Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella makes his case for the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement as a competitiveness platform — not just a trade deal — in the face of China’s growing automotive dominance. Nissan’s CEO survives a bruising shareholder meeting. Plus, a DRAM chip shortage is squeezing automakers.

June 23rd, 2026 | Auto Alliance's John Bozzella on China and USMCA; DRAM chip crunch hits automakers

Automotive News Daily Drive

# Full Transcript

**Podcast:** Automotive News Daily Drive

## Participants

- **Kellen Walker** (None)
- **Molly Boygon** (Automotive News)
- **John Bozzella** (Alliance for Automotive Innovation)
- **Hannah Lutz** (Automotive News)

## Transcript

This podcast is brought to you by Reynolds and Reynolds. There are three waves of AI transforming our industry. Explore what they are, where AI technology is headed, and what these emerging innovations mean for automotive retailers at rayray.com slash AI dash waves for more info. Welcome to Daily Drive for Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026. I'm Kellen Walker in Las Vegas. Today on the show, Nissan's CEO survives a shareholder revolt.

But the credibility crisis is far from over. Porsche's new CEO lays out a new restructuring plan. And a memory chip shortage is quietly hitting automakers where it hurts. Plus, Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella joins the show to explain why he thinks dismantling USMCA could hand China exactly what it wants. The challenge is not competing with a Chinese company. It's competing with the country, China.

Let's run through all the news you need to know to keep up in the auto industry. Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa faced a bruising annual shareholders meeting Monday, fending off a no-confidence vote, calls to remove him as meeting chair, and a proposal to reinstate fugitive former chairman Carlos Ghosn to the board. Shareholders also rejected a company-backed director nominee, a rare rebuke for management.

Proxy advisors ISS and Glass-Lewis had recommended voting against the candidate over independence concerns. The tumultuous meeting underscores Nissan's lingering credibility crisis, with the stock down 43% over five years as investors pushed back on years of decline.

Porsche CEO Michael Leiters told shareholders Monday that the automaker will slim its model lineup, deepen cooperation with Volkswagen Group, and cut more jobs to revive profitability. Porsche's operating margin collapsed to about 1% in 2025, and deliveries fell 10%. The stakes are high. The shares have dropped from a peak of nearly €120 to around €48.

Leiters said a full capital markets day is set for October 7th, but warned investors not to expect a quick turnaround. And BYD chairman Wang Changfu wants to be number one. Wang told shareholders at BYD's annual meeting earlier this month that he expects the Chinese automaker to surpass Toyota as the world's largest by 2030.

That target would require more than doubling BYD's 4.6 million annual sales to match Toyota's 11.3 million. Wang says two things are driving growth. High oil prices tied to the Iran war. And a new flash charging battery that can hit 70% capacity in five minutes. And those are today's headlines. You can find more details on all those stories at autonews.com. The auto industry is losing a memory chip war.

According to consulting firm Kearney, DRAM chip prices surged roughly 450% in just four months. GM, Ford, and Honda have each repo...

June 23rd, 2026 | Auto Alliance's John Bozzella on China and USMCA; DRAM chip crunch hits automakers

Transcript

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June 23rd, 2026 | Auto Alliance's John Bozzella on China and USMCA; DRAM chip crunch hits automakers

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.