Autoline After Hours

This week the After Hours crew has stars in their eyes as they welcome Hollywood Car Designer and TV Host Fireball Tim Lawrence to Skype in from Malibu, California. He’s conceptualized vehicles, spaceships and other props for some of Hollywood’s biggest movies and television shows. As always, we’ll be getting into the news of the week including Alan Mulally’s big payday, Renault’s ever-stranger tale of EV espionage and the exit of GM CFO Chris Liddell. John McElroy is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as our pal Todd Lassa from Motor Trend.

This week we bring in a guest all the way from Tacoma, Washington where what will be the largest car museum in the world is currently under construction. David Madeira is the President and CEO of LeMay – America’s Car Museum, and we’ll be asking him what the museum will be like when it’s finished, why they chose Tacoma of all places, and why he thinks it will become a mecca for gear heads everywhere. We’ll also get into the news of the week, including February’s fantastic sales numbers. John McElroy is joined in studio as always by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as AAH first-timer Mark Gillies, a hardcore enthusiast, acerbic commentator and survivor of the buff book magazine wars. You’re not going to want to miss it.

This week Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, takes the AAH reins while John McElroy is out on the West Coast. Mr. Renzo has summoned up two of his favorite car guys for the occasion: Scott Burgess, the automotive critic and columnist for The Detroit News, and “the man who knew too much,” Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics. Together they’ll be diving into the deep issues of the week. With oil prices skyrocketing as a result of Middle East unrest, which of the small vehicles — Cruze, Focus or Elantra — will be poised to take advantage of the situation? Meanwhile, BMW will be giving all its alt fuel vehicles the “i” moniker. Also, Honda chopped down the size of its board of directors from 20 to 12. Just what is going on at that company? Join us as we get into all this and much more.

This week we’ll use the magic of the Internet to bring a little bit of Oregonian wisdom into our studio. Said wisdom will come from none other than friend of the show, Art Spinella, the President of CNW Research, who will join us via Skype. We’ll be asking Art about the latest gems of automotive insight to be unearthed from his research. We’ll also be getting into the news of the week including the chance that Bob Lutz could be headed back to GM as well as Roger Penske’s smart car debacle. John McElroy is joined in studio by the often imitated, but never duplicated Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week we’re back with another episode of Autoline After Hours as well as one our audience’s all-time favorite guests. You asked for it, and now you’ve got it: the irrepressible, always knowledgeable Sandy Munro of Munro and Associates. He’ll tell us about a new material he’s working with called “covetic aluminum,” which could be a major manufacturing breakthrough. We’ll also see how much info we can get out of him about the top secret work he’s doing for Chrysler. But, don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of the week’s news to talk about as well. In particular, we’ve got a bone to pick with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who just won’t call unintended acceleration what it really is: driver error. Plus, we’ll get into the huge number of automotive Super Bowl commercials seen on Sunday’s game. Did they hit the mark? John McElroy is joined in studio by Gary Vasilash of Automotive Design and Production as well as the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week it’s “Home Sweet Home” as the After Hours crew returns to the studio for another outspoken edition of your favorite LIVE webcast. We’re joined by special guest John Waraniak, SEMA’s vice president of vehicle technology. We’ll be asking him if performance cars can survive the CAFE crunch. We’ll also get into the other news of the week including Ford’s plummeting profits, January sales figures and what Dan Akerson is up to at General Motors. John McElroy is joined in studio by Frank Markus of Motor Trend and Mr. Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

In the final installment of our mobile AAH series, we go straight into the belly of the beast: Washington D.C. And, for this special edition John McElroy has gathered a group of newcomers and old friends alike. He’s joined by USA Today Columnist Jayne O’Donnell, Kimatni Rawlins from Automotive Rhythms and our pal from the Wall Street Journal, Columnist Joe White. We’ll be asking this trio about what’s been going on in the automotive world and get their unique Beltway perspective.

This week our AAH on the Road series continues as we go on location to the Chrysler Tech Center where we'll talk with the Vice President of Product Planning, Joe Veltri. We'll be asking him all about Chrysler's barrage of new product and how Chrysler will integrate its platforms with Fiat. We're also curious to know how it is to work with the Italians compared to the Germans. But, we won't be forgetting the news. We're going to talk about some of the managerial shake up going on at GM with Tom Stephens moving out of product planning and Mary Barra stepping in. John McElroy is joined in the Tech Center by the ever-extreme AutoExtremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week we continue to make good use of our LiveU backpack as we go on location to the studio of designer Camilo Pardo who created the Ford GT. We'll be asking him what it was like to design the GT and what else he's been up to. We'll be sure to talk about what we saw at the Detroit auto show and do a bit of a wrap-up as well. John McElroy is joined in Camilo's studio by the one and only AutoExtremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

What a way to kick off the new year. If there was ever an Autoline After Hours you wanted--nay--needed to catch, this one is it. That's because our guest is the one, the original, the top gun of automotive executives, Bob Lutz! This man has never been one to mince words, but now he's ready to take on American business practices, so watch out. We'll be discussing his new book, his storied history in the auto industry and so much more. Get ready for one very good conversation. John McElroy is joined in studio by the incomparable AutoExtremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

Hard to believe, but this week is actually the Last After Hours of 2010! In the spirit of the season, we decided to play "Secret Santa" and give out presents and lumps of coal in recognition of automotive successes and disasters, respectively. On hand to help us go through our naughty and nice list is David Welch from Bloomberg making his triumphant return to the Autoline set. John McElroy is also joined in studio by Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.

