Senate is within a seat or two of going to either party.

Currently, the Republican Party has trouble reaching voters who are minorities, young, female or moderate. In 2012, only 72 percent of voters were white, a percentage that has dropped roughly 20 points in just a few years, Cook said, noting the trend will continue. What’s more, 53 percent of voters are female, and voters younger than 30 are likely Democrats. Older voters – the “pre-dead” according to Cook – are overwhelmingly Republican.

“If the Republican Party was a business enterprise, it would be unsustainable,” he said.

In five of the six midterm elections since World War II, Cook pointed out that the party in the White House got crushed.

“There’s no evidence that the Republican Party brand is any better than in the last election,” he said. “But the presidential approval rating for Obama is 38 to 42 percent, and that’s really low. “So there is no reason to expect the Democrats are going to do any better than in any other midterm.”

Will last year’s government shutdown hurt Republican prospects in the elections? Americans are known for their short memories in politics. And the launch of Obamacare went so badly that it’s as if the shutdown never happened, according to Cook.

On the presidential race, Cook said there’s a 70 percent chance Hillary Clinton will run. She turns 69 in 2016, however, and may decide not to run for personal reasons. Regarding the Republican field, Cook referenced “the usual suspects”: Texas Governor Rick Perry; Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker; former Pennsylvania governor and former senator Rick Santorum; former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee; and, finally, several members of Congress, to include Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

Charlie Cook, seasoned Washington political scene pundit

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 9

Unveiling the original 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe at the Auto Show marking the occasion of it becoming

the first auto listed on the Historic Register.

Frederick Simeone, Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, is recognized by HVA for maintaining the 1964

Shelby Coupe in their museum.

The likely candidates illustrate how conservative the Republican Party has become. “The Tea Party moved the Republican Party two to three notches to the right,” said Cook. “That’s very lasting.”

The National Journal presentation of Charlie Cook at the WAS was sponsored by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Global Automakers.

Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe: first auto on U.S. Historic Register

Historic Vehicle Assn. makes history with 1964 original at the WAS

The Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) announced at The Washington Auto Show that the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe will become the first ever automobile to be recorded under the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Heritage Documentation. The documentation initiates the National Historic Vehicle Register and Historic American Engineering Record that is permanently archived in the Library of Congress. The HVA and U.S. Interior Department collaborated on the effort, setting in motion a course that opens the door to documenting other historically significant cars, much the same as houses are placed on the Historic Register.

The Shelby Coupe will be kept at Fort Meade in Maryland and will be available to all on the Interior Department website, said Richard O’Connor, chief of the agency’s Heritage Documentation Program. “It joins other engineering icons such as the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Peter Brock, who designed the Coupe and was on hand at the Auto Show, said it was the last automobile built “on the garage floor.” After that, cars were built on computers.

The Shelby Coupe had been housed at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, where it was stored for 30 years. It is so important to preserve the Coupe in its original condition rather than to restore it, said Dr. Frederick Simeone, executive director of the museum. HVA presented Simeone its National Automotive Heritage and Stewardship Award after the unveiling of the classic, and likely priceless, Shelby original from 1964.

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 10

Lonnie Bunch, III, founder of the Museum of African American History and Culture (left) with Vivian

Pickard, president of the GM Foundation, and Ed Welburn, GM’s Global Design chief (right)

Green Car Journal publisher Ron Cogan (left) with Jim Vurpillat, director of

Emerging Markets for Cadillac

Cadillac ELR receives Green Car Journal Green Car Tech Award

The Cadillac ELR was given the Green Car Journal’s 2014 Green Car Technology Award at the Auto Show for its Regen on Demand. The car’s electric motor generates energy while braking.

The ELR “speaks to our driving enjoyment as much as it does to green technology,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal.

Accepting the award, Cadillac’s director of Emerging Markets Jim Vurpillat said, “The ELR is fun to drive, giving the operator the distinct impression they are downshifting when it’s going through its cutting-edge energy generation on braking.”

The vehicle is in showrooms begining this month.

GM Foundation gives $1 million to

new African American museum in DC The GM Foundation announced at The

Washington Auto Show last week that it is giving $1 million to the soon-to-open Museum of African American History and Culture, the newest addition to the Smithsonian in Washington. The museum will open next year on a site next to the Washington Monument.

“GM has played an important role in helping African Americans educate their children and realize the American dream,” said Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the museum, as he accepted the gift.

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 11

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) (left) participates in the Auto Show Hat Ritual with WAS Producer Gerry

Murphy (second from the left) donning the 50-year-old fedora. The Show Hat is reputed to keep away winter weather from Washington while the WAS is

open. Joining Van Hollen is WANADA’s John O’Donnell and John Bowis of Chevy Chase Acura.

