Autoline Daily - Video

OnStar's people behind the blue button are looking at enabling their customers to rent out their cars while not in use. BMW will start building their X1 CUV in China, freeing up capacity at the X1's German plant for export to the USA. Opel gets a new leader to reshape GMs struggling European brand. All that and more, plus we look at how Ford is combining stop-start technology with its EcoBoost engines.

France's president derides PSA's cuts as too harsh and urges management to renegotiate. Also in the Old Country Ford and other automakers are reporting slumping sales in the first six months of 2012. Hyundai is hurting for vehicles to sell. With only 27-days' supply in the U.S. and a corporate cap on production at 7 million vehicles. All that and more, plus a look at the Audi S5 coupe.

The head of General Motors’ European operations, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, just stepped down from his position and will be replaced by GM Vice Chairman, Steve Girsky. Mitsubishi just sold its NedCar plant in the Netherlands for only one Euro! The new Fiat 500L will be the world’s first production car to come with a coffee maker. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week with Ralph Gilles, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Chrysler’s SRT Brand.

PSA says it will cut jobs and close a factory due to the languishing European economy. Opel is debuting its ADAM subcompact, a sportier alternative to the Agila it already makes. Amid mounting lawsuits and other challenges Mahindra finally pulled the plug on its move to launch a small truck for the U.S. market. All that and more, plus we pick the order for tonight's AAH fantasy draft.

Rental car company Hertz announced it’s adding the Porsche Panamera to its fleet. Chevy and Chrysler are offering new incentives to try and boost sales. Researchers at Michigan State University have come up with a new biofuel-production process which produces energy more than 20 times higher than existing methods. All that and more, plus John responds to your questions and comments in “You Said It!”

Mini is investing major money into expanding its capacity in the U.K., yet the company is looking to build cars elsewhere too. The Eurozone economic woes are hitting Thailand’s auto industry hard, that country’s exports to Europe fell 10 percent. Despite the popularity of crossovers, minivans soldier on to the tune of 500,000 annual sales. All that and more, plus Dodge launches the Dart’s ad campaign.

The city of Guangzhou, China, like Beijing and other large cities in the country, is limiting car sales to try to reduce pollution and traffic jams. Chrysler is considering a small, unibody lifestyle pickup truck targeted at outdoorsy millennials. Truck maker Navistar announced it plans to use selective catalytic reduction to reduce greenhouse gases in its diesel engines. All that and more, plus a look at the most expensive MINI that you can buy.

To help combat its losses in Europe, GM’s supervisory board approved a new plan to restructure Opel. Prices for used cars are starting to fall because sales of new cars are picking up this year. Chrysler is optimistic about pickup sales going forward and is considering adding a third shift at its Warren Truck Plant. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week about the candidates for the 2013 North American Car and Truck of the Year award.

Fiat plans to increase its stake in Chrysler by purchasing shares from the UAW healthcare trust fund. Ford is closing its only plant in the Philippines as part of a restructuring effort in the region. John sits down with the Energy Secretary to talk electric cars. All that and more, plus Andrew Justus drives the new Lexus ES.

Car buyers are paying an average of 500 dollars less on new vehicles compared to a year ago. Volvo has developed a new fuel saving system for commercial trucks called I-See that harnesses a trucks kinetic energy to save on fuel. A test drive of Ford’s 2.0-liter EcoBoost-powered Taurus as well as the company’s 1.0-liter three cylinder engine. All that and more, plus a look at John’s trip to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

A strong yen continues to drive auto production out of Japan as Toyota and Nissan announce planned production cuts. Ford releases the F-150 Limited, the new top of the line truck is set to cost more than the Platinum Edition's 44 thousand dollar price tag. The Taurus is set to get a 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine to help Ford's large car achieve 32 MPG highway. All that and more, plus a look at the Audi allroad.

When U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu first took office in 2009 he was not a very big fan of hydrogen fuel cells but things have changed, including the secretary's stance on hydrogen. Volvo says it’s looking for a partner in North America within the next 5 to 6 years to produce vehicles. Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn is considering retirement before the company’s next mid-term review which is five years away. All that and more, plus we head down to Smyrna, Tennessee to pay a visit to Nissan’s sprawling manufacturing campus in this week’s Autoline This Week preview.

