ICYMI: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Hosted the First Annual Great American Road Trip Expo
GM, Ford, Tesla and more joined Secretary Duffy to Announce the Great American Road Trip, Showcase Made in America Cars by American Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Secretary Sean P. Duffy hosted the first annual Great American Road Trip Expo at the Department of Transportation. During his remarks at the expo, the Secretary unveiled the new logo for the Great American Road Trip, which he will kick off this summer with his family to celebrate America’s 250th birthday next July. The Secretary also debuted the Department’s new website in collaboration with Brand USA. The website highlights 250 suggested stops across the country for American families to consider when mapping out their next road trip.
The Expo showcased 40 vehicles supplied by 19 American car manufacturers. Hundreds of visitors joined the Expo to hear from industry leaders, including Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella, Chrysler Brand CEO Christine Feuell, Ford Motor Company's Chief Policy Officer and Counsel Steven Croley, BMW of North America President and CEO Sebastian Mackensen, Kia Georgia's President and CEO Stuart Countess, and U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman, and celebrate road trips and their enduring symbol of the American experience.
View the full remarks here.
View highlights from Secretary Duffy’s address below:
“Welcome to the Great American Road Trip Expo...
There’s nothing more Americana than a road trip and there’s no better time to go on a road trip when we have our gas prices that are down, our inflation is down, and American spirits are up and so to get in the car and see your country...
In partnership with America 250, we’re unveiling our road trip logo to commemorate America 250th anniversary.
In addition to the logo, we’re launching a brand new website to guide Americans on their next road trip.
This website was designed by Brand USA and it’s going to steer Americans to 250 destinations in celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday and as our country celebrates a birthday, I do think there’s something about freedom in a vehicle.
There’s something about the freedom of mobility and there’s something very American about it, and so, I also think that there’s a lot of people around the world that think about American cars, and they think about American road trips, and we want to invite the rest of the world. They’re going to come for FIFA’s club games, or they’re going to come for the World Cup, or they’re going to come for the Olympics, come and see sporting events, but then you can also take a week or 10 days with my family to travel around this great country. Stop at our great restaurants. Stay in our wonderful motels or hotels. Gas up your car with great American energy.
It’s going to be wonderful for our economy, so we’re excited about it and again, all of you helping us push and promote, we will be grateful if you help us do that and again it’s not just American. We’re going to invite our international friends to come and celebrate this great country with us. I want to extend my gratitude and appreciation for all of you coming out again. We have great American manufactured vehicles that are here today. I want to thank all the manufacturers coming here and participating.”
“Brand USA is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Transportation to promote The Great American Road Trip to legitimate international visitors. International visitors tend to travel for longer trips than domestic travelers, spend more, and consider taking a road trip with multiple stops a top activity of interest when visiting the United States. As part of our broader mission, we’re excited to highlight the 250 uniquely American destinations and attractions identified by Secretary Duffy to tourists from around the world who want to celebrate America by visiting our big cities, small towns, and everything in between,” said Fred Dixon, Brand USA President and CEO.
Nineteen vehicle vendors participated in the Great American Road Trip Expo, including GM, Ford, RBW, Rivian, Tesla, Stellantis, Honda, Subaru, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Toyota, Kia, Volvo, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, RVs, BMW, and Lucid. Other vendors included U.S. Travel, McDonald’s, Pilot/Flying J, Academy Bus, Chick-Fil-A, Dunkin, and Racetrac.