Autoline After Hours

This week we welcome Francois Castaing who was the VP of Vehicle Engineering at Chrysler back when the company was making boatloads of money. We'll ask him about what he's doing these days including his effort to raise money for the Detroit Science Center. As usual we'll be parsing the news of the week including GM's Dan Akerson, and the controversial comments he made about the Lincoln brand. We'll also find out why Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, is excited for the DeltaWing concept to come to Le Mans. John McElroy is also joined in studio by AAH founding member Jason Vines.

This week we pose one very important question to Saab's U.S. COO, Tim Colbeck: how is this company going to survive? If the company is in fact manufacturing cars again, how are its dealers going to keep their heads above water while they wait for product to arrive in showrooms? And how is Saab going to get the message out to the world that it is alive and well? John McElroy and the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, will also talk about the news of the week including the announcement of Ford's three-cylinder EcoBoost engine. They'll also talk about why three pony cars outsold all hybrids in May, combined. All that and much more on this edition of Autoline After Hours.

This week we get the skinny on some of Chevrolet's upcoming products as we talk to Russ Clark, the Product Marketing Director for the brand. In particular we'll be asking him about the next-gen Malibu, but we'll also be asking him about the news that the redesigned Impala will be built in Detroit. John McElroy and the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, will also be talking about the upcoming Indy 500 weekend, which marks the 100th anniversary of the race. They'll be talking about the four women who will be running on Sunday and how some of the big teams choked in qualification. John will also be joined in studio by Todd Lassa from Motor Trend.

This week we're talking about one of the best ways to have fun wasting fuel as well as all the boring ways to save as much gas as we can in a crisis. First we'll be getting into some drag racing talk with long-time Milan Dragway Track Announcer Michael G. Nastos. We'll talk about the emerging popularity of vintage drag racing, something called "Project 1320" and why the IRS is investigating the NHRA. In the meantime, a survey says most Americans want to get 62 miles per gallon. So why aren't hybrids that popular? While we're at it: why haven't CAFE regulations ever reduced our dependence on foreign oil? John McElroy is also joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, and auto journalist Jim McCraw.

This week the AAH studio is transformed into a swinging boutique as we take a look back at the history of auto show models with author Margery Krevsky. Margery wrote the book "Sirens of Chrome," which details the transformation of models into knowledgeable product specialists. We'll be getting a look at some vintage outfits from the past 50 years, modeled by contemporary product specialists. These are the dresses that stood alongside cars such as John Lennon's Flower Power Rolls-Royce, the Ford Sunliner and Pontiac Firebird. Per usual, we'll also be getting into the news of the week. John McElroy is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week in the After Hours bunker is Larry Burns the now-retired Vice President of Research and Development for General Motors. During his time at GM, Burns was an unflagging proponent of hydrogen propulsion, and we're going to ask him if fuel cells will ever catch on. Will we ever see a hydrogen infrastructure in this country? We'll get into the news of the week too including GM's whopping big earnings and talk about why hybrid sales are stagnate while the price of gas shoots sky high. John McElroy is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo as well as Frank Markus from Motor Trend.

This week we welcome Chris Theodore, the namesake of Theodore and Associates. Chris played key roles in the development of the Ford GT and the Dodge Viper. Now he's showing off what he calls Uni-Chassis, which will be aimed at EVs. He also has a goal of creating a $500 car. You read that right $500. We'll be talking about those projects and getting into the big news of the past week including Ford and VW profits, the sinking ship that is Lexus and what we can infer from the fact that Chrysler and Fiat have all but dropped out of the EV game. By the way, we've got an update about the MKZ after last week's show; this info is very telling. John McElroy is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week's guest of honor is Ford's Barb Samardzich, the Vice President of Global Product Programs. We'll be asking her if there are new segments Ford needs to get into and what the future holds for the Lincoln brand. John McElroy will also talk about his trip to Taiwan and a brand new car company called Luxgen that is developing some very interesting technologies. We'll also touch on some of the most interesting reveals from the dueling New York and Shanghai auto shows this week. John is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

Our guest this week comes straight from one of the greatest museums in the world with a fantastic car collection of all makes. Bob Casey is the Curator of Transportation for The Henry Ford and an automobile historian. We'll be asking him what's on his wishlist for the museum and if there's ever been "one that got away." As always, we'll be sure to get into the news of the week including March sales results, whether Saab is on its last legs, and a new hope for Detroit called Tech Shop. John McElroy is also joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

Behold the future of Ford! Well, we're sure our guest won't giveaway ALL the secrets, but if you want to know where Ford design is headed, tune in this week for Joel Piaskowski who is Ford's Director of Exterior Design for the Americas. As you may remember, Joel recently came from Hyundai where he was responsible for the fresh design language of the Sonata and other models out on the roads now. We can't wait to find out what he's got in store for the blue oval's product line. We'll also take some time to remember David E. Davis Jr., a former AAH guest and an outspoken automotive legend who died earlier this week. Does this mark the end of the enthusiast magazines as we know them? John McElroy is also joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press.

Does your IRA stink? Are they going to tax your pension? Maybe it's time to invest in classic cars ... or maybe not. That's one of the questions we'll put to our special guest this week. Ken Lingenfelter is the owner of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering as well as the Lingenfelter Collection, an assortment of Corvettes, muscle cars and exotics. Of course, you can be sure we'll get into the latest news including Bob King's accusation that Alan Mulally's raise is "morally wrong" and what the near future holds for automakers in crisis-stricken Japan. John McElroy is also joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as auto journalist Jim McCraw.