The gap in quality among carmakers continues to shrink according to J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Survey. Audi just announced that Scott Keogh will replace Johan de Nysschen as President of the company’s U.S. operations. Chevy just announced the base price for the 2013 Malibu is just over 23,000 dollars, which is a small increase over the current Malibu. All that and more, plus a look at the all-new Ford Escape.

Ward’s reports despite a falling SAAR last month it is sticking with its sales forecast for the year of 14.5 million units, citing growing employment and consumer confidence. Toyota says their Lexus brand has nine, as in one more than eight, LFAs remaining. Sales of the 375,000 dollar vehicle have almost reached the end of the planned 500 car production run. In autonomous car news, Europe’s SARTRE program to enable follow the leader style road trains on highways recently completed its first public road test. The test featured three Volvo cars following a Volvo truck on a Spanish highway at 53 mph. All that and more, plus You said It!

GM is shaking up its designers in hopes of increasing brand identity. The world's largest automaker wants to move away from the current regional design scheme and toward one with global brand designers. Renault plans to add two luxury brands to its portfolio in an effort to bolster its sales and image. Ford and GM are touting their own environmental accomplishments. All that and more, plus a look at the Dodge Dart.

Lexus is gunning to reclaim the title of No. 1 luxury automaker in the U.S. and is boosting incentives to reach its goal. The Obama Administration is considering filing a World Trade Organization claim against what it sees as Chinese auto part dumping in the United States. Last week Hyundai announced pricing for the hatchback version of the Elantra, now pricing for the coupe is out. All that and more, plus a test drive of the all-new Acura ILX.

NHTSA is expanding its investigation into fuel tank fires in Jeep Grand Cherokees. Looking back now to the early 1990’s. GM just filed for trademark of the name LTS. Could this be what the long-awaited Cadillac flagship will be called? For the first five months of the year, worldwide VW Group sales hit 3.65 million units, an 8.4 percent gain compared to last year. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week with Paul Ingrassia the author of the new book “Engines of Change.”

BMW just announced the price of its futuristic-looking hybrid, the i8, and man, it ain't cheap! Who says big things don’t come in small packages? Mercedes-Benz and the folks at AMG are hard at work developing the performance version of the company’s new A-Class and it is going to be unimaginably powerful. In its effort to cut traffic deaths in half by 2020, Euro NCAP will add autonomous emergency braking tests to its crash ratings in 2014. All that and more, plus John proposes a brand-new racing series where the only rule is there are no rules.

Automotive executives in Europe are worried about a stagnant economy and slumping car sales. Mercedes-Benz introduced a refreshed version of its GLK sport-utility vehicle. Hyundai just announced the starting price of the 2013 Elantra GT. All that and more, plus John answers your questions and comments in “You Said It!”

The UAW in its latest attempt to unionize a foreign owned auto plant is targeting Nissan's U.S. factories. Reports are rolling in about legions of unsold cars in China, with factories and dealers reporting different numbers and extra inventory making up the difference. GM and DOW recently earned grants from the DOE for their work in die-casting and carbon fiber respectively. All that and more, plus a look at the Infiniti EX 35.

BorgWarner, one of the largest suppliers of turbochargers, says 80 percent of all passenger vehicles in the U.S. will have a turbo by 2020. Volkswagen is discussing whether to take a stake in commercial truck maker Navistar to help it compete with Daimler in North America. The 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R racecar has just completed its first on-track test. All that and more, plus a look at the all new 2013 Scion FR-S.

General Motors announced it boosted the range of the 2013 Chevy Volt. Opel just showed off the sedan version of the Astra which will make its world premiere this August at the Moscow Auto Salon. Dany Bahar, the CEO of Lotus, was fired because of some sort of improprieties with his conduct. All that and more, plus a look at the new BMW 5 Series.

Ford and GM are in a dispute over tow-ratings for pick-up trucks. Car dealers in China are complaining about growing inventory levels that are hurting their profits. Jaguar designers recently “deconstructed” a model of its XF sedan by destroying it with axes. All that and more, plus we take a look at the new Scion iQ.

The Big Three are making a break for the border. GM, Ford and Chrysler close plants in Canada in favor of cheaper U.S. labor. The head of Fiat/Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne, is urging European carmakers to tackle overcapacity issues but the Germans say “nein!” The Honda Fit EV earned the highest efficiency rating of any electric vehicle by the U.S. EPA, Fit indeed. All that and more, plus John answers your questions in “You Said It!”

