Iconic television host and comedian Jay Leno and Dodge Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis teamed up today to announce a new line of co-branded car care products from Direct Connection, the Dodge brand’s performance products line, and Jay Leno’s Garage.
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Good morning everybody.
00:09 Thank you for being here.
00:11 Normally when you guys are all here staring at me, it's a lot of pressure.
00:14 But today, there's actually no pressure because there's somebody in the room that's sucking
00:18 all the air out of the room and taking all the attention.
00:21 We are so honored to have Jay Leno with us today.
00:23 It's just amazing to have you with us.
00:26 Why thank you.
00:27 Thank you very much.
00:28 Hi.
00:29 Good to see you.
00:32 It's nice to be here.
00:33 See, if we're in Pebble Beach, we'd have to eat those little kale things with some kind
00:36 of yogurt on it.
00:37 Here you've got real Detroit food.
00:38 This is a cement floor.
00:41 We don't mess around here.
00:42 This is pretty.
00:43 Very good.
00:44 Dream Cruise is one of our favorite days.
00:45 I mean, Dream Cruise is just, this is the day that we get to celebrate everything that
00:51 we love about this industry and cars in general.
00:55 And I always say about this day.
00:58 This is not a day, every day of our life, we're competing, right?
01:01 It's a tough industry.
01:02 This is not a day for competition.
01:04 This is a day-
01:05 Yeah, we're competing, yeah.
01:06 Yeah, I mean, but-
01:08 This is a day, maybe we're competing a little bit.
01:10 This is a day for camaraderie.
01:12 This is a day for all of us to slow down, step back, literally sit on the side and watch
01:19 the history go by.
01:20 That's the only time I ever hear Tim say slow down.
01:25 Drive your Challenger as slowly as possible.
01:28 Absolutely.
01:31 Because everything's happening so fast in this industry.
01:33 You guys see the change that's happening every single day.
01:36 It's just running away from us.
01:38 I mean, I was thinking about it coming here today.
01:40 This car, it's not a new car, by the way.
01:42 Don't be waiting for me to pull the cover up and tell you some announcement about this
01:46 car.
01:47 This is the car that we announced five months ago in Las Vegas.
01:51 Almost to the day, five months.
01:52 It seems like it was yesterday.
01:53 I mean, time is just flying.
01:56 Technology is flying.
01:57 This thing is just snowballing out of control away from us.
02:01 That was an amazing day.
02:03 Jay was there.
02:04 I was there.
02:05 You know, I love, it's not just Dodge.
02:08 I just love the way every American car company is run by engineers now.
02:12 In the old days, this is Bob from Zenith and Bill from Whirlpool and they're going to help.
02:17 But now, everywhere you go, it's all American technology and it really is surpassing some
02:23 of the best stuff in Europe.
02:24 I mean, there's no place in Europe you can get a thousand horsepower car for this kind
02:29 of money.
02:30 I just like the egalitarianism of it, you know.
02:33 Everything in America is attainable.
02:35 This is an attainable car.
02:36 A Corvette's an attainable car.
02:37 A Mustang's an attainable car.
02:39 To get that kind of power, you have to go to McLaren or Ferrari and you're talking hundreds
02:44 and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
02:45 And that's what I really like.
02:47 We build these things in a union shop with union workers at a pretty good price and I
02:53 think it's really exciting.
02:54 It's really exciting to see.
02:55 I'm going to come back to that union shop thing in a second.
02:58 We didn't plan that, but that was a perfect segue for something.
03:00 Well, you know, I did the Tonight Show and that was a union shop.
03:03 And on my last day, I said, you know, everybody here bought a house and a car with money they
03:09 made from here.
03:10 I made money.
03:11 You made money.
03:12 The show made money.
03:13 And for 22 years, we had just a really nice situation, you know.
03:17 And it was really great.
03:18 And so I'm a big union guy, so I think it's terrific.
03:23 And I see Detroit coming back in gangbusters.
03:26 Every time I come here, things are better and brighter than they were the last time.
03:29 It's really exciting to see.
03:32 Five months ago, when we launched this car, it was a crazy day.
03:36 I mean, it was nuts for those of you that were there.
03:40 A helicopter in the desert, which is always windy in the desert, by the way, bringing
03:45 in a 4000 pound car over a crowded drag strip and dropping it there and the cars blowing
03:50 in the breeze.
03:51 I've had some better ideas, by the way.
03:52 I was super stressed out that day, but it all worked out.
03:56 Everything worked out.
03:57 It was all good.
03:58 And there was so much going on that day.
04:00 The helicopter, the winds, the car moving, 1025 horsepower, first eight second muscle
04:06 car, zero to 60 in 1.66 seconds in the parachute.
04:09 I mean, it was like overload, right?
04:12 There was probably something that a lot of people missed.
04:15 There was a significant announcement that we made that day.
