Autoline After Hours

This week we're talking Tata tech with Warren Harris, the President and COO of Tata Technologies. We'll be asking him what plans Tata has for the American and European markets. Of course, we'll be digging into the news of the week including BMW producing a front-wheel drive car--could it be the beginning of the end for the company's performance legacy? And, could Jaguar's C-X75 go beyond concept to become the brand's new halo supercar? John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production.

This week we’ll be getting a first-hand report from the Paris Motor Show as John McElroy joins us via Skype to offer his impressions. We’ll talk about how supercar EVs are taking over the show floor as well as the spectacular gas turbine hybrid concept revealed by Jaguar. Plus, McElroy has an exciting scoop from VW about its plan for diesels in the U.S. Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, will be in the driver’s seat tonight and he’ll be accompanied by advertising and marketing journalist Jean Halliday from AutoAdOpolis who will be on hand to discuss the latest automotive ad campaigns and more.

This week we welcome Chris Preuss, the CEO of OnStar, and we'll be asking him what his company will be doing to catch up to the likes of Ford's SYNC. As usual, you can count on us to take a deep dive into the latest automotive news. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist and Chrissie Thompson who covers GM for the Detroit Free Press.

After Hours is back and well rested after its Labor Day break, and this week we welcome Neil De Koker the founding President and CEO of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA). The oft-ignored supplier side of the automotive business develops more technology, jobs and innovation than you probably realize. It will be interesting to see how OESA's members are coping during these economic conditions. As usual, you can count on us to take a deep dive into the latest automotive news as well. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist and Mark Phelan from the Detroit Free Press.

This week our guest is Lonnie Miller the VP of Marketing and Industry Analysis for Polk. One of the questions we'll be asking him: just how bad is the Detroit Three's addiction to fleet sales? Of course, we'll be exploring other hot subjects as well including John's recent drives in the Kia Optima and the 5.0 Mustang. Also, August sales numbers are out and Chrysler-Fiat has revealed its dealership plans. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Rod Meloni from WDIV Channel 4 News in Detroit.

This week we invite Joe Serra on the AAH stage to talk dealerships. As a dealer principal, Joe has seen a lot in the past couple of years, and we'll be asking him how business is and what kinds of cars are moving out of the lots these days. As usual, we'll review some of the most interesting news of the week including the possibility of VW buying Alfa Romeo. Also, Chris Perry, formerly of Hyundai, is tapped to run Chevrolet marketing, and speaking of Hyundai, John recently got some seat time in the new Equus, so we'll see what he has to say about that. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week we bring you a very-special episode of Autoline After Hours from Woodward Avenue, home of the annual Dream Cruise, the biggest one-day automotive event in the world. Joining host John McElroy is the Autoextremist himself, Peter De Lorenzo. Together they check out some of the coolest classic cars on the street as well as some of the hottest performance machines available today . . . plus a whole lot more! Join us for this special two-hour installment of Autoline After Hours broadcasting from historic Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak, Michigan.

This week we invite Chris de Boer, head of Research and Development at Transonic Combustion to join us in the AAH studio. We'll be asking him if his technology is really the big breakthrough we've been waiting for, and how he can get 30% better fuel economy just by changing the fuel injection. As always we'll get into the big news of the week including GM's announcement that Big Ed Whitacre will be stepping down as CEO. Plus, Chrysler and GM both posted profits this week, and--can you believe it--the U.S. Department of Transportation found no electronic flaws in Toyotas. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Jim Hall from 2953 Analytics.

This week we invite Tom Kowaleski into the AAH studio. Tom's the VP of Corporate Communications at BMW, and we'll be asking him what's up with this whole "Joy" thing anyway? And, what will it take for BMW to overtake Lexus in the luxury segment? As always we'll be tackling the latest news as well including Hyundai's goal of a 50 MPG fleet average by 2025, GM's investment into Bright Automotive and July sales numbers. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Jeff Green from Bloomberg News.