Audi’s North American CEO, Johan De Nysschen, has resigned from his post. Chinese automaker SAIC announced it will offer its first electric vehicle for sale this October, the Roewe E50. A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold last month in a private transaction for 35 million dollars, a new record. All that and more, plus we take a deep dive into last month’s car sales.

A new report from ALG says Ford and Hyundai have had the best improvement in perceived quality during the last five years. Analysts at Ford predict the next crop of midsize sedans due to flood the market in a year or so are going to eat into small-car sales. Volkswagen is considering selling its small pick-up, the Amarok, in Canada. All that and more, plus Autoline Daily correspondent Craig Cole test drives the new Infiniti G37.

Ford is facing a happy problem – it cannot keep up with demand for its vehicles. Yesterday Chrysler was in the news for announcing the Town and Country minivan is going away, today more product information is out, including plans for another SRT model. Freightliner just debuted a super efficient new big rig called the Cascadia Evolution. All that and more, plus John McElroy test drives the 2012 Audi TT-RS.

The National Auto Dealers Association says prices for used compact and mid-size cars will drop by as much as 5 percent in June. Another day, another Chinese rip-off. This time it’s Dongfeng copying the Cadillac SRX. Chrysler plans to keep the Dodge version of its popular minivans while discontinuing the Town and Country. All that and more, plus guest host Michelle Krebs from Edmunds.com tells us what to expect for this month’s car sales.

Dany Bahar, the CEO of Lotus, has been suspended from the company because of an unspecified complaint over his conduct. To try to boost sales, China will revive a cash-for-clunkers program. Nissan is looking for serious growth in Russia. It wants to nearly double its market share in the country by 2016! All that and more, plus a look at the design of the all-new Dodge Dart.

The UAW wants to organize Volkswagen’s plant in Tennessee but it won’t get help from German union IG Metall. One way Nissan is getting a best-in-class 38 MPG highway mileage in the new Altima is by gearing it way down with its CVT. Chrysler’s Super Bowl ad from last year, the one with rapper Eminem, just won the top award in the advertising business. All that and more, plus a look at the all-new Cadillac XTS.

BMW has been socked with a big fine in Switzerland for blocking vehicle sales to Swiss customers. The Cadillac Escalade is here to stay and the redesigned 2014 model will ride on the next-generation GM pickup platform. Parking is notoriously expensive in New York City but this spot takes the cake! All that and more, plus Isaac Bouchard samples the 2012 BMW M6.

A professor at the Center for Automotive Research in Germany predicts that Hyundai-Kia will overtake Volkswagen to become the largest automaker in the world by 2020. Fiat and Mazda just partnered up to jointly develop a sports car based on the next generation MX-5 Miata. General Motors, Daimler, BMW, PSA and Honda are all shipping vehicles out of China. All that and more, plus John responds to your questions and comments in “You Said It!”

A study released by two universities indicates ethanol production in the U.S. significantly reduced gasoline prices last year. J.D. Power says American consumers are finally warming up to small cars, but could there be other factors at work? A private-equity firm is looking to take over recreational-vehicle maker Winnebago in order to make Chinese cars. All that and more, plus John McElroy takes a peek at the Toyota Prius c.

Chevy is bringing back a rear-wheel-drive, V-8-powered sedan in the U.S. for the first time in 17 years. Ford is pricing its new C-MAX hybrid around 26 grand, undercutting the Prius v by about 500 dollars. Lexus stopped production of the HS250h hybrid because of poor sales. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week with Dr. Walther Kiep, the longest serving member of Volkswagen’s supervisory board.

NHTSA is proposing that all large commercial vehicles, coaches and other buses be equipped with electronic stability control systems, just like cars. It’s estimated over the next three years Ford will come out with more new models faster than anyone else. Everybody knows Volkswagen makes cars, but did you know they’re also in the food business? All that and more, plus John McElroy sounds off on some internet nonsense.

Nissan is going to run its North American assembly plants on three shifts to give the Altima the capacity to become the best selling car in the U.S. Porsche revealed the prototype version of its 918 Spyder. Kia may be considering bringing a diesel to the U.S. market. All that and more, plus John answers your questions and comments in “You Said It!”

Watch out, this year’s annual transportation bill has a section mandating that every car in the U.S. must have a black box – what’s formally known as an event data recorder. The automotive industry is the engine driving America’s economic recovery. Hyundai just inked a deal with a Norwegian battery-recharging company to supply the country with hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. All that and more, plus a walk around the brand new 2013 Nissan Altima.

