Ride in Style Podcast Episode 50: Building Automotive Restyling Businesses That Last
The 50th episode of the Ride in Style Podcast brought together decades of automotive restyling experience, a major new product opportunity, and one message that every shop owner can use: tough markets reward businesses that keep adapting.
Hosts Josh Poulson and Jesse Stoddard were joined by Bill North of Champion Auto Systems and Anthony and Robert “Big Bob” Ramirez of Autotronica in Anaheim, California. Their conversation covered the evolution of the aftermarket sunroof business, Autotronica’s path through growth and recession, the upcoming Hollandia 1000 panoramic sunroof, cooled-seat sales, and the outlook for dealership restyling.
Ride in Style Podcast: Episode 50 with Bill North of Champion Auto Systems at Anthony and Robert Ram
- 00:00 Early Career Breakthrough
- 01:20 Podcast Intro and Guests
- 02:52 Anthony Origin Story
- 05:22 Skills and School Hustle
- 06:10 Robert Big Bob Journey
- 07:48 Bill North Champion Update
- 10:39 Panoramic Sunroof Launch
- 14:49 Autotronica Excitement
- 16:11 Mobile Van Challenges
- 19:01 Spoiler Disaster Story
- 20:27 Why Airstream Name
- 22:02 Side Hustles and Grind
From Upholstery Class to Industry Leadership
Anthony and Robert’s automotive careers began in high school upholstery classes before both moved into professional work with Classic Soft Trim. Those early years gave them more than technical skills. They learned how dealership relationships, installation quality, operational discipline, and dependable service work together to build a sustainable restyling business.
Anthony later launched Airstream, a mobile operation that brought sunroof installation directly to dealerships. The model was ambitious. Instead of waiting for vehicles to arrive at a shop, crews traveled in fully equipped vans and performed the work where dealers needed it.
The early days were difficult, but persistence paid off. Airstream eventually grew to roughly 40 employees. When recession conditions forced the company to close, Anthony and his team did not leave the industry. They rebuilt, and Autotronica opened in 2010.
Robert’s career followed a similarly steady climb. After beginning in upholstery, he moved into management and helped his location achieve the top profit ranking among approximately 40 locations. His story reinforced a recurring theme of the episode: craftsmanship opens the door, but leadership, accountability, and business discipline determine how far a company can grow.
The Hollandia Legacy Continues
Bill North entered the industry in 1988 and watched the aftermarket sunroof category change from a competitive field into a market led by the Hollandia product line. Today, Champion Auto Systems continues that legacy with products such as the Hollandia 700 inbuilt sunroof, manufactured in Minnesota using the original Webasto design.
Champion has also expanded its power top slider options for shorter-bed trucks, giving restylers more ways to solve fitment challenges and serve customers who want factory-style upgrades.
The biggest product discussion centered on the Hollandia 1000 panoramic sunroof. By using an existing toolset, Champion avoided an estimated $3 million to $4 million in new tooling investment. The design uses a rubber trim ring and structural adhesive as part of the installation process.
This is not a universal-fit product. Bill emphasized that installers need a full 53 inches from header panel to header panel. That makes proper vehicle evaluation essential and positions the H1000 primarily for midsize SUVs and four-door passenger cars.
For qualified vehicles, however, the opportunity is significant. Dealers and consumers have wanted an aftermarket panoramic option for years. The product can create fresh interest in older vehicles, support higher-value custom builds, and give dealerships another feature to promote when shoppers want premium comfort and style without moving into a different vehicle.
Training Turns Product Opportunity Into Profit
A promising product only becomes a reliable revenue stream when installers know how to sell and install it correctly. That is why Champion’s panoramic sunroof training at Autotronica matters.
Technical training protects the vehicle, the installer, the dealer relationship, and the product’s reputation. It also gives shops the confidence to quote the work accurately and identify the right applications before a vehicle enters the bay.
Autotronica is a fitting training location. The Anaheim facility combines a showroom, Katzkin displays, experienced technicians, and a mobile operation shaped by years of dealership service. During the virtual shop tour, the team also showed active sunroof inventory, including a 740 unit prepared for a Land Cruiser, and highlighted professional equipment used to support consistent quality.
The Sales Lesson Behind Cooled Seats
One of the most practical moments in the episode involved cooled seats. Demand is growing, but the technology can be easy for consumers to miss because its most visible component may be a small switch inside the vehicle.
The system works through a vacuum effect that removes heat from the occupant instead of simply forcing air upward. Once customers experience it, the benefit is clear. The real challenge is making the feature visible before the demonstration.
Champion addressed that problem with a large floor display. It is a simple but important sales lesson: products do not sell themselves, especially when the value is difficult to see. Restylers need displays, demonstrations, talking points, and a process that helps dealership staff explain the upgrade.
The same principle applies across the industry. Leather, sunroofs, heated and cooled seats, truck accessories, and other restyling products become more valuable when customers can see, touch, and understand them.
Why the Retail Automotive Opportunity Remains Strong
Interest rates, inventory constraints, and uneven dealership traffic have created real pressure. Still, Bill and Anthony remain optimistic about the future of retail automotive restyling.
Dealers continue to need ways to differentiate vehicles, improve gross profit, and offer features customers want. In difficult markets, those needs often become more important, not less. A capable restyling partner can help a dealer turn an ordinary unit into a more compelling purchase without relying only on factory configurations.
That opportunity belongs to businesses that stay visible, train their teams, maintain quality, and continue investing in dealer relationships. As the guests put it, “Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.”
Celebrating 50 Episodes and Looking Ahead
Episode 50 was more than a milestone. It connected the history of automotive restyling with its next chapter.
Anthony and Robert’s journey shows what resilience looks like in practice. Bill’s product updates demonstrate how proven designs can evolve to create new opportunities. The conversations about training, displays, and dealership demand show that execution still matters as much as innovation.
For automotive restylers, the path forward is clear: master the product, make the value visible, support the dealer, and keep adapting.
To learn more about Champion Auto Systems, the Hollandia product line, heated and cooled seats, online ordering, and the Champion Control Center, visit championautosystems.com or heatedseats.com. To connect with Autotronica, find the Anaheim shop through Instagram, Yelp, or Google.