04:17 That day we announced that this car, the Demon 170, was partnering with Jay in his line of
04:23 car care chemicals.
04:24 And every 170 comes with a very cool set of custom branded Demon 170 car care accessories.
04:32 And when you hear that, you're like, I don't really see the connection.
04:36 Where are they going with this?
04:37 And if you think back to what we say about these cars, when we did the Viper ACR Extreme,
04:42 when we did the original Demon, when we did this car, we said, we don't build these cars
04:47 for the lucky few that buy them.
04:49 It's awesome for them, but really what they're doing is they're protecting this car for the
04:53 future.
04:54 This is a legacy that they're taking care of for the future generations to enjoy.
04:59 And what better way to tell that story than to be out here watching all these generations
05:03 of cars going by.
05:05 And no one probably understands protecting the legacy better than this man.
05:09 Well, that's what I do.
05:11 I like to preserve history.
05:13 It's great fun.
05:14 And when we came up with the products, they're all products we developed in our garage.
05:17 I wasn't putting my name on Hoffee Hot Dogs and selling them.
05:21 I mean, we developed the product, we gave it to people to use.
05:24 We didn't advertise.
05:25 We just kind of put it out there and people bought it and then reordered and reordered.
05:30 It took 10 years, but we weren't in any hurry because I had another job.
05:34 I was making money.
05:35 I'm just fine.
05:36 I just wanted people to like the product.
05:38 And that's what I feel proudest about.
05:40 It's all stuff we developed in-house, just like engineering here in Detroit.
05:44 It's all done in-house.
05:45 It's all done around here somewhere in Michigan.
05:48 And that was we developed in California.
05:50 But hey, it's still the United States, at least for a little while longer.
05:54 So when Jay said, this is a special car, number one, we're humbled that he would say this
05:59 is a special car.
06:00 And he said, this is the car we've got to protect for the future.
06:04 And that's where the whole connection came from to put these car care kits together with
06:08 the car.
06:09 And then we said, wait a minute, we're not being true to what we always say.
06:12 We say we don't build this car for the 3000 people that are going to buy it, 3300 people
06:16 that are going to buy it.
06:17 We build them for the millions of people that drive our cars, because it makes them feel
06:20 cool to be part of that team, right?
06:22 Wear the jersey for the team that they're on, the car, the brand that they invested
06:26 in.
06:27 So if that's true, and we believe that and we do, then why are the car care stuff, why
06:33 is it only for the Demon 170 people?
06:35 That's kind of exclusionary, right?
06:36 So we said no.
06:38 So today what we're announcing is Jay is partnering with us again, and we're launching a whole
06:42 new line through direct connection.
06:45 So for all the Dodge owners, DCPerformance.com, you can buy now a line of direct connection
06:50 chemicals for our cars from Jay.
06:54 Yeah, well, I mean, I'm proud to be associated with you guys.
06:57 And I'm thrilled that you guys came to me.
06:59 I didn't come crawling to you.
07:01 So I really appreciate that.
07:02 So thanks.
07:03 I just like that people like the product, reordered it, as opposed to trying to push
07:09 it on people.
07:10 Just put it out there, see if they like it.
07:11 And that's what makes it fun, you know?
07:13 I'm a huge fan of Dodge, because to me, it's a great American road car.
07:19 It goes against, like, the Challenger.
07:21 It's a little heavy.
07:22 It's got nice, big, comfortable-- it's not some Recaro butter-clutching seat that's so
07:26 uncomfortable.
07:27 It's a car, you aim it at Vegas, you put your foot down, and you just go.
07:32 And when I take my-- the day I don't take my Hellcat out, I just don't laugh.
07:37 I shift, and it just makes me laugh.
07:39 It's got so much power, and it's so much fun.
07:42 And great to drive, classic style, classic look.
07:45 And I like that each year, they just refine the body and the build quality just a little
07:49 bit more and a little bit more.
07:51 I've had my Hellcat since '15.
07:55 It's been in the dealer once or twice for oil changes.
07:58 That's about it.
07:59 And I'm really thrilled by it.
08:00 It's great to be associated with it.
08:04 This announcement today was the first thing that I was excited about.
08:07 The second thing that I'm excited about, super excited about, is after we're done here, we're
08:11 getting in 170s, and we're cruising with Jay up Woodward.
08:15 I mean, that's a bucket list.
08:16 Come on.
08:17 And all of you guys are invited to come along.
08:19 So get in your cars, let's go.
08:21 We're going to caravan all the way up Woodward.
08:24 It's going to be-- it's just going to be fantastic.
08:26 Yeah, it'll be fun.
08:28 It really is just very American, and it's everybody-- you know, I enjoy Pebble Beach.
08:34 It's a lot of fun.
08:35 But it's $5,000 a day.
08:38 You know, this is just great.
