Forgetting your lunch or groceries in the back seat is an inconvenience. But imagine if, instead, it was your child.

It's rare to find an automaker or other brand that doesn't have a pet project, charity or cause they donate to and maybe give some lip service. But in Subaru of America's case, their commitment to environmental causes is authentically deep.

A recent story in "The Car Connection" got me thinking about the disconnect between automakers and their dealers. While the companies talk a good game about cooperation and symmetry, it doesn't appear to be happening, based on some recent polls. In the 20 years I've been covering the auto industry, not a whole lot has changed in that regard.

Whether they are official sponsors or not, it’s inevitable that many automakers are making connection to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.  A new campaign for BMW breaks early next week during the Olympics broadcasting that pits the BMW 330e electric hybrid against the much-hyped, but still not available electric Tesla 3.  BMW is taking on Tesla, marketing its all-ready-for-purchase/lease high-end hybrid against a car for which consumers must still wait to come to market.  “The car you’ve been waiting for . . . without the wait,” says the voiceover for the BMW campaign, which was created by The …

New-vehicle drivers in the United States spend an average of 11 hours a day watching TV, streaming video content, listening to radio programming or on the Internet. The problem for marketers is that many consumers are getting their TV fix using digital media, which makes it harder to reach them.