Futurismo | An Automotive News podcast

Frank Hanley, senior director of automotive benchmarking for JD Power, joins Molly Boigon, Automotive News tech and innovation reporter, on the “Shift” podcast to discuss the latest APEAL study, which shows how consumers feel about their vehicles after 90 days of ownership. Hanley explains how overall customer satisfaction is up for the third year in a row, why consumers prefer battery-electric vehicles in many categories, and why complicated infotainment systems are leading more car buyers to mass-market vehicles over premium options. 

Andrew Garberson, the head of growth and electric vehicle research at Recurrent, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to discuss why EV prices are creeping up. Garberson explains how EV price appreciation is not the result of a supply shortage, but seems to be a combination of affordability, high gas prices and incoming lease-return supply. 

Philipp Kampshoff, a senior partner at McKinsey, and Moritz Rittstieg, a partner at McKinsey, join Automotive News reporter Laurence Iliff on the “Shift” podcast to discuss the electric vehicle market and the stakes of range and charging anxiety.  Kamshoff and Rittstieg also spoke about top consumer concerns when considering an EV and the benefits of the hybrids and extended-range EVs coming to the market.

Aseem Kapur, chief revenue officer at GM Energy, joins Hannah Lutz, assistant managing editor of content, on the “Shift” podcast.  Kapur describes GM Energy’s strategy for home and public electric vehicle charging. Kapur also explains how the General Motors subsidiary will capitalize on demand for energy that goes beyond driving a car. He discusses the energy opportunity from AI data centers and how GM EV owners can use their vehicles to power their homes. 

John Heinlein, CMO at Sonatus, joins Molly Boigon, Automotive News reporter, on the “Shift” podcast to discuss the new developments in open-source platforms for software-defined vehicles. Heinlein also explains how automakers can use vehicle data to predict maintenance issues and avoid recalls, even as software issues continue to beset manufacturers. 

Manuela Locarno Ajayi, senior vice president of product engineering at TomTom, joins Hannah Lutz, Automotive News assistant managing editor, on the “Shift” podcast to discuss how artificial intelligence is contributing to real-time mapping with lane-level precision. Locarno Ajayi also explains how TomTom is building drivers’ trust in AI and how automakers are reacting to the new lane-level mapping.

Siyu Huang, CEO and founder of Factorial Energy, joins joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to discuss solid-state batteries for electric vehicles.  Huang explains why the batteries make EVs lighter and less expensive and how geopolitical tensions play into the batteries’ future. 

Loren McDonald, CEO of Chargenomics, joins Jerry Hirsch, Automotive News managing editor, content, on the “Shift” podcast to talk about why Ford’s F-150 Lightning underperformed expectations. He also explains why the automaker’s plans for a midsize electric pickup may hit the sweet spot for some consumers.

Richard Ward, executive director of the American Vehicle Owners Alliance, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about the debate in Congress over ownership of vehicle data. He also explains why a coalition of fleets, repair shops and insurers are interested in broadening access to telematics and other information from the vehicle.

Andrew Chapin, COO at Nuro, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about why he thinks robotaxis won’t become a commodity. He also explains why Nuro is diversifying its business, including investments in logistics and personal autonomy, amid losses at Lucid, its robotaxi manufacturing partner. 

Anders Bell, chief engineering and technology officer at Volvo Cars, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how organizational changes at Volvo have helped it accelerate its development of software-defined vehicles. He also explains how the automaker is localizing operations to keep up with China’s integrated supply chains.

Alex Oyler, consulting director at SBD Automotive, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about whether traditional automakers can keep up with the pure-play electric vehicle manufacturers on software-defined vehicles. He also explains how some companies end up stagnant by marrying old and new in the same vehicle.

John Bozzella, the CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, joins Automotive News tech and innovation reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about why the Alliance is calling for eliminating the government’s 18.4-cent-per-gallon gas tax. He also explains what the federal government should be doing to encourage the development of alternative powertrains. 

Ali Kani, vice president of automotive at Nvidia, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how automakers can pick and choose parts of Nvidia’s automotive business, including training and simulation tools. He also explains why automakers might choose a graphics processing unit-based system despite the additional power draw.

Mohammad Fatouraie, director of the engineering and power solutions division at Bosch, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how suppliers plan for scenarios such as lower-than-expected sales volumes for electric vehicles. He also explains the extent to which partners and customers are willing to work within the constraints of standardized packaging and design for components that can be used across powertrains.

“Shift” podcast co-host Molly Boigon gets help from Mike Quinn, managing director and partner with Boston Consulting Group, to explain how vehicles connect to the Internet. She and Jake Neher, the executive producer of audio at Automotive News, discuss how vehicles rely on a cellular module that will need to be swapped out as generations of the cellular network are sunset.

Dan Hearsch, global co-leader of the automotive and industrial practice at AlixPartners, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how AlixPartners’ 2026 Disruption Index found the auto industry is the most disrupted in the world — for the second year in a row. He explains why that disruption is leading executives to fear for their jobs as the ground shifts beneath their feet.

Maria Anhalt, CEO of Elektrobit, joins Automotive News reporter Molly Boigon on the “Shift” podcast to talk about how the auto industry faces economic and technological pressure to deliver products and features faster.  She also says regulators should standardize artificial intelligence policies to eliminate compliance complexity.

Automotive News Managing Editor Jerry Hirsch talks with TrueCar founder and CEO Scott Painter about the tension between his digital sales platform and dealers. They also discuss the potential for subscription car platforms. Plus, Shift Executive Producer Jake Neher and Automotive News Retail Tech Reporter Mark Hollmer discuss the biggest technology and AI trends out of the NADA Show 2026 in Las Vegas.

“Shift” podcast co-host Molly Boigon gets help from Alex Oyler, director of SBD Automotive, North America, to explain how the architecture of the vehicle has evolved over time. She and Jake Neher, the executive producer of audio at Automotive News, discuss the differences between domain and zonal architectures and how they can enable new vehicle features.