Autoline After Hours

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.

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.