Adam Chamberlain came back to Mercedes-Benz at the worst possible moment — and that's exactly why he took the job.

After 3.5 years on the retail side at Lithia (the largest dealer group in the US), Adam returned to lead Mercedes-Benz North America on July 1, 2025 — walking into tariffs, Chinese EV pressure, a crowded luxury landscape, and a brand that had slipped to #3 in the US behind BMW and Lexus.

In Episode 67 of Full Throttle, Jason Stein sits down with Adam for a remarkably candid conversation about the comeback plan: 30+ new vehicles by 2029, a path to 400,000 US sales, holding the line on pricing while competitors raise prices, and what he learned about OEM bosses from the other side of the desk.

If you sell cars, run a dealership, or care about where the luxury auto business is headed — this one is essential listening.

🎧 What's inside:
- The 12 listening-tour dinners that shaped his entire 9-month plan
- Why dealers told him Mercedes had "over-complicated" the business
- Lessons from Lithia CEO Brian DeBoer ($9B → $40B)
- The CLA BEV at $55,900 — and why the math finally works
- Tariffs, war rooms, and the case for export credits
- The Chinese EV threat and the level-playing-field problem
- The new S-Class, the electric AMG GT, and the Brad Pitt F1 halo

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 — Intro - Back to Mercedes: The Listening Tour
3:51 — "We Over-Complicated the Business"
5:57 — The Lithia Years & Working for Brian DeBoer
11:31 — Why Return to the OEM Side?
13:09 — The Road to 400,000 US Sales by 2030
16:48 — Powertrain Flexibility: Letting Customers Decide
21:55 — Manufacturing, Tariffs & Holding the Line on Pricing
29:07 — The Chinese EV Threat
32:40 — The New S-Class & the Electric AMG GT
35:51 — F1, Brad Pitt & the Brand Halo

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