Autoline This Week

Autoline #1431: Predictive Power

Autoline #1430: Family

Autoline #1429: Containment

Autoline #1428: Listening Booth: 2010 - Part 2

Listening Booth: 2010 Putting a new twist on "the classics" is suddenly chic and popular. Just ask musician Marc Cohn whose new recording, "Listening Booth: 1970" -- a collection of songs from that year -- is a hit on Billboard. Who would've thought re-creating 40-year-old songs like "Wild World" from Cat Stevens, The Grateful Dead's "New Speedway Boogie" or "Make It With You" by Bread of all groups would raise a winner, yet it did. But maybe given what's been going on in Dearborn recently we shouldn't be so surprised. After all, who would've thought even just two years ago that re-creating "classics" like Fiesta, Taurus and Explorer would be returning Ford to its past sales glory, but it is. Of course it's much more than just a couple of new cars that's making the difference, but, as any of the Ford team will tell you, having fresh, quality product doesn't hurt. To understand what's driving Ford back to the top of the industry, this week Autoline takes a turn in its own "Listening Booth", as the company's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth joins John McElroy for the first of two shows. Joining John and Mr. Booth on the panel are Bill Vlasic from the New York Times and former chief of Car & Driver magazine Csaba Csere.

Autolineian Analysis always seems more important when it has a name attached to it. Take the world of psychology for instance. Sigmund Freud's surname established the famous 'Freudian' school of psychoanalysis while his contemporary Carl Jung gave us the 'Jungian' version. Two names that have stood the test of time when it comes to branding analysis. So when it comes to the automotive world is it out of bounds to ask if that type of analysis should also have some sort of moniker? Well this week Autoline Detroit does its best to answer that question as it features three top-notch automotive analysts who opine on everything from the current state of the industry, its 2010 sales, the resurrection of the Detroit Three and those all-important breakthrough vehicles like the Volt and the Leaf we keep waiting for. Joining John McElroy on the his 'Autolineian' panel are Rebecca Lindland and John Wolkonowicz two senior analysts from IHS Global Insight and Erich Merkle from Autoconomy.

Hands Down Without a doubt, some of the reasons are simple. Old line factories have closed, there's more automation in those that remain and foreign companies are building in right-to-work states. With all that working against them, it's understandable why membership in the United Auto Workers has fallen the last thirty years. Like the constant drip from a faulty faucet, the pool of workers from this once dominant union has been slipping away losing more than a million since its peak in the '70s. But don't cry for Bob King, the new UAW president. Elected merely a month ago, he knows the job in front of him and it's no easy task. Not only does he have to retain his current members, but reach out and recruit new ones. Just how he does that is one of the biggest challenges he'll face. But wait, don't forget about the questions surrounding The Detroit Three. How will the UAW deal with not only the success of Ford, but also the rebuilding at GM & Chrysler? These are just a few of the tough questions that our all-star panel tackles on this week's Autoline Detroit. Joining John McElroy to discuss the future of the UAW are Sean McAlinden from CAR, Joe Szczesny from the Oakland Press and Robert Chiaravalli of Strategic Labor & Human Resources.

B Driven You can see it, can't you? The slow-motion black and white shots of sweaty sinewy muscles inter-cut with close-ups of a certain athletic footwear and a simple closing graphic. Of course you could "IF" this really were the next iconic brand message from Nike. But this "B Driven" headline references the tsunami of new compact cars that will soon engulf America. And though the Bs lead the list, this week on Autoline Detroit we look at several new cars, trucks and crossovers either out now or poised to hit the marketplace soon. Joining John McElroy for this new vehicle smorgasbord are two of his fellow voters on the North American Car and Truck of the Year jury, Tony Swan from Car and Driver and Michelle Krebs of Edmunds.com. Throughout the show they'll be discussing many of the potential award-winners that could come from virtually any segment including luxury entrants like the CTS Coupe from Cadillac or the latest XJ from Jaguar. Of course performance cars are always in the spotlight especially with new products such as BMW's 5 Series and Ford's iconic Mustang with not one but two all-new powertrains: a V-6 and, finally, an honest-to-goodness 5-Liter. And of course there are crossovers as well like the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sorento and Infiniti QX56 to talk about. But without a doubt, the largest group of important cars coming out this year are indeed the Bs: Ford Fiesta, MAZDA2 and Chevrolet Cruze -- to name three of the bigger volume models -- will be getting the most attention from critics and consumers alike. So join John and his NACTOY panel for a look at the latest and greatest coming to dealer lots this week on Autoline Detroit.

