Autoline This Week - Audio

In 1963 Avis Rent-a-Car came up with iconic “We Try Harder” slogan, which it has carried ever since. But it also seems to be the perfect phrase to describe the current race for the number one selling car in America. After years of playing not just second but third fiddle to the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord, Nissan has unveiled its striking new Altima and believes this car is prepared to finally challenge that number one slot. That’s why John McElroy and Autoline go on-the-road this week to Nashville, Tennessee to visit the home of Nissan Americas and to talk with the team in charge of taking Altima to number 1.

Hidden down a long driveway behind two locked gates and four garage doors is the private car collection of one of the most respected “car guys” in history, Bob Lutz. Rarely do journalists get a glimpse of these cars let alone an exclusive tour as he gave Autoline. So join host John McElroy and Peter De Lorenzo of the Autoextremist.com as “Maximum Bob” gives them a look at some of his prized cars including a 1934 LaSalle, his unique ‘70s Swiss-made Monteverdi and even the 1952 Aston Martin DB2 he found completely by accident a few years ago which originally belonged to his father. Exotic cars, rare motorcycles and even collector bikes all from the garage of Bob Lutz this week on Autoline.

There’s been a product renaissance at Ford the last few years, thanks in large part to Global Product Chief, and 33-year veteran of the company, Derrick Kuzak. But when Kuzak announced he was retiring earlier this year it didn’t take Ford long to find his replacement. Raj Nair started with the company in 1987 and has worked all over the world in various capacities. Now as he takes control of the product wheel for Ford we’ll see if he can keep the momentum going. This week he joins host John McElroy and panelists Tony Swan from Heart Magazines and Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press as our guest on Autoline This Week.

Pick up any car magazines and you’ll find lists. Lists for best car, lists for worst MPGs, lists for most collectible and so on. But the one list that Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Ingrassia could not find is the subject of his new book “Engines of Change.” Mr. Ingrassia looked at our car culture and has come up with a list of vehicles and how they have impacted our entire American society. John McElroy leads a fascinating discussion with Mr. Ingrassia and panelists Todd Lassa from Motor Trend and Drew Winter from WardsAuto.com.

Running a car company in Europe is decidedly different than in America. Especially if you’re on the Board which makes all the big decisions. Join John McElroy and his guest Dr. Walther Kiep, the longest serving member of Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board, for an inside look at his years helping run this mega-automaker as he promotes his recollections of a life in politics and business in his new book “Bridge Builder.” Joining John on his panel are Christina Rogers of Automotive News and Mike Ramsey from the Wall Street Journal.

How to break the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) ceiling? Some manufacturers don’t think we need to and continue to upgrade their current crop of engines. But then there are companies like Nissan-Renault, whose leader Carlos Ghosn, gave the world the all-electric Leaf and is continuing down that path. As Senior VP in charge of Research and Development for Nissan Americas, Carla Bailo has to walk a delicate line -- continue to provide the company with ICE vehicles all while working with Japan to develop those ground-breaking high mileage electric cars. Joining host John McElroy and Ms. Bailo on this week’s Autoline are Brent Snavley from the Detroit Free Press and Lindsay Brooke with Automotive Engineering International.

It’s tough to get to the top of the auto industry, but it’s especially hard for female executives. That’s why even today the culture continues to be male-dominated. So with more and more women involved in the industry how do the experts see them breaking through the Sunroof Ceiling and eventually running a car company or some of the top suppliers. Joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week to discuss the topic are three executives with personal knowledge of the struggle. Jeneanne Hanley is vice president of Lear Corporation while Colleen Haley is the Executive VP of Yazaki and Terry Barclay is the president and CEO of Inforum, a professional women’s alliance.

We buy brands. Sure, there are those consumers who diligently search out the best product or deal, but for the most part, Americans love their brands. Especially when it comes to cars. But as the competition continues to get tougher, how are car companies caring for those brands? On Autoline This Week John McElroy is joined by a panel of marketing experts who explore the provocative questions: are some automakers deluding their brands by removing the essence that made it special, or are their marketing departments delusional believing everything is just fine and they don’t need any TLC. Joining John with insight on those topics and more are Christie Nordhielm, Marketing Professor from the University of Michigan, Peter De Lorenzo, Editor-in-Chief of Autoextremist.com and Michael Robinet an analyst with IHS Automotive.

