Autoline After Hours

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. Gorlier what's so special about this slick-looking compact, and we'll find out more about Mopar's dealer business. Plus, we'll get into the news of the week: a top Porsche designer departs for greener pastures at... Chery?; GM steals away Volkswagen's top marketing executive; and we rank the automakers to see who has the best claim as top dog. Joining John McElroy in studio to talk about all that and much more, is Scott Burgess from Motor Trend and Gary Vasilash of Automotive Design and Production.

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 winners and losers in the branding game. As per usual, we'll be getting into the news of the week as well: Volkswagen has just announced that its super-efficient XL1 will actually be going into production; Danica Patrick became the first woman ever to qualify in the pole position for the Daytona 500; and the New York Times and Tesla's Elon Musk duke it out in public. Joining John McElroy in studio to talk about all that and much more, is co-host Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, Frank Markus from Motor Trend and Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production.

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-in. We'll also want to know why the C-MAX struggles, in testing, to meet the fuel economy ratings on the EPA label. And, yes, we will also get to the top news of the week. GM earnings are disappointing; 2013 just may be the year of the diesel as Ram and Subaru both announce new entries; and Federal Mogul says goodbye to spark plugs while Chevrolet says hello to shape memory alloys. Joining John McElroy in studio to talk about all that and much more, is Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Todd Lassa from Automobile.

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 turbos? What happened to Nissan's partnership with the revolutionary DeltaWing race car? Joining John McElroy in studio to talk about all that and much more, is Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production.

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 be embroiled in a battle of corporate egos. As luck would have it, many of these ads have already been, *ahem*, "leaked" so the AAH panel will be doing a roundup of what's on the docket, so far. Joining us to offer an inside perspective on this high-stakes competition is Michael Sprague, the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Kia Motors America. Kia has two ads in the queue for the big game, and we'll get to preview at least one of them. Joining John McElroy in studio to talk about all things Super Bowl, plus the news of the week, is Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Kiley from

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 compare them to what's going on today in racing. Plus, you can bet there's a discussion of the past week's hottest topics on tap, including the revelation that Mark Reuss got passed over for Dan Akerson at GM. And, should Corvette spin off into its own brand? Peter De Lorenzo thinks so, and John McElroy thinks his ambitious plan might not be ambitious enough. Joining John and Peter in studio is none other than the man who knew far, far too much: Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics.

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 Charles is the Product and Marketing Manager for the Corvette and he'll be giving us the lowdown on this all-new two seater.

“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 into the news of the week and talk a bit about what we’re anticipating as brands roll out their newest stuff at the North American International Auto Show next week. Joining John McElroy in studio to discuss all this and more is co-host Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and a face we haven’t seen in a long time, none other than grizzled PR veteran and AAH founding member Jason Vines.

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 including the promotion of Kia designer Peter Schreyer to Group President at Hyundai-Kia. Joining John McElroy in studio is co-host Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as Ed Lapham from Automotive 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 from 2953 Analytics and Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production.

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 and Truck of the Year Award. We'll also talk about all-new trucks just revealed by GM and delve into the news about Chrysler's delinquent employees getting reinstated. Joining John McElroy to participate in the discussion is Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as auto journo Jim McCraw.

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 intertwine the two disciplines. Our guest, Keith Nagara, is the Director of the Transportation Design Program at Lawrence Tech. We'll be asking him what his school is doing differently to prepare students for a real world design occupation. And, you can bet we'll also get into the news of the week including the big announcement that Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is pursuing right-to-work legislation that will have major ramifications for the UAW. Joining John McElroy in studio to discuss all this and more is Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, Scott Burgess from AOL Autos and Gary Vasilash of Automotive Design and Pr

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 Manager for the Fiesta. John will even get behind the wheel and experience both of these cars on the streets of Santa Monica! So, buckle up and join us for the best insider information in the industry.

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 count on a discussion of some of the biggest news stories of the week as well: the U.S. is set to dominate worldwide oil production in the near future; Tesla's Model S wins Motor Trend Car of the Year; and Ford PR outflanks GM in electrification announcements. Joining John McElroy to talk about this and a whole lot more is the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, and Alisa Priddle from the Detroit Free Press.

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 our guest this week he'll be able to tell us what it really costs to build an EV and where that expense originates. Of course, we'll also be getting into the hottest topics in the news including a discussion about what impact the 2012 election results will have on the auto industry. Joining John McElroy to talk about this and a whole lot more is the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, and Joe White from The Wall Street Journal.

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 about some of the very best examples of car ads out there right now and find out what agencies are turning out the most engaging creative. On hand to offer her opinion as well is friend of the show Jean Halliday from AutoAdOpolis.

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 Autoextremist, will discuss the news of the week including A123's bankruptcy. Which EV companies could be next? All that and much more on this week's rip-roaring installment of Autoline After Hours.

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 why GM chose an executive with no car experience to run this critical luxury division. Plus, NASCAR's smash 'n' crash races look increasingly stupid, so what should be done? Joining John McElroy to talk about all these topics and much more is Peter De Lorenzo, the one and only Autoextremist, and Drew Winter from WardsAuto.

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 won't see in the U.S. Plus a look at some of the coolest French concept and production cars to debut at the show. What is the best looking concept at this year's exhibition? McElroy gives you his answer. All that and way, way more.

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 EV makers like Fisker and Tesla. Joining Peter De Lorenzo to talk about all these topics and much more are Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production and Jim Hall, majordomo of 2953 Analytics.