A new supplier survey shows that while they still remain the best, Toyota’s and Honda’s popularity with suppliers is plummeting. Sales of medium and heavy duty trucks were up big last month in the U.S. and Canada. Bentley’s new Continental GT V-8 is a lot less damaging to your wallet and the environment. All that and more, plus consulting firm KPMG explains what’s driving mergers and acquisitions in the auto industry.

We have more information on that 7-speed manual transmission ZF supplies to Porsche for the new 911 – the world’s first 7-speed manual for a passenger car. Magna Steyr will build a new compact model for Infiniti starting in 2014. To show off the durability of its new i30, Hyundai parked the car in the middle of a safari park to let a pack of baboons have fun with the car. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week about some of the tricks to make the interiors of cars look as good as they can.

The woman that took Honda to small-claims court over the fuel economy of her Civic Hybrid is in the news again. The difference between official EU fuel-economy numbers and what drivers get in the real world is growing. A company called Bracketron has developed a clever way of mounting smartphones and tablets in a vehicle. All that and more, plus John McElroy test drives the Mercedes-Benz CL-550.

Toyota announced its financial earnings for its fiscal year and it didn’t do all that well but the company is very bullish for this year. Opel revealed that the name of its new small car will be the Adam, the same name as the company’s founder. Audi outsold its luxury rival BMW on a global basis in April. All that and more, plus John McElroy responds to your questions and comments in “You Said It!”

A judge dismissed class action claims in Florida and New York that unintended acceleration problems hurt the resale value of their Toyota’s. Chevy engineers ran an 11.93-second, 116-MPH quarter-mile with a showroom-stock Camaro ZL-1 with an automatic. We’ve got car sales from around the globe and the results are mixed. All that and more, plus a clever new design for an electric motor that could get around China’s chokehold on those all important rare-earth metals.

Remember, JAC’s blatant F-150 rip off? Turns out that Ford does a bang-up job protecting intellectual property. Delphi’s aluminum wiring solution can save a ton of weight over the copper alternative — find out how much. BMW’s first-quarter results are very impressive and we’ll have the breakdown. All that and more, plus Craig Cole has Autoline’s first look at the Scion FR-S!

It looks like GM is still the world's biggest automaker, but VW is nipping at its heels with massively more revenue to show for it. Volvo's hybrid semi-truck sets a world speed record. Renault-Nissan will take a majority stake in AvtoVAZ in order to polish up the Lada brand. All that and more, plus John McElroy responds to your questions and comments in this week's edition of You Said It!

After what seems like an eternity, Ford is taking orders for the hotly anticipated Focus ST, but at what price? The Aptera we thought was dead in the ground is being "zapped" back to life by a Chinese company. German scientists are developing smart tires that can change their tread to match driving conditions. All that and more, plus a full report on April car sales.

Automakers and other organizations are fighting a battle that’s reminiscent of the clash between Westinghouse and Edison. There’s lots of labor strife going on in the automotive world today. GM is laying off a huge number of workers at its tech center in Warren, Michigan. All that and more, plus a test drive of the 2012 Toyota Yaris.

Global car sales hit a world record in March with nearly 8.25 million units sold. General Motors will start selling the Chevrolet Corvette in South Korea next month. And speaking of GM, reports out of Japan say the company will take a 10 percent stake in Isuzu, to jointly develop, produce and sell pick-up trucks and commercial vehicles. All that and more, plus a look at the all-new Dodge Dart.

We’ve got the first quarter financial results for a whole bunch of automakers and the numbers are all over the place. Luxury automakers are starting to expand into Inner Mongolia because of growing wealth in the area. The EPA made it official: the brand-new Ford Escape has the best fuel economy in its segment, when equipped with an automatic transmission. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week with Carla Bailo, the senior vice president of Research and Development for Nissan Americas.

Automakers are posting their first-quarter financial numbers and we’ve got the latest from Hyundai and Chrysler. Internet search giant Google is getting into the auto business . . . or at least trying to. A prototype product called the “Track N Go” looks like an awesome add-on to four-wheel-drive vehicles. All that and more, plus John McElroy answers your questions and responds to your comments in our “You Said It!” segment.

The Lamborghini crossover goes from sketch to reality in Beijing. Honda reveals a duo of concepts that it thinks are “cool” and “smart.” Jaguar and Land Rover move toward powertrain independence with a new 3.0-liter V-6. All that and more, plus a walk around the newly refreshed Ford Flex.