This week the gang is all back together and they invite Amy Marentic, the marketing manager for the newly-revealed Ford Explorer, onto the show. We'll be asking Amy just how many people she thinks Ford can bring back to the SUV segment. Of course, the panel will also get into the news of the week like the positive earnings several companies have been seeing in the second quarter. We'll also discuss our recent trip to the VW research labs where we saw an amazing autonomous Audi TT, and we'll talk about their EV strategy which goes the laptop-battery route. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week our dear leader is on the road, so Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, grabs the wheel and takes over. We'll discuss the news of the week and other pressing topics: Is Ford running a risk having too many similar vehicles (Explorer, Edge, Flex) on the road? Can we ever realistically expect subsidy-free electric vehicles to be viable in the marketplace? Honda has lost its mojo -- can it go green to get it back? Peter's in studio with special guests Frank Markus from Motor Trend and Scott Burgess from The Detroit News.

This week we welcome Peter Hofbauer, a former diesel-engine designer at Volkswagen who’s now the Founder, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of EcoMotors, the company developing a revolutionary new opposed-piston engine. Beyond that, host John McElroy, David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics talk about some of the top news stories from the past week, like Ford's recent management shakeup and the latest on Toyota's unintended acceleration problem. Of course the panel also discusses the future of the ICE and what EcoMotors' new powerplant can offer the auto industry as it shoots to deliver better fuel economy.

This week we bring you a special all Q and A show. Our Rapid Fire segment has proven to be so popular that we never have enough time to make it through all our viewers' questions. In this episode we're going to do the best we can to rectify that. Our good friend Jason Vines is even coming in to help us get through all your mail and phone calls, so get ready for some answers to come your way! John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week we welcome Kathleen Ligocki, an auto industry consultant who is a former Ford VP, supplier company CEO and an expert in emerging markets such as China. We'll be asking her if she thinks Detroit has really recovered yet from the economic meltdown. As usual, we'll also get into the news of the week like Edmund's prediction that sales will be down this month. Also we'll discuss Ferrari's decision to drop manual transmissions and some recent news about ethanol. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week we welcome Charlie Hughes, the author of "Branding Iron" and an expert in automotive brands. In the past couple of years we've had a major culling of automotive marques--especially in Detroit. In this episode, we'll talk about what else can go: Acura? Infiniti? As usual, we'll also get into the news of the week. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This we took the show on the road to The Henry Ford for a "Racing in America" event. We had a lot of great discussion about racing, which you can catch in Part One of this week's show, but here is Part Two, and it's all about the news of the week. We discussed the outcry over the "Chevrolet not Chevy" memo, as well as GM's quiet management shake up. We also talked about Ford's new restoration parts business and why you won't get to drive the Panoz Abruzzi in America. On hand is John McElroy as well as David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek and, of course, the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

It's a very special After Hours this week as we take the show on the road to The Henry Ford for a "Racing in America" event being held to raise funds for a new permanent exhibit in the museum. We're bringing you a two-parter this week, and Part One is all about racing as we sit down with some of the most influential movers and shakers in the business including Jack Roush, Leonard Wood and John Force. On tap as usual is John McElroy as well as David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek and, of course, the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week we get green as we welcome John DeCicco, Ph. D, an environmentalist who is a senior lecturer at the University of Michigan. We'll be asking Mr. DeCicco how the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico will affect our consumption of petroleum--if at all. And, what does he think of alternative fuels like ethanol and electricity? You might just be surprised at the answer. Of course, we'll also get into the news of the week including the wind down of the Mercury brand. Plus, May sales numbers are in and there are some interesting results including the fact that Chrysler seems to be gaining on Honda. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week we welcome Sheila Ronis, a defense and automotive expert who will discuss the role the car companies play in military matters. In particular we'll ask why the Pentagon was staunchly against letting GM and Chrysler fold, and why it believes that would have placed the United States at a strategic disadvantage. And, we'll definitely be getting into the news of the week as Ford finally looks like it will kill off the Mercury brand. Plus, has the BP oil disaster brought us to a petroleum tipping point in which we say goodbye to fossil fuels? Conversely, many are saying Carlos Ghosn is overly optimistic in his prediction that Nissan will sell 500,000 EVs by the end of 2014. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week it's the man, the myth, the legend: Jason Vines, our old AAH friend and colleague. Mr. Vines joins the panel to discuss the news of the week including GM's big marketing switcheroo back to the formally-ousted Campbell-Ewald. Also, Bob Lutz gets his send-off from GM as he finally retires and gets ready to become a CNBC correspondent. Plus, Porsche raced it's flywheel hybrid at the Nurburgring to extraordinary results -- could this be a technological alternative to oust battery-powered EVs? John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.