'Auto Trends' Talks To An HBCU Alum About How The Family Tobacco Farm From The 1800s Laid The Path To Become The Only Top-Tier Black Female Auto Supplier

Lisa Lunsford, CEO of GS3, is the only Black female top-tier auto supplier. (Photo Credit: Lisa Lunsford)

Lisa Lunsford, the CEO and co-founder of the Detroit-based auto manufacturer, Global Strategic Supply Solutions, talks to Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, the only syndicated multicultural automotive radio program in North America.

At the time of our conversation four years ago, Lunsford was one of two Black women in the automotive manufacturing industry who headed a Tier One company. A Tier One business supplies the parts to build cars directly to a major automaker. To put this in perspective, the average car consist of 30,000 to 90,000 of parts. Today we believe she is the only Black women in this role.

 

'Auto Trends' Women's History Month Spotlight: African American Travel And The Road To Civil Rights (Two Shows)

 

As we kickoff Women's History Month, Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, the only syndicated multicultural automotive program in North America, is reaching into our archives re-airing a 2020 conversation centered around cars, travel, Civil Rights and American history. In light of the current state of the world, it seems fitting that we revisit history, seeing the climate the Black community encountered before gaining many of the civil liberties most of us have taken for granted. 

In an exclusive two-part conversation with Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, curator, documentarian, professor and author Dr. Gretchen Sorin literally take us on a historical road trip, exploring the popular acronym DWB beyond the lens of racial profiling. In her book, Driving While Black: African American Travel And The Road To Civil Rights, the effervescent Sorin shares how the car, which has served as the ultimate symbol of independence and possibility, played different roles for both the Black and white community.

SiriusXM's 'Auto Trends' Black History Spotlight: Designer Chris Benjamin Resurrects A Car Brand Birthed 65 Years Ago

Chief Design Officer Chris Benjamin is posing with one of the vehicles his team created. (Photo Credit: Scout Motors)

Chris Benjamin, a native New Yorker, has joined an exclusive club, becoming one of a handful of Black automotive designers in the world to head a design studio.

Like the elite club of the four Black quarterbacks who have led their teams to the finish line in the Super Bowl, Benjamin finds himself in a car club just as exclusive as the Black NFL winning Super Bowl quarterbacks.

'Auto Trends' Kicks Off Black History Month With A Former Rainbow PUSH Automotive Activist: Where Do We Go From Here?

Change agent Glenda Gill (Photo Credit: GG)

Over the past week or so since Trump took office, he has been issuing out nonstop signed executive orders from The White House and Mar-a-Lago like a level 5 tornado tearing through an urban area during a busy workday.

As expected, there have been some immediate casualties, non-life threating injuries, uprooting, angst and mental frustration. Overall, as expected, there has been pure chaos and confusion.

CBS News Profiles Ed Welburn: GM's First Black Car Designer (Video)

 

'Auto Trends' Kicks Off Black History Month with GPS Pioneer Dr. Gladys West

The Lt. Gov. of Virginia and Dr. Gladys West

In this day and time, where self-promotion is the name of the game, social media outlets and reality TV shows provide the perfect platform for those, with and without talent, yearning to be discovered.

However, every blue moon those not obsessed in living in this selfie generation manages to surface above the noise, even when they are not seeking attention. After years of quietly enjoying retirement, the world is just now discovering another ‘Hidden Figure.’

‘Auto Trends’ Talks to the Founder of the Only Successful Black-Centric Car Magazine

 

After kicking off Black History Month honoring Carol H. Williams, the advertising goddess behind one of the most successful deodorant taglines in history, Auto Trends with JeffCars.com continues its celebration over the next two Saturdays, talking to Randi Payton.

Payton, who has been one of the leading automotive media advocates to help drive diversity in the automotive arena, launched the first and only Black-centric car magazine, African American On Wheels. After successfully launching his first car magazine in the mid-nineties, it didn’t take long before the multicultural media maven expanded his publishing portfolio to focus on both the Latino and the Asian communities.