08:40 It's hamburgers and hot dogs.
08:42 It's just people on the street.
08:43 Every kind of possible car from a Rebel Ramblers to a Dodge Challenger.
08:48 I mean, it's just a great event.
08:50 It's celebrating American muscle and American ingenuity and spirit.
08:56 You guys all know this, and Jay will never tell you this.
08:59 One of the things that Jay is incredibly well known for is his generosity and surprising
09:06 people.
09:07 You see him all over the place giving away cars to veterans and people in need, and he
09:12 shocks these people, right?
09:16 One thing that I don't think probably happens to you a lot is people get to surprise you.
09:20 So I'm very lucky that I get to--
09:22 I have no idea what's going on here, but all right.
09:24 All right.
09:25 Yeah, yeah, that's right.
09:26 Thankfully, people don't surprise me.
09:29 I get to surprise you today.
09:30 All right.
09:31 All right.
09:32 So the cars that we're going to be driving today, the one that you're going to be driving
09:37 isn't some pre-production clapped up demo.
09:41 You call them clapped up demos.
09:42 I love that.
09:43 Can you quote that?
09:44 Can you get Tim on that?
09:46 It's not some clapped out demo.
09:48 Like you give the press?
09:49 Is that what you're saying?
09:50 Yeah, yeah.
09:51 There's a little twist to this one.
09:53 OK, what's the twist?
09:54 Our union team members at Brampton pulled off an absolute miracle, and your car is right
10:01 here.
10:02 Oh, is that mine?
10:03 This is your car.
10:04 OK, I ordered this last March.
10:07 And you're the first person to ever drive it outside the company, and now you're the
10:12 first person to take delivery of it in the world.
10:14 Oh, it looks great.
10:15 Oh, that's fantastic.
10:16 Very good.
10:17 And it's already registered in California with a very custom license plate, if you can
10:28 zoom in on that.
10:29 Leno 170.
10:30 What's that?
10:31 That's your license plate.
10:32 Oh, yeah, the cops will remember that.
10:33 At least when you cut somebody off.
10:36 It was 26, I don't remember the last four numbers.
10:38 Oh, no, it was Leno.
10:39 I don't know what kind of car it was, but it was Leno's car.
10:42 But thank you.
10:43 Well, that's great.
10:44 Thank you.
10:45 Now, here's the huge test.
10:46 Jay is the ultimate car guy.
10:49 The ultimate car guy test is now that we're going out to cruise Woodward, will you use
10:55 your own car?
10:56 Yeah, let's use my car.
10:58 That's why he's the ultimate car guy.
10:59 Let's do it.
11:00 He's got zero miles on it.
11:01 He's cruising Woodward.
11:02 That's fantastic.
11:03 Oh, that's great.
11:04 Cool, cool.
11:05 Oh, very exciting.
11:06 Well, I don't know what to say.
11:12 Did I surprise you?
11:13 Yeah, you did surprise me.
11:15 That's terrific.
11:16 Thanks to the team.
11:17 I really appreciate it.
11:18 Wow, that's really great.
11:19 It looks great.
11:20 I like the color, too.
11:21 Very nice.
11:22 I wasn't sure about the color.
11:23 I saw it in the brochure.
11:24 But yeah, it looks great.
11:25 That's terrific.
11:26 Yeah, it really is a lot of fun, this thing.
11:27 It's great.
11:28 Well, thank you, Tim.
11:29 I appreciate it.
11:30 I will give the stage to you.
11:31 Anything you want to say?
11:32 No, let's go driving.
11:33 Any questions?
11:34 I don't know.
11:35 We're in this transition period.
11:36 New cars coming.
11:37 How do you see things changing?
11:38 You know, I think it's a good idea to have a little bit of a break.
11:39 I think it's a good idea to have a little break.
11:41 We're in this transition period.
11:42 New cars coming.
11:43 How do you see things changing?
11:44 You know, it's so funny.
11:45 Mark Twain said, "I like progress.
11:46 It's change I don't like."
11:47 And it always kind of makes me laugh because it reinvigorates the business.
11:48 I think the good thing about electrification is it saves cars like this.
11:49 Because the tendency now is to do away with gas cars.
11:50 But with electrification coming in, they'll ease restrictions.
11:51 People that want to be into internal combustion and drive all the time, they'll be able to
11:52 do that.
11:53 But I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
11:54 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
11:55 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
11:56 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
11:57 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
12:21 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
12:45 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:12 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:13 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:14 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:14 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:15 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:16 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:17 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:18 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:19 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:20 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:21 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:22 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:23 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:24 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:25 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:26 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:27 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:27 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:30 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:31 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:32 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:33 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:34 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:35 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:36 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:37 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:38 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:39 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:40 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:41 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:42 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
13:43 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
14:07 I think it's a good thing to have a little break.
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