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In her four years leading U.S. marketing for Nissan Motor Co., Allyson Witherspoon drove the brand into lots of new ad territory. 

That includes experimenting with new TikTok features, striking Nissan’s first NIL deal as part of its long-running “Heisman House” campaign, and putting Nissan back in the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years with a 2022 ad that starred actress Brie Larson, whom the brand began using as a spokeswoman earlier in Witherspoon’s tenure. She even came up with the moniker for Nissan’s new electric vehicle. It’s called Ariya, which is the name of Witherspoon’s nine-year-old niece.

Now Witherspoon will have a chance to leave her mark internationally as she takes on the role of corporate vice president, global marketing, brand and merchandising for Nissan, which will give her oversight of the Nissan and Infiniti brands. The promotion, announced on March 8, will bring her back to Japan, where she earlier served as Nissan’s gener…

Pondering what diversity brings to our industry

Last fall, I wrote about Automotive News' ongoing mission to cover diversity, equity and inclusion in the automotive business. This week's issue has stories that are intended to inspire and provoke thought.

■ Vince Bond Jr. tells the story of Daniel Mekuria, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia during college to realize his business potential. After years of honing his skills in automotive retail — including turning "a good, sleepy dealership into a very, very, very good dealership " — he now owns a piece of one store and has been approved to own another. The Ford store he manages has also embarked on another form of inclusion: Providing opportunities for addicts who need a job and support to stay clean. One convicted felon is now a master service technician and helping the dealership recruit others for potentially life-changing jobs in auto retail.…

Last fall, I wrote about Automotive News' ongoing mission to cover diversity, equity and inclusion in the automotive business. This week's issue has stories that are intended to inspire and provoke thought.

Vince Bond Jr. tells the story of Daniel Mekuria, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia during college to realize his business potential. After years of honing his skills in automotive retail — including turning "a good, sleepy dealership into a very, very, very good dealership " — he now owns a piece of one store and has been approved to own another. The Ford store he manages has also embarked on another form of inclusion: Providing opportunities for addicts who need a job and support to stay clean. One convicted felon is now a master service technician and helping the dealership recruit others for potentially life-changing jobs in auto retail. I recently spoke with Hyundai Motor America marketing executive Erik Thomas and Eunique Jones Gibson, CEO of Culture Bran…

General Motors Co. is exploring uses for ChatGPT as part of its broader collaboration with Microsoft Corp., a company executive told Reuters.

"ChatGPT is going to be in everything," GM Vice President Scott Miller said in an interview last week.

The chatbot could be used to access information on how to use vehicle features normally found in an owners manual, program functions such as a garage door code or integrate schedules from a calendar, Miller said.

"This shift is not just about one single capability like the evolution of voice commands, but instead means that customers can expect their future vehicles to be far more capable and fresh overall when it comes to emerging technologies," a GM spokesperson said on Friday.

The news was first reported by website Semafor, which said that the American automaker was working on a virtual personal assistant that uses AI models behind ChatGPT.

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced a multi-billion …

Danny Shapiro, vice president of automotive at Nvidia, explains how Nvidia uses digital tools to help design, build and drive cars. He also shares how the company went back to its roots to launch an in-vehicle gaming system.

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No heater. No windshield wipers. No turn signals or brake lights. No GPS.

All are missing from the Ford Explorer "Men's Only Edition." Not because Ford Motor Co. is cutting corners — or thinks men don't use turn signals anyway — but rather to spotlight the many indispensable vehicle features invented by women.

To mark International Women's Day last week and Women's History Month in March, Ford created a satirical ad narrated by actor Bryan Cranston, who does many of the company's commercial voiceovers.

"For the first time ever, we've completely reimagined the automobile," Cranston says in the video. "Introducing the Men's Only Ford Explorer, with no windshield wipers, no heater, no turn signals. Wait, no rearview mirror, no GPS — are you kidding? Ah, it's missing all the parts created by women. Wow, whose great idea was that?"

Ford plans to use its website and social media accounts throughout March to recognize the automotive achievements of fem…

Tire sensors are likely to become smarter and generate more important data for drivers in the coming years as electric vehicles become more prominent, industry executives say.

That's an important safety factor. EVs are generally heavier than gasoline-powered vehicles and generate massive torque, leading to faster tire wear rates, said Yagil Tzur, vice president of product at Israeli tech startup Tactile Mobility.

"EVs have longer service intervals," he said. "They don't get to repair shops as frequently, so no one professional is looking at the tires. That leads to increased risk."

Major tire manufacturers such as Goodyear, Michelin, Continental and Bridgestone are developing advanced sensors and experimenting with products to help tires last longer and to give drivers notice of when they might need to be serviced.

"If you don't personally monitor them, you end up with increased risk of accident and risk of tire blowouts and greater braking dista…

When a New Mexico city began talking about charging children $5 to play in sports leagues that use municipal fields, a local auto dealer stepped in.

Gary Hamilton, the owner of Hamilton Auto Group, told the Clovis parks committee that he would foot the bill for every child in town. He estimated that it would cost him $30,000 to $60,000 a year.

"If it was $100,000 a year, I'd still do it," he told The Eastern New Mexico News. "It's the right thing to do."

The city originally discussed charging $50 but received numerous complaints. Officials said they would send an invoice to Hamilton, who has General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Hyundai and Toyota dealerships near the New Mexico-Texas border.

Hamilton said it's important to make sure the fees don't stop any child from playing a sport.

"If we've got more kids doing wholesome things," he said, "we've got less crime."

Five automotive brands placed in the top 20 brands gaining recognition with Generation Z, according to the latest quarterly report by Automotive News sibling publication AdAge and Harris Poll.

The poll ranks brands by how much their equity has changed with Gen Z — that is, how much their perception of brands is changing from quarter to quarter. It surveys U.S. consumers ages 18-24.

BMW was ranked fourth overall, and it was the highest of any auto brand in the study. No. 1 was discount grocery chain Aldi, followed by the WNBA and ice cream brand Blue Bunny.

The automotive brands' showing has to do with how "EVs are driving a lot of momentum," said Harris Poll CEO Will Johnson.

Here are highlights.

No. 4 BMW and No. 19 Mini: BMW announced in October that it would invest $1.7 billion to build EVs in the U.S., "the biggest single investment we've done so far," BMW Group Chairman Oliver Zipse told Reuters.

BMW-owned Mini hyped its EVs in…