 

SiriusXM's 'Auto Trends' Talks About Hammerin' Hank Aaron And The Bumpy Road He Navigated As BMW's First Black Dealer

Sidney Barron and Hank Aaron (Photo Credit: SB)

As Auto Trends with JeffCars.com continues our Black History Month themed shows, focusing on the intersection of race and sports, we are honored to share the story of how Hammerin’ Henry Louis Aaron became BMW’s first black dealer.

When Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record on April 8, 1974, hitting the career-winning 715-home run, one might have assumed that he would no longer be facing opposition -- still needing to prove himself nearly a quarter of a century later. 

However, the world class athlete and successful businessman was about to embark upon a brand new venture, where he found himself in the crossfire again. 

Melissa Harville-Lebron Shares On 'Auto Trends' How Love, Music And A Near Death Experience Drove The Mother Of Seven To Become A NASCAR Team Owner

Melissa Harville-Lebron (Photo Credit: Melissa Harville-Lebron)

If you’re a racing fan, you’re more than likely familiar with such history makers as Willy T. Ribbs, Wendell Scott, Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace Jr., Latrice ‘Tia’ Norfleet and Lewis Hamilton.

Unlike the aforementioned noted names, barrier breaker Melissa Harville-Lebron has not spent countless hours behind the wheel racking up laps. She’s literally taken a different course of action to steer the wheel and break into this male dominated sport, which lacks diversity in terms of both melanin and gender.

Editor's Note: A Memorable Moment With One Of The Highest Ranking Global Car Designers

I have been waiting for this photo for 2 years (and it finally surfaced in an email that was sent to me). This is Ed Welburn, the first black car designer to work for GM. Welburn, who is a Howard University graduate, oversees all of the designs for GM. If you like GM's designs, give kudos to Welburn. Welburn also mentored Andre Hudson, the designer over at Hyundai.

This was my first public post-cancer outing in January 2013. I didn't realize I was going to be able to snatch an unplanned one-on-one interview with Welburn, who was being honored at the Trumpet Awards. Yes, for a car nut like me, who grew up collecting miniature cars, it was a dream just to spend some time, talking (and being inspired) by to a pioneer. Sports and movie fanatics would understand!

Rewind Interview: The Brother That Put Chrysler Back in the Black (Part One of Two)

Photo Credit: JeffCars.com

Our one-on-one interview with Ralph Gilles, the brother behind Chrysler's 300, first ran on Tom Joyner’s website, BlackAmericaweb.com, on June 25, 2006. In case you missed it, here's an opportunity to see what was on the mind of Chrysler's current Group vice president of design.

When every auto critic questioned whether American consumers would buy the bold, in-your-face, rear-wheel-drive Chrysler 300, especially in snowy climates such as the Midwest and the Northeast, Chrysler executives ignored the critics and continued on their path to build such a vehicle.

Fortunately for Ralph Gilles, the 36-year-old, one-time college dropout and lead designer of the ultra-popular 300 for the Chrysler Group, the American buying public stood in line to snatch-up all of the vehicles that were available and ignored the critics too. Prior to the launch of this vehicle, Chrysler was bleeding red, with a $637 million loss in 2003. Gilles’ design influence helped put the company back in the black. The company posted a $1.9 billion profit in 2004 while many of their domestic competitors have been struggling since to improve their designs and profitability.

The Brother Behind the Success of Hyundai's Restyled Sonata

Andre Hudson, the designer of the upscale, sexy looking 2011 Hyundai Sonata, takes a moment to stand-by his pride and joy.

The sales numbers for July have finally been tallied and analyzed. And according to Hyundai officials, last month represented an all-time sales record in the states for the Korean automaker, marking this as only the fourth time Hyundai has sold over 50,000 vehicles in a month. 

Moreover, this sales success has been driven largely due to the redesign of the sexy looking 2011 Hyundai Sonata we reviewed earlier this spring. 

In fact, the Sonata has been so successful since arriving in dealership showrooms this February, it has been stealing sales away from both the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Year-to-date sales of the 2011 Sonata has increased by 33 percent, in the midst of a recession. Much of the sales success should be attributed to the hands of thirty-four-year-old Andre Hudson, the design manager at Hyundai, who was responsible for the exterior design of this Korean midsize sedan.