From the left, Rep. Van Hollen chats with NADA’s Patrick Calpin (center) and Mitch Bainwol (right), CEO,

Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

WAS Sneak Peek Preview draws scores of Washington operatives

WANADA thanks the Sneak Peek Preview Sponsors: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

Global Automakers National Automobile Dealers Association

Hargrove

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer picking out his “next

new ride” at The Washington Auto show

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 12

WANADA’s Annual Member “Reception within the Reception” at Auto Show Sneak Peek Preview F.B.O. The Auto Dealer Education Institute

The WANADA Reception is an integral part of the overall Sneak Peek Preview insofar as it gives association dealer and kindred-line members a VIP meeting place from which to enjoy the Sneak Peek on the floor of the Auto Show and other Preview evening activities such as the Keith Crain/Automotive News Dinner. The 2014 WANADA “Reception within the Reception” was generously sponsored by Comcast Spotlight and Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auctions.

Tamara Darvish, flanked by Vince Sheehy (left) and

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Retiring Northern Virginia Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) reflected on his many years in the House of Representatives at the WANADA Reception during

the WAS Sneak Peek Preview

WANADA’s Annual Member “Reception within the Reception” at the Auto Show Sneak Peek Preview was Sponsored by:

Comcast Spotlight

and Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auction

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 13

Amy Bobcheck of Comcast Spotlight, a sponsor of the WANADA Reception, with Mike Mosko of Voice

Media.

WANADA VIP Reception at the Sneak Peek Preview – continued

“And the winner is…” Geoff Pohanka, who by luck of the draw was awarded a high-end leather briefcase by WANADA Reception co-sponsor John Crispeno of

Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auctions.

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 14

Jim Campbell, Chevrolet Performance Vehicles recognizes Rick Hendrick at KN/AN/LAA reception

Syndicated automotive columnist Warren Brown with KC/AN/LAA winner Rick Hendrick

Precursor Reception to the Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner A highlight of the WAS Preview evening as the Sneak Peek is winding down is the Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner, where distinguished individuals are recognized by the AN publisher for extraordinary contributions to the industry and, indeed, things automotive at large. Preparatory to the dinner is a reception that gives others a chance to salute Keith Crain’s Lifetime Achievement Awardee, who this year was multistate mega dealer operator and renowned NASCAR owner Rick Hendrick of Rick Hendrick Automotive. The foremost sponsor of the Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner Reception was Chevrolet Performance Vehicles and Motor Sports, which presented its own memento of the occasion to Mr. Hendrick in a brief podium-side presentation from their representative Jim Campbell.

Sharing the podium to greet industry attendees at the Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner Reception was DC Mayor Vincent Gray, who was high in his praise of the tier-one auto industry event The Washington Auto Show has become.

Joining Chevrolet Performance in sponsoring the reception and saluting Hendrick were Manheim and AutoTrader.com along with Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust.

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 15

Dealer Rick Hendrick accepts Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award

The buildup to multistate dealer and NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick receiving the Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Washington Auto Show on January 22 was impressive.

At the dinner held in Hendrick’s honor at the Auto Show, Automotive News publisher Keith Crain said that Hendrick built his first car at age 14. Following up on that, GM Global Design chief Ed Welburn, who joined Crain at the podium, told the crowd that Hendrick acquired his first dealership at age 26, becoming the youngest dealer in America. He won three consecutive national racing championships in the 1970s. Crain called Hendrick “the most successful NASCAR owner in history.”

“Nobody has won more [NASCAR] titles in less time,” said Crain.

Some years ago, Hendrick was diagnosed with leukemia. But instead of feeling sorry for himself, according to Crain, Hendrick started a national bone marrow donor program, for which he has raised $12 million. He has also raised millions of dollars for the Hendrick Foundation for Children. When his son died in a plane crash, Hendrick created the Ricky Hendrick Scholarship Fund.

“I’ve been the luckiest guy in the world because I get to do the two things I love most,” said Hendrick, “selling cars and racing cars.”

Telling his own story, Hendrick said he grew up on a farm in Virginia, built a car in his grandfather’s general store and acquired a Chevrolet dealership in rural South Carolina that sold 200 cars a year. He started a racing team with a staff of five and ran a dealership with a staff of nine – and no showroom. In 2013 Hendrick’s dealer organization sold 81,000 vehicles. “Nobody is able to do anything in life on their own,” he said. “In our company, we win together, we lose together, but we stay together. I accept the award on behalf of the 10,000 people who make it happen.”

Keith Crain honors Rick Hendrick for lifetime of

achievements

Ed Welburn, GM’s Global Design chief

congratulates Hendrick

Rick Hendrick

WANADA Bulletin # 4-14 Washington Auto Show Special Edition, January 31, 2014 Page 16

Thought for the Week…

“This is a country that remains in love with its cars. The

future is going to remain bright for the American auto

industry.”

--DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz,

speaking at the 2014 Washington Auto Show

DC Mayor Vincent Gray (center, right) with (from left) Patrick Blain of OICA, George Doetsch, WAS Comm.

and WAS producer Gerard Murphy

DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz, (second from left), flanked by Kevin Reilly, WAS Chairman (left) and

George Doetsch, WAS Committee; (continuing to the right), John O’Donnell, WANADA and Daniel Jobe, WAS

Committee

2014 WASHINGTON AUTO SHOW PRODUCED BY

WASHINGTON AREA NEW AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION

WASHINGTON, DC

Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner Honoring Rick Hendrick

Mayor Gray greets guests at KC/AN LAA Reception