Autoline After Hours

This week we welcome Peter Hofbauer, a former diesel-engine designer at Volkswagen who’s now the Founder, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of EcoMotors, the company developing a revolutionary new opposed-piston engine. Beyond that, host John McElroy, David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics talk about some of the top news stories from the past week, like Ford's recent management shakeup and the latest on Toyota's unintended acceleration problem. Of course the panel also discusses the future of the ICE and what EcoMotors' new powerplant can offer the auto industry as it shoots to deliver better fuel economy.

This week we bring you a special all Q and A show. Our Rapid Fire segment has proven to be so popular that we never have enough time to make it through all our viewers' questions. In this episode we're going to do the best we can to rectify that. Our good friend Jason Vines is even coming in to help us get through all your mail and phone calls, so get ready for some answers to come your way! John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week we welcome Kathleen Ligocki, an auto industry consultant who is a former Ford VP, supplier company CEO and an expert in emerging markets such as China. We'll be asking her if she thinks Detroit has really recovered yet from the economic meltdown. As usual, we'll also get into the news of the week like Edmund's prediction that sales will be down this month. Also we'll discuss Ferrari's decision to drop manual transmissions and some recent news about ethanol. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week we welcome Charlie Hughes, the author of "Branding Iron" and an expert in automotive brands. In the past couple of years we've had a major culling of automotive marques--especially in Detroit. In this episode, we'll talk about what else can go: Acura? Infiniti? As usual, we'll also get into the news of the week. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This we took the show on the road to The Henry Ford for a "Racing in America" event. We had a lot of great discussion about racing, which you can catch in Part One of this week's show, but here is Part Two, and it's all about the news of the week. We discussed the outcry over the "Chevrolet not Chevy" memo, as well as GM's quiet management shake up. We also talked about Ford's new restoration parts business and why you won't get to drive the Panoz Abruzzi in America. On hand is John McElroy as well as David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek and, of course, the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

It's a very special After Hours this week as we take the show on the road to The Henry Ford for a "Racing in America" event being held to raise funds for a new permanent exhibit in the museum. We're bringing you a two-parter this week, and Part One is all about racing as we sit down with some of the most influential movers and shakers in the business including Jack Roush, Leonard Wood and John Force. On tap as usual is John McElroy as well as David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek and, of course, the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week we get green as we welcome John DeCicco, Ph. D, an environmentalist who is a senior lecturer at the University of Michigan. We'll be asking Mr. DeCicco how the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico will affect our consumption of petroleum--if at all. And, what does he think of alternative fuels like ethanol and electricity? You might just be surprised at the answer. Of course, we'll also get into the news of the week including the wind down of the Mercury brand. Plus, May sales numbers are in and there are some interesting results including the fact that Chrysler seems to be gaining on Honda. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week we welcome Sheila Ronis, a defense and automotive expert who will discuss the role the car companies play in military matters. In particular we'll ask why the Pentagon was staunchly against letting GM and Chrysler fold, and why it believes that would have placed the United States at a strategic disadvantage. And, we'll definitely be getting into the news of the week as Ford finally looks like it will kill off the Mercury brand. Plus, has the BP oil disaster brought us to a petroleum tipping point in which we say goodbye to fossil fuels? Conversely, many are saying Carlos Ghosn is overly optimistic in his prediction that Nissan will sell 500,000 EVs by the end of 2014. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week it's the man, the myth, the legend: Jason Vines, our old AAH friend and colleague. Mr. Vines joins the panel to discuss the news of the week including GM's big marketing switcheroo back to the formally-ousted Campbell-Ewald. Also, Bob Lutz gets his send-off from GM as he finally retires and gets ready to become a CNBC correspondent. Plus, Porsche raced it's flywheel hybrid at the Nurburgring to extraordinary results -- could this be a technological alternative to oust battery-powered EVs? John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week we welcome the author of the book Car Wreck, Mark Ragsdale, a former dealership owner and operator that says the U.S. auto industry took the American public for a ride. By the way, he wonders, why has there never been a dealer on an auto company’s board of directors? And, according to Ragsdale, you should never buy a new car again–only lease, and he’ll tell us why. Of course, we’ll get into the news of the week: Chrysler posts a profit, the UAW wants more compensation, and sales slow down in China. John McElroy’s in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, and David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week we welcome Chantel Lenard, Ford's Group Marketing Manager for Global Small and Midsize Cars. We'll be asking her about the challenges ahead as the Ford Fiesta launches this summer. For instance, what will the company be doing to train its dealers, and how can it prevent the Focus from cannibalizing Fiesta sales? Of course we'll also get into the news of the week including the ousting of Susan Docherty as GM's head of marketing. Plus, we'll find out what Mr. De Lorenzo thinks about Chevy's new tagline. And, our analysis of April sales indicates Chrysler could be on the way back up, but not everyone agrees. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as David Welch from BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News.

This week we welcome Nina Beckhardt, President of The Naming Group, a company that specializes in branding. She’ll be joining us to offer her expertise in how car names are created–what works and what is a total disaster? Of course we’ll also get into the news of the week including Chevy’s decision to dump Campbell-Ewald, its advertising agency since 1919. Plus, we’ll talk money: do recent earnings mean the industry has turned the corner? Is GM’s deception that it has paid off all government loans going to backfire? Why has Ford stock plummeted despite the fact that the company beat analysts’ expectations? John McElroy’s in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

This week we welcome Doug Fehan, the man who’s the “heart and soul” of Corvette racing as the GM Racing Program Manager for the American Le Mans Series. He’ll be joining us to discuss what effect the GM Racing team had on the design of the latest Corvette and whether racing on cellulosic ethanol gives the team an advantage. Of course we’ll also get into the news of the week including a study that suggests the negative perception of domestic automakers is starting to change. John McElroy’s in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as David Welch from BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News.

This week we welcome Walter McManus, an economist at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Director of the Automotive Analysis Group. He'll be joining us to discuss the news as well as talk about CAFE standards and some recent studies his organization has been performing. John McElroy's in studio with David Welch from BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News as well as Scott Burgess from the Detroit News who's filling in while Peter De Lorenzo is on the road.

This week we hit a milestone: 50 episodes of "unscripted, unapproved, unusually frank discussion" from Autoline After Hours. We, and the auto industry, have come a long way in the last year, and tonight we'll spend just a little time looking back--at the good and the bad. But, we'll also be looking forward as we welcome our guest, Larry Erickson, the Chair of Transportation Design for the College of Creative Studies in Detroit. We'll be asking Larry where the future of automotive design is going and also ask him what he and Billy Gibbons have in common. John McElroy's in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as David Welch from BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News.