Autoline This Week

About the same time the great Tina Turner made the phrase “Simply the Best” household words, a group known as NACTOY was creating its own “best.” But this one – built by 50 veteran automotive journalists -- was a list of the top cars and trucks released in North America that year. Since then, every December that jury narrows its list to three candidates and prepares to crown the winner of the North American Car and Truck of the Year at Detroit’s International Auto Show in January. On this week’s Autoline, founding member John McElroy is joined by two of his NACTOY colleagues to talk about the top cars of the year and to predict the winner of this year’s North American Car of the Year.

In the middle of some of our bleakest economic times, the Blue Oval has strung together a few impressive years. Not only with sales and solid product, but with stability. Something that hasn't been seen in the auto industry for quite a while. And much of the credit has gone to the leadership of its CEO Alan Mulally. But as Mr. Mulally nears retirement people are beginning to ask who will take his place at the helm of the Ford Motor Company. Experts point to the extraordinary bench strength in its boardroom and believe the next leader will come from there, with one the top candidates the company's Executive Vice President and President of the Americas, Mark Fields. And this week Mr. Fields joins John McElroy on Autoline to talk about Ford, its future and the health of the auto industry as a whole. Joining John on his panel are Jean Jennings of Automobile and Jason Stein from Automotive News.

Car Spy They seemed cut from the same cloth. Single syllable names engaged in undercover work that was linked to exotic cars. The difference is one man, James Bond, is of course a fictional character while Jim Dunne, the original Car Spy, is a real photo journalist with stories that could have been crafted by Ian Fleming himself. But Dunne’s exploits are factual and his pictures were ground breaking as he revealed prototype after prototype much to the chagrin of the OEMs. Long since retired, he now shares these juicy stories in a new book on his career called "Car Spy." And this week he joins John McElroy on Autoline to discuss those great "gets" from his career. Michelle Krebs from Edmunds.com and Jim Hall from 2953 Analytics join in on the discussion.

Cars vs. Beans What sounds like a lawsuit working its way through the U.S. court system is in reality the epic struggle that plagued the American auto industry the last four decades. And Bob Lutz is the auto executive who has seen it all. Over his nearly 50 years on the inside, he ran BMW, Ford, Chrysler and GM. Now that he’s retired and on the outside he’s pointing out problems with the industry. In his latest book "Car Guys Versus Bean Counters" he spotlights those, he believes, who have hurt the industry the most. And you don’t need an MBA to figure out who he means. This week the man known as "Maximum Bob" joins John McElroy on Autoline along with panelists Csaba Csere and Peter De Lorenzo to discuss his book and the industry he devoted his life to.

Clearing the Haze For more than 40 years, one inconspicuous building outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan has been making the air we breathe cleaner. It’s the home of The Environmental Protection Agency’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory. No engine can be sold in America without its stamp of approval. This week John McElroy gets an exclusive look behind the walls of the Lab as he talks with the EPA’s Chris Grundler about the work they do there, how it impacts the auto industry and the motorized products that we all buy.

The heavy lifting is finally done, at least for a couple more years. A few weeks ago the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) and Chrysler, Ford and General Motors each reached agreement to continue making cars uninterrupted. In fact, as these things go, the 2011 process was pretty painless. But then it was the first time that -- thanks to the government bailout of Chrysler and GM -- the union's hands were tied on two of the three contracts. No walkouts and no strikes equaled little leverage. And then toss in the weak economy and membership had few options but to approve. Or did they? Was the latest contract in the best interest of the UAW and its members? Did the automakers win big or given the circumstances was it just window dressing? For the answers and analysis on the latest UAW contract John McElroy assembled his Labor Panel to evaluate the winners, losers and whatever. Joining him are Sean McAlinden from the Center for Automotive Research, Joe Szczesny of the Oakland Press (MI) and labor analyst Robert Chiaravalli.

Most of us have read it at one time or another. The small yellow reference guide that tells you what a used car is worth. Well the National Auto Dealers Association has been publishing that book since 1933 but it’s really the only NADA effort that consumers touch. Most times the group is serving the needs of the more than 17,000 new car and truck dealers in the United States. And each year those members elect one of their own to run the organization. In 2011 Stephen Wade, a multiple brand franchisee from Utah has been leading the U.S. dealer body as they fight to survive our fickle economy. This week John McElroy welcomes Mr. Wade to the Autoline studios to hear what’s going on with the retail end of the business. Joining them on the panel are Steve Finlay of Wardsauto.com and Jeff Bennett from the Wall Street Journal.

Anniversaries are special. That’s one of the reasons they’re celebrated with a particular metal, element or stone. But rarely do they break out the 10-carat diamond because that denotes 100 years, 10 decades or nearly 37,000 days if you wish. Well, besides making cars, that’s just what the Chevrolet brand has been celebrating throughout 2011. From its namesake founder to its iconic product (Corvette) to its darkest day (GM’s bankruptcy), the bowtie has not only seen it all, but survived it as well. So what better time to take a look at this brand that, in its heyday, separated from General Motors, would’ve been one of the largest companies in the world on its own. That’s why John McElroy and Autoline This Week come to you from GM’s World Headquarters in downtown Detroit, Michigan with special guest Chris Perry, the brand’s global marketing chief. Joining John and Chris as they talk about the first century of Chevrolet and beyond are Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press and Frank Markus from Motor Trend.

