Autoline After Hours

This week Autoline After Hours comes to you from California with a special edition. John McElroy will be taking an in-depth look at the latest incarnation of VW’s Beetle Convertible with Product Manager Andres Valbuena. McElroy will also get a hands-on preview of the new 1.0L EcoBoost engine in the Ford Fiesta with Stephen Russ, Tech Leader of Gas Engine Systems, and Liz Elser, the Marketing Manager for the Fiesta. John will even get behind the wheel and experience both of these cars on the streets of Santa Monica! So, buckle up and join us for the best insider information in the industry.

Well, the Ford hit parade continues, and this week we have the hottest new star out of the Motor City, the Fusion, parked in the Autoline Garage. But, more importantly, to get the back story behind this four-door looker, we have invited John Jraiche, the vehicle's chief engineer. We'll be asking him what Ford has done differently to turn out a vehicle that is truly a world-class car. And, you can count on a discussion of some of the biggest news stories of the week as well: the U.S. is set to dominate worldwide oil production in the near future; Tesla's Model S wins Motor Trend Car of the Year; and Ford PR outflanks GM in electrification announcements. Joining John McElroy to talk about this and a whole lot more is the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, and Alisa Priddle from the Detroit Free Press.

What's the true cost of that Nissan LEAF your neighbor is driving? How about that Chevrolet Volt? We're not talking about the cost to own; we're talking about the cost to manufacture. Sandy Munro is a manufacturing expert, and as the president of Munro and Associates, he makes it his business to figure out the smartest way to assemble cars. He recently reverse engineered the Chevrolet Volt, and as our guest this week he'll be able to tell us what it really costs to build an EV and where that expense originates. Of course, we'll also be getting into the hottest topics in the news including a discussion about what impact the 2012 election results will have on the auto industry. Joining John McElroy to talk about this and a whole lot more is the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, and Joe White from The Wall Street Journal.

This week the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, takes the helm, and it's time to talk auto advertising. And, we've got one of the marketing world's seasoned veterans to offer his expert opinion. Mark LaNeve was the marketing chief for General Motors before going to Allstate and now he's back, fully enveloped in the automotive world, as the COO for Team Detroit, Ford's advertising agency. We'll talk about some of the very best examples of car ads out there right now and find out what agencies are turning out the most engaging creative. On hand to offer her opinion as well is friend of the show Jean Halliday from AutoAdOpolis.

One of the most anticipated cars over the last few years has been the Ford Focus ST. Well, this hot hatch is finally gracing the Autoline studios, and as if that weren't enough, we're also joined by Ford's gearhead supreme, Hau Thai-Tang, Vice President of Engineering and Global Product Development. Suffice it to say, we won't be lacking for topics. Plus, John McElroy and Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, will discuss the news of the week including A123's bankruptcy. Which EV companies could be next? All that and much more on this week's rip-roaring installment of Autoline After Hours.

When you fill your tank up with E85, are you burning food for fuel? Don't biofuels take more energy to produce than we get out of them? Candace Wheeler is GM's foremost fuels expert, and she'll be in studio to answer all of your questions. And, don't fret, you'll get the panel's reaction to the latest news to cross the transom including the baffling appointment at the Cadillac brand. We'll discuss why GM chose an executive with no car experience to run this critical luxury division. Plus, NASCAR's smash 'n' crash races look increasingly stupid, so what should be done? Joining John McElroy to talk about all these topics and much more is Peter De Lorenzo, the one and only Autoextremist, and Drew Winter from WardsAuto.

While AAH is off the air this week, please enjoy this encore presentation of our Paris Motor Show coverage. Join John McElroy for a personal tour of the Mondial de l’Automobile with guests such as Johan de Nysschen, the man who has been challenged to transform Infiniti into a competitive global brand. John also talks to Jim O'Sullivan and gets a peek at the brand new Mazda6, including a version we won't see in the U.S. Plus a look at some of the coolest French concept and production cars to debut at the show. What is the best looking concept at this year's exhibition? McElroy gives you his answer. All that and way, way more.

While the rest of the Autoline crew is hard at work in Paris, we lucky stiffs get to observe from afar. With the Autoextremist leading the charge, we'll take a look at the most important reveals from the 2012 Paris Motor Show so far. The Maserati Levante, Porsche's new Panamera wagon concept, the Opel Adam, Jaguar F-Type and VW Golf are all on the docket. Plus, we'll discuss the rough week had by EV makers like Fisker and Tesla. Joining Peter De Lorenzo to talk about all these topics and much more are Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production and Jim Hall, majordomo of 2953 Analytics.

The buck stops here, or at least the truck on this week’s episode of Autoline After Hours. Host John McElroy’s special guest is Mike Cairns from Ram. They’ll dive to the deepest depths of Chrysler’s recently refreshed pickup, talking about design, engineering and more. Joining the discussion is Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as Mark Phelan, ace reporter from the Detroit Free Press. Aside from the new Ram 1500, the troupe will also discuss John’s impressions of the all-electric CODA sedan, Peter’s take on Ford’s brand-new Fusion and an advertising masterpiece, the latest Volkswagen commercial. All that and much, much more.

Cadillac calls itself “The New Standard of the World” while BMW claims to be “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” That’s all marketing. When it comes down to building the vehicles that can live up to the hype, these top dogs turn to their engineers. This week’s guest, David Leone, the Chief Engineer for Cadillac, has the not-insignificant task of meeting and exceeding the “Standard.” We’ll be asking him how Cadillac plans to knock BMW off the top perch. As usual, you can expect us to take a dive into the biggest news of the week as well. It looks like Mark Fields may just be the executive to succeed Alan Mulally at Ford, and John has some impressions of the powerful Porsche 911 he’s been testing. Joining John McElroy in studio is his After Hours co-host Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Gary Vasilash of Automotive Design and Production!

