Autoline After Hours

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.

Celebrate 15 years of Autoline on this week’s edition of After Hours! We’re having a party to commemorate our anniversary and you’re invited alongside some of our illustrious guests including: Mustafa Mohatarem, General Motors’ Chief Economist; Mark Fields, the President, Americas of Ford; and author Margery Krevsky with a couple of her “Sirens of Chrome.” We’ll be talking about some of the changes we’ve seen in the industry over the last decade and a half, and we’ll take a look back at some of the notable interviews we’ve conducted over time. Have a listen or sit down and watch this very special edition of Autoline After Hours!

On this week’s show, “father knows best” and in this case the patriarch we’re talking to is none other than the “father” of the very successful Ford EcoBoost technology. Dan Kapp is the Director of Ford Powertrain Research and Advanced, and we’ll be asking him what’s next for EcoBoost and what other powertrain goodies he’s working on for the Blue Oval. As you can guess, we’ll be getting into the news of the week including management shifts for Audi and Infiniti and the move of Road and Track magazine from its historic home in Newport Beach, California to Ann Arbor, Michigan. To discuss these topics and much more, John McElroy is joined by Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Alisa Priddle from the Detroit Free Press.

On the docket this week: is the Toyota sales recovery the real deal? Chevrolet drops the Super Bowl and teams up with Manchester United (they play the other kind of football) to hopefully cement the bowtie as an international brand. Plus, we'll take a stroll down memory lane to remember the Chevrolet Corvair, the classic in the studio today. To discuss these topics and way, way more, Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, is joined by Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production and Scott Burgess from AOL Autos.

When the dust cleared from GM's restructuring, many were surprised to see Buick and GMC left standing. The former had become known for its 50-and-older demographic while the latter appeared to exist for the sole purpose of rebadging Chevrolet trucks. This week's guest is Craig Bierly, the Director of Buick and GMC Advertising and Promotions. We'll be asking him what he's doing to market two brands that are more important than they have been in a long time. In particular, is Buick making a mistake by targeting a younger demographic that wants fun-to-drive cars instead of sticking to its knitting (so to speak)? To discuss this and the news of the week, John McElroy is joined in studio by co-host Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production.

There's no doubt that one of the most hotly anticipated cars to rise from the ashes of the Detroit auto implosion is the 2013 SRT Viper. On this week's show, we get down to brass tacks and talk to the man behind the two-seat beast. And, that man is none other than the President and CEO of the SRT Brand, Ralph Gilles. We'll be getting all of the details about the fierce new snake, where the SRT brand is going, and we'll ask what we can expect next from Chrysler's rising star. To discuss this and more, John McElroy is joined in studio by co-host Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Chris Paukert from Autoblog.

Engines of Change is the new book by Paul Ingrassia. In it he names the 15 cars he thinks have had the biggest impact on American society and culture. Paul is our guest this week in the AAH studio, and this conversation is could be a big debate! What 15 cars would you pick? Plus, you know we’ll be digging deep into the hot topics of the week including Dan Akerson blaming Detroit’s downfall on the car guys. To discuss this and way, way more, John McElroy is joined in studio by co-host Peter De Lorenzo, the one and only Autoextremist, and Todd Lassa from Motor Trend and Motor Trend Classic.

TechShop is for doers. If you want to make something with your own two hands and you don’t have the thousands of dollars to spend on a top-of-the-line workshop, then this is the place for you. Think of it as a gym membership for the DIY crowd. Now, TechShop, in partnership with Ford, will become an incubation lab for new ideas that will fuel R and D. To get to the bottom of this, we’ll talk to the man who’s behind this new plan, Bill Coughlin, President and CEO of Ford Global Technologies. Plus, you can bet we’ll be getting to the news of the week including a rundown of what companies kicked ass in April sales and which companies got their asses kicked. Also, we’ll talk about which companies are doing a beautiful job building their brands and which ones don’t seem to have a clue. John McElroy is joined in studio by co-host Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Charlie Vogelheim from Digital Air Strike.

