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Autoblog Podcast #366

Episode #366 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Jeff Ross and George Kennedy of Boldride.com talk about the 2015 Lincoln Navigator, Volkswagen's US market woes, and the drama at the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #366:
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VW debuts Get Happy Super Bowl ad

Brace yourself for another tidal wave of Super Bowl commercials. Volkswagen has released its spot for this year's big game. Set to air during the second quarter, the Get Happy spot follows one jubilant office worker as he makes his way through the day, spreading joy wherever he goes. The source of his happiness? A Volkswagen Beetle, of course. Now, if you're wondering why a gaggle of white guys are running around on your screen with Jamaican accents, it will help to know the spot is part of a larger Get Happy campaign featuring Jimmy Cliff.
The first ad in the series featured the artist singing his rendition of "C'Mon, Get Happy," complete with a little help from some notorious unhappy YouTube stars. You can take a look at the new ad before it airs below, along with the complete press release for a little more background.

Volkswagen officially grants access to UAW in Tennessee

An audit at the Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, TN has revealed that at least 45 percent of the facility's workers support unionization, leading the German company to grant access rights to the United Auto Workers. This is a tremendous step in the UAW's long-running and at times contentious pursuit of the workforce at Chattanooga. With this latest move, "local leadership is ready to move forward with additional conversations with the company," the union said in a statement obtained by The Detroit News. "As a starting point, UAW Local 42 will take advantage of the company's offer to establish bi-weekly meetings with Volkswagen Human Resources and the Volkswagen Chattanooga Executive Committee." The News reports that UAW Secretary-Treasurer Gary Casteel, shown above speaking at the Chattanooga plant last summer, claimed these meetings "will remind Human Resources and the Chattanooga Executive Committee of the mutually agreed-upon commitments that were made by Volkswagen and the UAW last spring in Germany. Among those commitments: Volkswagen will recognize the UAW as the representative of our members. We believe Volkswagen made this commitment in good faith and we believe the company will honor this commitment." It's important to note that despite Casteel's remarks, this is not a collective-bargaining agreement, Harley Shaiken, a labor professor at University of California, Berkeley, told The News. "But it is a step in the direction of recognition, which ultimately could lead to collective bargaining. This is not the end point," Shaiken said. "We don't know what's next. We're in unchartered territory."