We're back in the same place again, and we're chompin' at the bit to get to another great Autoline After Hours. This week we'll be talking about the nominees for North American Car and Truck of the Year. The final six (three cars and three trucks) were announced, and we'll be debating which vehicle deserves to win. We'll also be looking out into the future as we examine the coming cost of CAFE regulations. Of course, there'll be a lot more to talk about, and you never know what will come up in the discussion, so belt yourself in: we're going for a ride. John McElroy is joined in studio by Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.

This week while McElroy is out on business, the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, takes the wheel as we get into some of the hottest news and most controversial topics. Chevy's Aveo gets renamed the "Sonic" and production comes home to Michigan. Porsche makes its return to the North American International Auto Show, but what will it debut? A new study reveals that Ford and Honda have the most loyal customers and "fun to drive" is becoming a more important buying consideration. Peter is joined in studio by Scott Burgess of The Detroit News and Keith Naughton of Bloomberg News.

This week we're back in the After Hours studio at long last, and we're ready to talk about anything and everything from the world of cars! On hand to help us do just that is Michael Robinet from IHS Automotive. He'll have particular insight on what the latest sales figures say about the direction of the automotive industry. What can we expect as we move into 2011? Of course we'll also be diving into other topics including John McElroy's experience of living with a Nissan Leaf. John is joined in studio by Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.

And now for something completely different. This week John McElroy comes to you from the Pacific time zone in the great city of Los Angeles. Autoline is out west this week covering the L.A. Auto Show, and we're getting together with some of our left coast colleagues to do an AAH from the land of CARB and some really out-of-control cars. We'll be joined by Chelsea Sexton, EV enthusiast, Matt DeLorenzo from Road and Track and Charlie Vogelheim of Intellichoice. Of course, the group will be discussing the major news out of this week's show and much more.

This week’s gonna be fun. Not only are the inmates running the asylum here at the Autoline studios, we’ve got some of your all-time favorite AAH panelists all in the same room. Peter De Lorenzo’s in the driver’s seat while Mr. McElroy is out on business, and he’s invited Frank Markus from Motor Trend, Scott Burgess from The Detroit News and — wait for it — Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics. Tonight we’ll be running through a ton of the news to come out this week including Mercedes’ new 4-cylinder S-Class, the rising costs of raw materials and what it means for vehicle prices, as well as the GM IPO. Hold on tight, because we just might be in for a wild ride tonight!

We’re back again for another outspoken Autoline After Hours, and it’s feeling like old times as we get ready to dive head first into the latest news and views with none other than AAH founding member Jason Vines. We’ll be talking about the latest car sales for sure and whether or not it bodes well for the auto industry. We’re also going to talk about what effect the election will have on the auto industry, and we’ll discuss the impending GM IPO. Plus, John McElroy will explain why he quit the Automotive Press Association after they invited Steven Rattner to speak. John’s also joined in studio by Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.

On this week’s show, it’s just us, the beers and a dog named “Ike” — oh yeah, and the latest news out of this ever-hopping auto industry! Our pal Jean Halliday from AutoAdOpolis will be on hand to chat with us as we delve into Consumer Reports’ latest findings. They’re wild about the latest GM product and amazed at the Chrysler prototypes they got a peek at. Plus, Chevy’s having a crisis over the classification of the Volt in California. But we couldn’t have two of our favorite ad gurus on the show without talking about some of the latest campaigns, so get ready for a “Deep” dive. John McElroy’s also joined in studio by Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.

This week we’re joined by Kevin McMahon who is a Managing Partner at The Martec Group, a research and consulting firm. Kevin heads up the group’s automotive and transportation analysis where he discovered an interesting fact. He says the California Air Resources Board (CARB) overstated diesel emissions by as much as 350 percent, rendering it uncompetitive in the market! We’ll also be getting to other topics of the week like Mazda’s new hyperefficient powertrain for the Demio. Plus, we’ll start talking Car of the Year, especially as the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt are concerned. John McElroy had a chance to drive both in Hell, Michigan this week, and we’ll get his take. John’s in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Frank Markus from MotorTrend.

In the After Hours studio this week is Bob Purcell, the CEO of Protean Electric, a company that specializes in electric hub motors. Wait till you hear how Purcell wants to use these motors to instantly add hundreds of horsepower to a conventional car. Of course we'll be getting into the news and you can bet the great Volt controversy will be on the table. We'll have to see if we can get Bob (formerly of GM's EV program) to weigh in. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and AAH newbie Charlie Vogelheim from Intellichoice.com.