Autoline After Hours

Well, the Ford hit parade continues, and this week we have the hottest new star out of the Motor City, the Fusion, parked in the Autoline Garage. But, more importantly, to get the back story behind this four-door looker, we have invited John Jraiche, the vehicle's chief engineer. We'll be asking him what Ford has done differently to turn out a vehicle that is truly a world-class car. And, you can...

What's the true cost of that Nissan LEAF your neighbor is driving? How about that Chevrolet Volt? We're not talking about the cost to own; we're talking about the cost to manufacture. Sandy Munro is a manufacturing expert, and as the president of Munro and Associates, he makes it his business to figure out the smartest way to assemble cars. He recently reverse engineered the Chevrolet Volt, and as...

This week the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, takes the helm, and it's time to talk auto advertising. And, we've got one of the marketing world's seasoned veterans to offer his expert opinion. Mark LaNeve was the marketing chief for General Motors before going to Allstate and now he's back, fully enveloped in the automotive world, as the COO for Team Detroit, Ford's advertising agency. We'll talk...

One of the most anticipated cars over the last few years has been the Ford Focus ST. Well, this hot hatch is finally gracing the Autoline studios, and as if that weren't enough, we're also joined by Ford's gearhead supreme, Hau Thai-Tang, Vice President of Engineering and Global Product Development. Suffice it to say, we won't be lacking for topics. Plus, John McElroy and Peter De Lorenzo, the Aut...

When you fill your tank up with E85, are you burning food for fuel? Don't biofuels take more energy to produce than we get out of them? Candace Wheeler is GM's foremost fuels expert, and she'll be in studio to answer all of your questions. And, don't fret, you'll get the panel's reaction to the latest news to cross the transom including the baffling appointment at the Cadillac brand. We'll discuss...

While AAH is off the air this week, please enjoy this encore presentation of our Paris Motor Show coverage. Join John McElroy for a personal tour of the Mondial de l’Automobile with guests such as Johan de Nysschen, the man who has been challenged to transform Infiniti into a competitive global brand. John also talks to Jim O'Sullivan and gets a peek at the brand new Mazda6, including a version we...

While the rest of the Autoline crew is hard at work in Paris, we lucky stiffs get to observe from afar. With the Autoextremist leading the charge, we'll take a look at the most important reveals from the 2012 Paris Motor Show so far. The Maserati Levante, Porsche's new Panamera wagon concept, the Opel Adam, Jaguar F-Type and VW Golf are all on the docket. Plus, we'll discuss the rough week had by...

The buck stops here, or at least the truck on this week’s episode of Autoline After Hours. Host John McElroy’s special guest is Mike Cairns from Ram. They’ll dive to the deepest depths of Chrysler’s recently refreshed pickup, talking about design, engineering and more. Joining the discussion is Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as Mark Phelan, ace reporter from the Detroit Free Press. A...

Cadillac calls itself “The New Standard of the World” while BMW claims to be “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” That’s all marketing. When it comes down to building the vehicles that can live up to the hype, these top dogs turn to their engineers. This week’s guest, David Leone, the Chief Engineer for Cadillac, has the not-insignificant task of meeting and exceeding the “Standard.” We’ll be asking hi...

Like it has everything else, you would think the Information Age would have by now worked its magic on the car buying experience. Depending who you ask, it has … maybe. But there is still a lot of confusion over how to negotiate the best deal. How do you know whether you’re getting a fair price or whether you’re being taken for a ride? This week’s guest has been an auto broker for more than 20 yea...

Toyotas are bland, right? That's the wrap. And for a long time it's been hard to disagree, but the new Toyota Avalon shows that this company really can turn out compelling cars. So, we asked the Chief Engineer of the Avalon, Randy Stephens, to park one in our studio while we talked to him about this, the first Toyota passenger car to be designed, engineered and manufactured in the U.S. In addition...

On this week's episode of Autoline After Hours we welcome Al Oppenheiser, Chief Engineer of the Chevrolet Camaro. He has a shiny new ZL1 convertible to pull into the studio and we have a lot to ask him about that hot new car. Plus, we get into Peter De Lorenzo's latest rants and John offers his styling critique on the 2013 Honda Accord. All that and much, much more!

This week Autoline After Hours goes retro from the site of the world's largest one-day automotive event, The Woodward Dream Cruise. Crowds and cars will be populating the sidewalks and parking lots as many of the 40,000 classics get Woodward Avenue warmed up for the big day. And, we'll give you a much-coveted curbside position, plus we'll even go for a cruise down Woodward! John McElroy and Peter...

Each summer, nearly every major automaker makes its way to northern Michigan for a conference called the Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) and organized by the Center for Automotive Research. John McElroy and Michelle Krebs from Edmunds were both in Traverse City for the event and they'll be in studio to explain some of the news that broke and why it's such a well-attended conference. They, along...

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,...

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,...

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 Lor...

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,...

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...

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 change...

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 n...

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 Lore...

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...

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 bra...

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...