Let's take a moment to stop and think about who the auto industry really should be targeting. In an age when Facebook seems to be more important to 16-year-olds than cruising on a Saturday night, could Gen Y actually spell the death of the automobile as we know it? After all, how critical is car design to a generation that cares very little about automobile culture? Now, spin the globe and take a close look at China -- the vehicle manufacturers sure are. There's no mistaking the fact that this burgeoning market is critically important to every automaker. But, at what point do the car companies start to lose their focus as they work to cater to the every need of the Chinese consumer? We'll tackle these issues and much more in this week's edition of AAH. Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, is in the driver's seat tonight, and he's joined by Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production and Frank Markus from Motor Trend.

This week host John McElroy is joined in the AAH studio by his partner in crime, Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist. Their special guest is Art Spinella from CNW Marketing Research. He always has fascinating insight about vehicles and what's going on in the car market. Some of the topics up for discussion include the redesign of two American icons, the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford Mustang and the real cause of unintended acceleration.

What good is design these days? If fuel efficiency is our master, shouldn't the wind tunnel have final say over every car's silhouette? We'd wager that this week's special guest disagrees with that statement. David Rand was GM's Executive Director of Global Advanced Design, and he's most-recently back from a stint as Brand Director for Design at Changan Automobile Co. in China. We'll ask him why design that stands out from the crowd is important. And, of course, we'll have to take a moment to mark the passing of Ferdinand Porsche who designed the Porsche 901, which became the 911. To talk about all this and a whole lot more, John McElroy is joined in studio by Peter De Lorenzo the Autoextremist and analyst extraordinaire, Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics.

All of the biggest car news this week was in the city that doesn't sleep and so were we! For the first time ever, Autoline After Hours comes to you from New York City, and it's courtesy of our good friends and Katz's famous delicatessen. We're broadcasting from their historical eatery, and we're ready to gab about all the latest automotive issues. John McElroy will be joined by AAH alum Jason Vines as well as naming expert Nina Beckhardt from, where else, The Naming Group.

If you wanted to assemble your ideal car from existing components, what engine would you use? Who would craft the interior? How about the transmission? On tonight's show, we'll talk about the auto industry's "magical ingredients," and we'll find out what guest host Peter De Lorenzo would put into his car, the Bandini. Plus, guest Mark Phelan just reviewed the Turbo and Hybrid versions of the Porsche Panamera in the Detroit Free Press, so we'll talk about this misunderstood car and what it means for the company. Also in house to talk about all this and a whole lot more are Charlie Vogelheim from ResponseLogix and Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production magazine.

It’s time for another episode of Autoline After Hours! Host John McElroy will be joined by Frank Markus of Motor Trend as well as Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production magazine. Together, these three mus-car-teers will delve into the top news stories from the past week, including Chevrolet delaying the Camaro ZL1, BMW missing fuel-economy targets on its latest 3 Series and Consumer Reports panning the Fisker Karma. In addition to these hot-button topics, they’ll also cover everything Mopar. The brand’s president and CEO, Pietro Gorlier, is this week’s special guest, and he’ll be pulling the special Mopar 12 Chrysler 300 right into the AAH studio. We’ll be asking him how he’s working to build Mopar into a strong, credible brand. And we’ll want to know: how does Chrysler balance the strengths of Mopar and SRT?

Get an inside peek at all the fights and controversy behind Ford's epic turnaround at the hands of Alan Mulally. This week's guest is Bryce Hoffman, the author of "American Icon," which is all about what went on behind the scenes during Ford's restructuring. We'll also get into the news of the week including the DeltaWing race car's debut with Nissan behind the wheel. Audi's bid for Ducati and its luxury motorcycles. And, the appointment of Ferdinand Piech's wife to Volkswagen's board of directors. Plus, we'll announce a chance to win a copy of "American Icon" so stay tuned for details. Joining John McElroy in studio to discuss all this and a whole lot more is Peter De Lorenzo the Autoextremist.

Get ready for a fascinating episode of Autoline After Hours. We’ll talk to a man who claims Hitler stole the idea for the Volkswagen Beetle from a Jewish engineer. Paul Schilperoord is the author of "The Extraordinary Life of Josef Ganz" and we'll ask him about the facts behind this obscure bit of history. Of course we'll have a few other items on our agenda including a discussion of electric cars: do they have a promising future or are they already a sales flop? Plus we'll get into the intriguing blank sheet design of the Mazda CX-5, which John McElroy drove around Laguna Seca last week. Joining John in studio to discuss these burning topics and a whole lot more are Peter De Lorenzo the Autoextremist and David Kiley from AOL Autos.