Detroit Drift Even though it may sound like the next installment in "The Fast & Furious" franchise, this drift refers to what's going on right now in the auto industry in not only Detroit but across the globe. Fresh leaders, closed brands and new marketing plans are just a few of the topics that go into evaluating today's automotive landscape by R.L. Polk, the 140-year-old analytical firm with long-time Detroit roots. So if anyone knows what's going on with sales trends, market position and brand loyalty -- to name a few -- it's Stephen Polk, Chairman, President and CEO of the company. On this week's special July 4th edition of Autoline Detroit, Mr. Polk joins John McElroy to discuss the latest news on everything from sagging spring sales to the potential plug-in revolution. And joining John on this week's journalist panel are Jeff Green from Bloomberg News and Tom Walsh of the Detroit Free Press.

Mythology The Greek culture has given the world significant contributions in several areas. One of the more interesting is the bizarre mixture of heroes, villains, mortals and gods constructed, most experts say, to explain the mysteries of life. How ironic that so much of what we know as 'Greek Mythology' was centered around the ancient city of Delphi. Ironic because the Delphi we're familiar with today had its own mythology; a Tier One supplier born from General Motors in the '90s with a similar lineup of enigmatic characters who mysteriously turned a thriving company into a bankrupt one. For the last five years the corporation has struggled until it emerged from bankruptcy late last year. Led out by Rodney O'Neal, its current CEO and President who has been around the company since its GM years, Delphi today is much leaner and much less dependent on its former #1 customer. So equipped with a variety of new clients as well as fresh innovative electronic products, Mr. O'Neal believes that Delphi is ready to reclaim what it lost over these last few years, namely sales and market share. This week on Autoline Detroit John McElroy welcomes Rodney O'Neal of Delphi Automotive. Joining John on his panel are Tom Murphy from WardsAuto.com and Carol Cain of CBS Television Detroit.

Grand Re-Opening Fourteen months ago Chrysler was closing down. We're all familiar with the strange turns the story took. From bankruptcy to Obama to Italy and back, Chrysler survived, jobs were saved and the Pentastar was back in business. Well almost. There was that little thing about new product; it didn't have any and wasn't expected for some time. With its competitors pumping out fresh cars and trucks seemingly each month, it didn't seem like a scenario for success. But somehow, someway Chrysler cobbled together a year of better sales with that aged product and, lo and behold, today it finally has something it hasn't had in over twelve months: a new vehicle in the form of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Now it still is the "only" new vehicle available to its dealers for the near future but don't try to rain on Mike Manley's parade with that observation. Jeep's President and CEO is excited about this brand new SUV and what it says about his brand, the company's upcoming products and the future of the new Chrysler itself. For a closer look at this all new Grand Cherokee, the Jeep brand and how it fits into Sergio Marchionne's plan for Chrysler, join John McElroy as he welcomes Mike Manley as his guest on this week's Autoline Detroit. Joining John on his panel are Bob Gritzinger from AutoWeek and Scott Burgess of The Detroit News.

Elbow Room Like it or not, we're all fast becoming neighbors. As the world's population continues to boom and more and more people congregate in urban areas we've created a phenomenon known as megacities. These are metropolitan areas around the globe with populations that exceed 10 million. New York and Los Angeles are the U.S. flagbearers in this urban Olympics which includes places like Tokyo, Mumbai, Shanghai and 20 others (so far). The development of these small population nations has a unique set of challenges in which 'movement' is perhaps the most vital. No matter how you cut it whether it comes to work, food, education or entertainment, transportation or 'movement' within the megacity is the key. How does it take place now? How will it take place in the future as these megacities continue to grow? What will move people around the area and, finally, what are automotive companies designing for that eventual future? These are just some of the provocative questions that were tackled at the 7th Annual Michelin Auto Design Panel recently held at the Detroit Athletic Club and the subject of this week's Autoline Detroit. John McElroy served as the Master of Ceremonies for this Automobile Press Association sponsored event. Joining John on the panel were: Clay Dean, director of GM Advanced Design, Scott Strong, Ford's Global Interior Design Director, Phil Zak, Chief Designer at Hyundai North America and Larry Erickson, the Transportation Design Department Chair at the College of Creative Studies.