Autoline After Hours

Why take the risk? What makes you think it would work this time? We're asking, of course, about GM's relationship with the long-embattled diesel engine. Decades after the General killed diesels in passenger cars, Chevrolet is counting on a reversal in fortunes as it offers the Cruze with a modern diesel powerplant. This week as Mike Siegrist, Assistant Chief Engineer of the Chevy Cruze Diesel, joi...

Here at Autoline After Hours we pride ourselves on tracking down the all-important "gurus of go" in the automotive industry. Well, dang if we ain't lassoed another! Jordan Lee is the Global Chief Engineer and Program Manager for Small Block Engines at GM. But, Mr. Lee might just be upstaged by our other special guest on set: none other than the heart and soul of the Corvette itself, the 6.2L LT1 V...

While the rest of the automotive industry is trying to scrounge up every last sale it can, Ferrari has decided it's selling too many. On the subject of product, can you tell the difference between the old and new Silverado designs? Has Chevrolet built a vehicle that lacks differentiation? Meanwhile, Jaguar is making it very clear what it is and what it isn't -- we'll explain what we mean. Onboard...

The idea of hub motors takes conventional car thinking and turns it on its head. Instead of one centrally located motor that drives some or all of the wheels, the motors are the wheels. Protean Electric thinks it has the formula to make EVs work, and this week we'll talk to the man with the plan, Chairman and CEO Bob Purcell. We'll be asking Bob when to expect the first vehicle rolling off the lin...

Sometimes it's good to hang out with "just the guys." That's why on this week's Autoline After Hours, we'll be eschewing our normally scheduled guest segment for a longer discussion about the news of the week and other hot topics that need talking out. Ford reports a record first-quarter profit with North America providing a strong contribution, Buick takes the wraps off a Riviera concept in Shang...

There is no shortage of innovative thinking when it comes to internal combustion technology. And, as this week's guest will demonstrate, Achates Power is no exception. David Johnson is the President and CEO of the company, which is developing an innovative opposed-piston engine that will be more fuel efficient and less expensive to produce than conventional power plants. But, we'll be asking him,...

What do the Nissan Micra, Chery Tiggo and Audi Q7 all have in common? While one of these things is not like the other, all have engines with Eaton superchargers. And, like turbochargers in recent memory, get ready to see superchargers in cars you would have never expected. This week's guest is Grant Terry, the Business Development Manager for the Eaton Supercharger Product Line. We'll be asking hi...

Why is it that everyone wants better roads to drive on, but no one wants to fix them? If only we'd build them like the German autobahns, nary a pothole there'd be ... right? It may not be so simple. Kirk Steudle is the Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation and one of the foremost road experts in the country. We'll be asking him about what it takes to build highways and byways that...

Chevrolet's new Impala is finally here and it's big and beautiful, but does it have what it takes to challenge full-size competition like the Chrysler 300 and Hyundai Azera? As this sedan rolls into the studio, we'll be asking Chief Engineer Todd Pawlik to give us the download on the new car. We'll also get into the hottest topics of the week including the myriad reveals of the New York Auto Show....

This week we gave our guest of honor a very challenging task: name the best vehicle designs since 1950. But, John Manoogian II, former GM designer, was up to the task, so join us as he presents, and we discuss, his short list. Did your favorite car make it? Find out! Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, takes the helm tonight and is joined by Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics and Gary Vasilash from Autom...

Remember the days when Chrysler interiors were wall-to-wall shiny plastic? It's quickly becoming a fading memory because, with Klaus Busse, Head of Interior Design, at the helm, the company's cabins are among the best in the business. As Mr. Busse joins us tonight, we'll ask him what innovations we can expect as future generations of vehicles roll off the line. Per usual, we'll get into the hot to...

This week the AAH team gets out its crystal ball to see what is in store for the industry in the next few years. Michael Robinet from IHS will be on hand to help us do just that. We'll ask him to map out the state of the global industry in the years ahead. Plus, we'll take a look at future vehicles through the prism of the spectacle known stateside as the Geneva Motor Show. Paul Eisenstein from Th...