Like it has everything else, you would think the Information Age would have by now worked its magic on the car buying experience. Depending who you ask, it has … maybe. But there is still a lot of confusion over how to negotiate the best deal. How do you know whether you’re getting a fair price or whether you’re being taken for a ride? This week’s guest has been an auto broker for more than 20 years. Now Isaac Bouchard has authored the new ebook, “Car Buying Tips Guide.” We’ll ask him how the average person can improve his or her buying experience. And, whether they should skip the showroom altogether and go through a broker like Isaac. Of course you can expect us to delve into the hot topics of the week as well. Joining John McElroy in studio is his After Hours partner in crime Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Steve Finlay of WardsAuto Dealer Business!

Toyotas are bland, right? That's the wrap. And for a long time it's been hard to disagree, but the new Toyota Avalon shows that this company really can turn out compelling cars. So, we asked the Chief Engineer of the Avalon, Randy Stephens, to park one in our studio while we talked to him about this, the first Toyota passenger car to be designed, engineered and manufactured in the U.S. In addition, you know that we'll get into the biggest news of the week including the continued "brain drain" at GM. John McElroy will also have some driving impressions to share of the Cadillac XTS. Joining John in studio is his After Hours cohort Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist!

On this week's episode of Autoline After Hours we welcome Al Oppenheiser, Chief Engineer of the Chevrolet Camaro. He has a shiny new ZL1 convertible to pull into the studio and we have a lot to ask him about that hot new car. Plus, we get into Peter De Lorenzo's latest rants and John offers his styling critique on the 2013 Honda Accord. All that and much, much more!

This week Autoline After Hours goes retro from the site of the world's largest one-day automotive event, The Woodward Dream Cruise. Crowds and cars will be populating the sidewalks and parking lots as many of the 40,000 classics get Woodward Avenue warmed up for the big day. And, we'll give you a much-coveted curbside position, plus we'll even go for a cruise down Woodward! John McElroy and Peter De Lorenzo are joined by a host of special guests such as: "the man who knows too much," Jim Hall, Ken Lingenfelter from Lingenfelter Performance Engineering and Mark Phelan from the Detroit Free Press, as well as executives from our friends at MOPAR along with their most tricked-out rides.

Each summer, nearly every major automaker makes its way to northern Michigan for a conference called the Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) and organized by the Center for Automotive Research. John McElroy and Michelle Krebs from Edmunds were both in Traverse City for the event and they'll be in studio to explain some of the news that broke and why it's such a well-attended conference. They, along with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, will also be discussing some of the big news coming out of the industry this week including Dodge ditching NASCAR and the National Governors Auto Caucus announced at MBS. Plus, we'll welcome Karl Brauer from TotalCarScore.com who will join the discussion via Skype from Camarillo, California.

This week our webcast goes where no webcast has gone before as our camera gets into the highly guarded, super-secretive GM Design Center. We’ll give you a walking tour of the facilities guided by none other than the man himself, Ed Welburn, GM Vice President of Global Design. John McElroy and Peter De Lorenzo will get an inside look at the creative heart of GM including the Color and Trim Studio, the company’s high-tech Virtual Reality room as well as Bill Mitchell’s historic garage populated with iconic cars like the Mako Shark concept. Join us for an intimate look into the design rock stars’ playground and a discussion about how GM’s past is informing the cars of the future.

How do you find the proper title for a man like Bob Lutz? In the end, there’s really only one choice: Automotive Icon. He’s been everywhere from BMW to Ford to GM to Lotus, and he hasn’t quit yet. This week, he gives Autoline After Hours the unique honor to visit his farm where we’ll get to tour his extensive collection of automobiles and motorcycles. For the man who could own just about anything, what does he choose to keep in his garage? We’ll find out. But, we won’t let him go without asking what he thinks of the state of GM now that he’s no longer the much-vaunted vice chairman. And, is Lotus going to survive? On hand to do the hard work of hanging out with the ultimate car guy is John McElroy and Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.

This week we're getting inside the head of General Motors' marketing chief, Joel Ewanick. We'll be asking him what sort of message GM plans to get out to the world as it continues its uphill battle to shake the "Government Motors" moniker. What advertising is one the horizon? Why did GM pull out of the Super Bowl? Is there a value to social media? Joining John McElroy in the studio is Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.

They’re on the clock…almost. This week the Autoline After Hours studio transforms into Draft Central as the show conducts its second-annual Automotive Draft. If you recall last year’s event, John McElroy led a contingent of four “team owners” — made up of his colleagues from the auto press — in choosing the executives who would lead their own car companies. This year’s automotive draft is bigger, better and even has its own ESPN-like “Draft Reporter” — Ms. Tiffany Stone — who will try her best to moderate the show’s returning Draft analysts, Mark Phelan from the Detroit Free Press and Scott Burgess from AOL Autos. Join John McElroy from Dymaxion Motors, Jim Hall from Automobiles Bistango, Michelle Krebs and her team Edmunds iMobility, Drew Winter and New America Motors along with Todd Lassa and Jaeger Motor Car Company and see who they choose during the seven rounds of the 2012 AAH Automotive Draft.

When Richard Hollingshead invented the drive-in theatre he knew he was combining two passions that would go great together. And, while drive-ins may not be as popular as they once were, cars and movies just keep cruising on and on. As you’ve probably guessed by now, that’s the subject of this week’s show. We’ll talk about the classics like “Vanishing Point” as well as films you might not associate with cars like “Body Heat.” Plus, we’ll get into some non-Hollywood topics such as Cadillac’s struggle to take on BMW with the ATS. To discuss all this and much more, Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, is joined by Todd Lassa from Motor Trend and Jim Hall from 2953 Analytics.