This week it's time for that big, important talk about journalistic ethics. One of tonight's guests is Scott Burgess, former auto critic for The Detroit News. Scott decided he needed to resign this week when the newspaper asked him to soften his review of the Chrysler 200 at the request of an advertiser. We'll be asking Scott what happened and whether he might go back to the paper now that they have reversed their changes. There are a lot of sticky issues when it comes to reviewing cars and covering the industry as a journalist, and we'll be discussing them all. Should reporters accept free trips from automakers to cover their vehicles? How do you keep your criticism unbiased when the subject is also an advertiser? John is also joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as fellow journalist Sharon Terlep who covers the auto industry for The Wall Street Journal.

This week the After Hours crew has stars in their eyes as they welcome Hollywood Car Designer and TV Host Fireball Tim Lawrence to Skype in from Malibu, California. He’s conceptualized vehicles, spaceships and other props for some of Hollywood’s biggest movies and television shows. As always, we’ll be getting into the news of the week including Alan Mulally’s big payday, Renault’s ever-stranger tale of EV espionage and the exit of GM CFO Chris Liddell. John McElroy is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as our pal Todd Lassa from Motor Trend.

This week we bring in a guest all the way from Tacoma, Washington where what will be the largest car museum in the world is currently under construction. David Madeira is the President and CEO of LeMay – America’s Car Museum, and we’ll be asking him what the museum will be like when it’s finished, why they chose Tacoma of all places, and why he thinks it will become a mecca for gear heads everywhere. We’ll also get into the news of the week, including February’s fantastic sales numbers. John McElroy is joined in studio as always by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as AAH first-timer Mark Gillies, a hardcore enthusiast, acerbic commentator and survivor of the buff book magazine wars. You’re not going to want to miss it.

This week Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, takes the AAH reins while John McElroy is out on the West Coast. Mr. Renzo has summoned up two of his favorite car guys for the occasion: Scott Burgess, the automotive critic and columnist for The Detroit News, and “the man who knew too much,” Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics. Together they’ll be diving into the deep issues of the week. With oil prices skyrocketing as a result of Middle East unrest, which of the small vehicles — Cruze, Focus or Elantra — will be poised to take advantage of the situation? Meanwhile, BMW will be giving all its alt fuel vehicles the “i” moniker. Also, Honda chopped down the size of its board of directors from 20 to 12. Just what is going on at that company? Join us as we get into all this and much more.

This week we’ll use the magic of the Internet to bring a little bit of Oregonian wisdom into our studio. Said wisdom will come from none other than friend of the show, Art Spinella, the President of CNW Research, who will join us via Skype. We’ll be asking Art about the latest gems of automotive insight to be unearthed from his research. We’ll also be getting into the news of the week including the chance that Bob Lutz could be headed back to GM as well as Roger Penske’s smart car debacle. John McElroy is joined in studio by the often imitated, but never duplicated Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week we’re back with another episode of Autoline After Hours as well as one our audience’s all-time favorite guests. You asked for it, and now you’ve got it: the irrepressible, always knowledgeable Sandy Munro of Munro and Associates. He’ll tell us about a new material he’s working with called “covetic aluminum,” which could be a major manufacturing breakthrough. We’ll also see how much info we can get out of him about the top secret work he’s doing for Chrysler. But, don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of the week’s news to talk about as well. In particular, we’ve got a bone to pick with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who just won’t call unintended acceleration what it really is: driver error. Plus, we’ll get into the huge number of automotive Super Bowl commercials seen on Sunday’s game. Did they hit the mark? John McElroy is joined in studio by Gary Vasilash of Automotive Design and Production as well as the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week it’s “Home Sweet Home” as the After Hours crew returns to the studio for another outspoken edition of your favorite LIVE webcast. We’re joined by special guest John Waraniak, SEMA’s vice president of vehicle technology. We’ll be asking him if performance cars can survive the CAFE crunch. We’ll also get into the other news of the week including Ford’s plummeting profits, January sales figures and what Dan Akerson is up to at General Motors. John McElroy is joined in studio by Frank Markus of Motor Trend and Mr. Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

In the final installment of our mobile AAH series, we go straight into the belly of the beast: Washington D.C. And, for this special edition John McElroy has gathered a group of newcomers and old friends alike. He’s joined by USA Today Columnist Jayne O’Donnell, Kimatni Rawlins from Automotive Rhythms and our pal from the Wall Street Journal, Columnist Joe White. We’ll be asking this trio about what’s been going on in the automotive world and get their unique Beltway perspective.

This week our AAH on the Road series continues as we go on location to the Chrysler Tech Center where we'll talk with the Vice President of Product Planning, Joe Veltri. We'll be asking him all about Chrysler's barrage of new product and how Chrysler will integrate its platforms with Fiat. We're also curious to know how it is to work with the Italians compared to the Germans. But, we won't be forgetting the news. We're going to talk about some of the managerial shake up going on at GM with Tom Stephens moving out of product planning and Mary Barra stepping in. John McElroy is joined in the Tech Center by the ever-extreme AutoExtremist, Peter De Lorenzo.