Autoline After Hours

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.

Tonight we're together again as Spring has finally sprung in the Motor City, and one of the cars that is putting a "spring" in our step is the just-launched 2011 Mustang. By all accounts, this is a car that can do no wrong: great power, great fuel efficiency and great fun. So, how did Ford do it? To answer that question we've asked Dave Pericak, the Chief Engineer of the Mustang to take a seat on the AAH sofa and spill the beans. Of course, we'll also be getting into the news of the week including the announcements coming out of the NY Auto Show. John McElroy's in studio with David Welch from BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News and they welcome an AAH newcomer, Reilly Brennan from AOL Autos.