What's black and blue and striped all over? Well, it's rolling into the Autoline After Hours studio this week, and the team at Mopar is ready for it to tear up the tarmac. Our guest is Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of the Mopar Brand, and he'll be bringing a very special variant of the Dodge Dart called the Mopar '13 -- in fact the only one traveling around right now. We'll be asking Mr. Gorli...

If you want to stick out from the crowd in this ever more-busy, social media-laden, fifteen-seconds-of-fame world, there's only one way to do it and stay there: good, solid branding. To that end, we've got the guy who wrote the book on branding, literally. Charlie Hughes is the author of "Branding Iron" and the former head of Land Rover North America. We'll be asking him to help us identify the wi...

Just as you could get the Ford Model T in any color, as long as it was black, when the company brought the C-MAX stateside, it declared you could get any powertrain, as long as it was a hybrid. This week the C-MAX Energi rolls into the Autoline studio with John Davis, Chief Program Engineer, in tow. We'll be asking him all about the car and about what challenges Ford faces in trying to sell a plug...

It's been decades since GM released a diesel engine in a U.S. passenger car. Now, with the Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, it's back in the game. On deck to answer all our questions is Josh Tavel, Vehicle Performance Manager for Chevrolet Small Cars. Plus, we'll be delving into the big news of the week and the questions racking our brains. Did the auto industry bet wrong on small displacement...

On Sunday all eyes--well, a lot of eyes--will be on the action going down in New Orleans, but while the 49ers and Ravens are at each others' throats, another competition will be playing out. That's because all of those aforementioned eyes will be there for the taking and there is nothing else that matches the advertising spectacle that is the Super Bowl. Thus, automakers from around the world will...

He spent 55 years developing racing engines with Ford, worked with some of the greatest drivers of the 20th century, and now he's talking with us! Mose Nowland is the former Senior Motorsport Engineer for Ford Racing, and he's only recently retired. Having worked on cars for Le Mans, Indy, NASCAR and drag racing, this guy's no one trick pony. We'll be asking him to opine on the good ole days and c...

For the first time ever, John McElroy and the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, host the webcast from the floor of the Detroit auto show! They'll be joined by Todd Lassa of Automobile to review their favorite reveals to come out of the show. Plus, they’ll be taking a stroll over to the Corvette booth to take a look at that little car you may already have heard about, the 2014 Stingray. Harlan Charl...

“Chevy Runs Deep” no more, instead it’s trying to “Find New Roads” with a new slogan. And, as another tagline lands in the dustbin, we’ll be asking a Chevrolet historian for his take on the matter. Mike Davis is the author of “Images of America: Chevrolet,” a two-volume pictorial history of GM’s flagship brand, and we’ll see what lessons he learned in the long tale of the bowtie. We’ll also get in...

Well, it would appear we've survived both the Mayan apocalypse and the fiscal cliff, but how will the auto industry fare in 2013? To help us answer that question we've invited Anthony Pratt, Director of Forecasting Americas for Polk. In keeping with our New Year's theme, our panelists will be discussing the resolutions the automotive world should adopt in 2013. Plus, we'll get into the recent news...

Once a year the Autoline After Hours fellas get to play Santa as they bestow their prestigious (or not so prestigious) Naughty and Nice awards. What people, brands and cars will get presents? Which will be smothered in coal dust? There's only one way to find out! Joining John McElroy for this special holiday-themed broadcast is his partner in crime Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, Jim Hall fro...

This week the conversation gets turbocharged as we welcome John Norton from BorgWarner into the AAH studio. He heads up the company's racing efforts and we'll be asking him what technologies they are developing and if we might see these innovations on everyday cars and trucks. Plus, as always, we'll be getting into the biggest news of the week including who we think will win the North American Car...

The U.S. is home to two of the preeminent automotive design schools, the College for Creative Studies and Art Center College of Design, but are these lauded institutions falling down on the job? Finding that design school graduates were entering the workforce with a lack of engineering knowledge, automakers approached Lawrence Technological University about developing a design program that would i...

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 Manag...