Autoline Daily - Audio

The first CEO of the Ford Motor Company who wasn’t a member of the Ford family passes away at the age of 93. Ford and GM get back into making semi-trucks, but not for the U.S. Magna Powertrain improves efficiency and lowers fuel consumption with electric AWD system. All that and more, plus on Autoline This Week our expert panel discusses what action is being taken to protect cars from hackers.

Another major automaker announces a significant price drop for its EV. OnStar teams up with another company to store electricity from solar panels in the batteries of a Chevy Volt for later use. According to reports, General Motors and Peugeot are in talks about selling a rebadged version of one of the French automakers commercial vans in the U.S. All that and more, plus a look at the big brother in Fiat’s lineup, the 500L.

Ford, Chevrolet and Ram all sell diesels in their heavy-duty pickups, but who does the best job of selling them? Garmin introduces a portable Heads-up-Display for your car. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed this Friday, Jaguar will debut its Project 7 concept. All that and more, plus host John McElroy responds to your questions and comments in this week’s edition of You Said It!

General Motors announces it will be the first automaker to start selling new cars in Myanmar. While at a recent technology conference in Germany, host John McElroy asks Bosch executives how they plan to prevent autonomous cars from being hacked. Opel revives the Monza nameplate with a concept that will make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. All that and more, plus Autoline Daily correspondent Seamus McElroy takes a look at the newest version of Mercedes’ biggest money maker, the E-Class.

U.S. car sales are going strong compared to a year ago. Volvo shows off some safety technology that will be featured in the new XC90 before it debuts at the end of next year. Hertz offers what it calls Dream Service, similar to its Rent-A-Racer program from the 60’s. All that and more, plus a clip from Autoline This Week on how to improve customer satisfaction.

According to a report, the Peugeot family has agreed to sell its stake in the company to aid a merger. A new study finds that diesels have a lower total cost of ownership than gasoline vehicles in the U.S. To help with visibility, Kia treats some of the windows on the Cadenza with a hydrophobic coating. All that and more, plus which is the best technology to boost an engine while downsizing it?

Due to a few key factors, the alliance between Renault and Nissan saved more than half the amount it did in 2011. Nissan’s head of commercial vehicles for North America gives us the latest on the company’s effort to upgrade New York City’s fleet of more than 13,000 taxis. Mazda pulls the wraps off the all-new version of its best-selling compact car. All that and more, plus the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo shares his thoughts on Acura’s new “Made for Mankind” tagline.

Car sales are running strong in both Mexico and Canada this year. Toyota joins Honda and GM in the robot club. Nissan’s performance brand now offers upgrades for its LEAF electric car. All that and more, plus host John McElroy responds to some of your comments and questions in this week’s edition of You Said It!

When compared to Toyota’s CEO, it looks like all the major CEO’s are overpaid. Rumors swirl that there will be a new man in charge of Chevy’s global operations by the end of this week. Honda pulls back the wraps on a refreshed version of its Odyssey minivan. All that and more, plus how Bosch is jumping on the autonomous bandwagon.

Acura aims the biggest ad campaign in its history at women… and chooses a perplexing tagline. June car sales are expected to surge to the highest level in years. One of GM’s most prominent executives jumps ship after 27 years with the company. All that and more, plus another edition of the Autoline Garage in which we explore the consequences of an absent spare tire.

The all-new 2014 Corvette Stingray proves it’s a real performer after posting its lap times from the Virgina International Raceway. Buick takes its all-new LaCrosse around the country showing off the improvements with the second generation car. Nissan will field a new car in next year’s 24 Hour’s of Le Mans… well sort of. All that and more, plus a look at how China cornered the market on rare-earth metals.

Renault introduces the all-new version of its Koleos SUV at the Buenos Aires Motor Show. Honda will assemble its second hybrid in the U.S., the all-new 2014 Accord Hybrid. Host John McElroy shares his insight into the rumors that the Chrysler Group will get rid of the Dodge brand. All that and more, plus in this week’s chapter of Design Handbook, Jim Hall looks at one archetype that has remained the same for more than a century.

After originally refusing NHTSA’s recall request, Chrysler is now caving and will inspect the affected Jeep models. Both GM and Ford ramp up production in China. GM’s all-new 4.3 liter V6 gets its EPA estimates for the company’s full-size pickups. All that and more, plus host John McElroy responds to some of your questions and comments in this week’s edition of You Said It!

Sergio Marchionne said Chrysler would lose $10,000 on every Fiat 500e, but was that just marketing to help sell the little electric? Mercedes-Benz announces it will be the first automaker to offer cars that can communicate with traffic infrastructure and other vehicles. After years of making performance versions of Chrysler vehicles, SRT gets its first-ever advertising campaign. All that and more, plus in the first edition of Autoline Garage we take a look at headlight design.

Automakers rarely want to admit that suppliers often do a lot of their work, and that’s the case for Fiat and its 500e. Future generations of SYNC and MyFord Touch will incorporate two classic features to make them easier to use. BMW pulls the wraps off its all-new 4 Series Coupe. All that and more, plus what makes Detroit Electric’s SP:01 sports car tick?