Auto shows are about the outlandish. Huge displays, science fiction technology and cars, cars, cars. The most eye-catching being those stunning, figments from a Designer’s imagination: The Concepts. Recently in Frankfurt, Germany, John McElroy caught up with three of the more elusive European-based designers for an Autoline exclusive walk-around of their significant reveals at the September show. Joining John at Walkaround Central is Ford’s VP of Global Design J Mays who explains the significance of the Evos and its design language; meanwhile Maserati’s Marco Tencone gives a close-up look John at his high-end Kubang SUV Concept based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee; and finally we get a look at the stunning rear-drive GT Concept from Kia’s Peter Schreyer. All that this week on Autoline.

Stephen King may have frightened readers all over the world with his twisted tales but he can’t scare Detroit. His imagination pales in comparison to the daily coverage on the travails of the Big Three that greeted readers each and every day just a few years ago. For a city, a state, a country so dependent on the production of the automobile, we all watched in horror as these great institutions nearly ceased to exist. A man with a front row seat to all the inside action has now committed it to paper; a heavier grade than where his normal work resides. Bill Vlasic, Detroit Bureau Chief for the New York Times captures the tumult of the years and the behind-the-scenes intrigue that nearly brought down the Big Three and clearly changed the automotive landscape forever. He joins John McElroy for an exclusive one-on-one talking about his book, "Once Upon a Car” on Autoline this week.

Every two years the massive Messa in Frankfurt, Germany plays host to one of the largest, if not the largest auto show in the world. Twelve huge buildings with another constructed just for that event alone, it’s the center of the automotive universe for those days in September. This backyard advantage provides the hometown German automakers with the opportunity to impress the auto world with displays the size of zeppelins filled with cutting edge concepts. John McElroy anchors Autoline this week from the site of this biennial show getting the latest from executives for three important German brands, including Jonathan Browning of Volkswagen of America, Ian Robertson from BMW AG and Johan de Nysschen of Audi America.

Since that epic day when Henry Ford turned the switch on the assembly line some 85 years ago, manufacturing has been pretty straight. Oh maybe a turn was added here and there as the years went on, and robots, too, but essentially, ever since 1913 automobiles have been made one way and Thomas Crumm says it’s time to blow it up. Literally! John McElroy’s guest on Autoline this week is a former General Motors engineer who writes in his provocative new book “What is Good for General Motors” that the only way for GM to survive into the 21st Century is to destroy the assembly line. And replace it with what. Tune into Autoline and discover how. Joining John in questioning this manufacturing revolutionary is Drew Winter of WardsAuto.com and Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production.

The Pill box hat, the Mini skirt and the Little Black Dress along with hood ornaments, mood lighting and tail fins. What all six of these obviously different elements have in common are fashion. They just happen to be from two divergent universes: Women’s clothing and automobile design. However, there are times that they cross paths and have done so for 50, 60 some 70 years. And that place is the auto show. The same environment that author Margery Krevsky captures in her book “Sirens of Chrome.” On this week’s Autoline John McElroy talks to Ms. Krevsky and fashion consultant Karen Buscemi about the intersection of automotive and fashion. And don’t miss Autoline’s own Fashion Show where four professional product specialists, as they’re called, model some of the great historic dresses from auto shows past.

You know the game. It’s been played for years. All it takes are three shells, one pea and a gullible audience to bet money on what is know as a short-con. Well these days there’s another shell game going on, this time with cars; most of them damaged in one way or another. Titles are being washed, VINs cloned and Salvage Pools decimated as used cars disappear into the wild blue yonder. It’s a big problem that not many consumers know exist which is why it’s the topic for this week’s Autoline. John McElroy looks into this “new shell game” with Michael Wilson from the Automotive Recyclers Association and Eric Widmer of Alliance Inspection Management also know as AIM.

Stuck in Time Many agree that the auction house Barrett-Jackson has its grips on some of the greatest collector cars in America. But there’s a large group of classic cars just 90 miles off the Florida coast that no collector - try as they might -- has been able to buy-because they reside in the communist country of Cuba. Since the U.S. embargo was enacted in the early ‘60s, no American products have been allowed either into the country, or out. And experts agree, sitting on that small island is a treasure trove of pre-1960 vehicles that many collectors would love to own. During a trip to Cuba John McElroy captured the story of these incredible vehicles and their owners in a short Autoline documentary called "Stuck in Time" which begins this week’s broadcast. John then follows that story with a trip to our studio with two men well steeped in the car collecting culture. McKeel Hagerty knows the value of cars like these since insuring vintage vehicles is part of his business at Hagerty Insurance. And Ken Lingenfelter of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering has been collecting classic cars for years. This week on Autoline they join John to share their thoughts on Cuba, these unique cars and whether or not they’ll ever make it off the island.