Back in 5th grade science class we all learned what happens when a snake molts -- it loses its skin, becoming in-essence an all-new serpent. That’s kind of what’s been going on over at Chrysler the last few years with Viper. Once Dodge’s proud ruler of the performance road -- nearly lost amid the financial turmoil -- has been reborn under the Street and Racing Technology brand, is now ready to take on the competition with the new 2012 model. Our special guest on Autoline This Week to discuss Viper, the SRT brand as well as Dodge Design itself is the man in charge of all three, Ralph Gilles. Joining John McElroy on his panel are Scott Burgess of AOL Autos and Chris Paukert of Autoblog.com.

There are more cars on the road getting 40 miles per gallon than ever before. Partly due to new CAFE standards and driven by the engineers at OEMs and their suppliers, consumers now have a number of gas-saving powertrains to choose from today. Whether it’s the new ICEs, hybrids, electrics or a plug-in version like the Volt, we’ve never had more fuel efficient transportation that didn’t walk on four legs. On Autoline This Week John McElroy talks to a panel of powertrain experts about today’s advancements and what will be driving us in the near future and beyond. Joining John are Christopher Thomas from BorgWarner’s Advanced Engineering Group, Roger Clark from GM’s Energy Center, and Chrysler Powertrain VP Dr. Mircea Gradu.

During any race there’s always that one point where you evaluate where you are in the pack and what it’s going to take to get to the finish line. That’s what John McElroy and his panel do on Autoline this week for the 2013 North American Car and Truck of the Year candidates. Joining him to discuss cars like the Acura ILX, Cadillac’s XTS and the all-new Nissan Altima are fellow NACTOY jurors Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press and Paul Eisenstein from The Detroit Bureau.

In 1963 Avis Rent-a-Car came up with iconic “We Try Harder” slogan, which it has carried ever since. But it also seems to be the perfect phrase to describe the current race for the number one selling car in America. After years of playing not just second but third fiddle to the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord, Nissan has unveiled its striking new Altima and believes this car is prepared to finally challenge that number one slot. That’s why John McElroy and Autoline go on-the-road this week to Nashville, Tennessee to visit the home of Nissan Americas and to talk with the team in charge of taking Altima to number 1.

Pick up any car magazines and you’ll find lists. Lists for best car, lists for worst MPGs, lists for most collectible and so on. But the one list that Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Ingrassia could not find is the subject of his new book “Engines of Change.” Mr. Ingrassia looked at our car culture and has come up with a list of vehicles and how they have impacted our entire American society. John McElroy leads a fascinating discussion with Mr. Ingrassia and panelists Todd Lassa from Motor Trend and Drew Winter from WardsAuto.com.

It won nearly every serious automotive award and had a huge carbon-free footprint of positive reviews from critics and consumers alike. So if that’s the case, why is the Volt GM’s slowest selling product? More than that, why does there seem to be such a negative charge to the car? People across the country who have never even seen a Volt let alone driven this engineering marvel have nothing good to say about it, confounding both auto analysts and company executives. On Autoline This Week John McElroy and his panel look at the strange state of GM’s engineering masterpiece the Volt. Joining John on the panel are Joe White of the Wall Street Journal, Manny Lopez from the Michigan Capitol Confidential and Gary Witzenburg an auto journalist and former engineer on GM’s original electric project, the EV1.

Ford Motor Company was in trouble even before that breathless September four years ago that sent the world economy searching for financial oxygen. But armed with a bold strategy and solid leadership, Ford survived the crisis, steering clear of both bankruptcy and government loans. And then as it released some of the new products it had in the pipeline, suddenly the company started making money and the blue oval was back in the black in a big way. That’s the story of how Alan Mulally and his team brought Ford back from the brink as told in the new book “American Icon.” Bryce Hoffman of The Detroit News spent two years engrossed in the culture that Henry Ford built and Alan Mulally arguably saved. On Autoline This Week, John McElroy talks to Mr. Hoffman about “American Icon” and is joined in the discussion by Keith Naughton from Bloomberg News and Jim Hall from 2953 Analytics.