Autoline After Hours

This week we take an up-close peek at the next phase of transportation with our guest, Chris Borroni-Bird, the Director of Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts for GM. We'll be getting into the details of the EN-V program and even take a ride in one of the futuristic concepts. GM's President of North America, Mark Reuss, suggested that an EN-V trial program could happen in Detroit, but what would it take to make that happen? As usual, we'll be getting into some of the hottest topics of the week. John McElroy is joined in studio by the one and only Autoextremist Peter De Lorenzo as well as Charlie Vogelheim from Intellichoice.com.

This week while we're enjoying some beers on the set, our special guest will just be having his first cup of coffee. That's because Peter Robinson, contributing editor for Wheels magazine, will be Skyping in all the way from the land down under -- a difference of 14 hours. We'll be asking him about the latest automotive issues in Australia and find out what Aussie-derived platforms we can expect stateside. We'll also get into the news of the week including California's EV mandate that says 5.5% of all vehicles sold must be EVs by 2018. Also, CAR says that reaching the CAFE goal of 62 MPG will cost an additional $4,000 - $9,000. John McElroy is joined in studio by the one and only Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week we welcome Francois Castaing who was the VP of Vehicle Engineering at Chrysler back when the company was making boatloads of money. We'll ask him about what he's doing these days including his effort to raise money for the Detroit Science Center. As usual we'll be parsing the news of the week including GM's Dan Akerson, and the controversial comments he made about the Lincoln brand. We'll also find out why Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, is excited for the DeltaWing concept to come to Le Mans. John McElroy is also joined in studio by AAH founding member Jason Vines.

This week we pose one very important question to Saab's U.S. COO, Tim Colbeck: how is this company going to survive? If the company is in fact manufacturing cars again, how are its dealers going to keep their heads above water while they wait for product to arrive in showrooms? And how is Saab going to get the message out to the world that it is alive and well? John McElroy and the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, will also talk about the news of the week including the announcement of Ford's three-cylinder EcoBoost engine. They'll also talk about why three pony cars outsold all hybrids in May, combined. All that and much more on this edition of Autoline After Hours.

This week we get the skinny on some of Chevrolet's upcoming products as we talk to Russ Clark, the Product Marketing Director for the brand. In particular we'll be asking him about the next-gen Malibu, but we'll also be asking him about the news that the redesigned Impala will be built in Detroit. John McElroy and the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, will also be talking about the upcoming Indy 500 weekend, which marks the 100th anniversary of the race. They'll be talking about the four women who will be running on Sunday and how some of the big teams choked in qualification. John will also be joined in studio by Todd Lassa from Motor Trend.

This week we're talking about one of the best ways to have fun wasting fuel as well as all the boring ways to save as much gas as we can in a crisis. First we'll be getting into some drag racing talk with long-time Milan Dragway Track Announcer Michael G. Nastos. We'll talk about the emerging popularity of vintage drag racing, something called "Project 1320" and why the IRS is investigating the NHRA. In the meantime, a survey says most Americans want to get 62 miles per gallon. So why aren't hybrids that popular? While we're at it: why haven't CAFE regulations ever reduced our dependence on foreign oil? John McElroy is also joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, and auto journalist Jim McCraw.

This week the AAH studio is transformed into a swinging boutique as we take a look back at the history of auto show models with author Margery Krevsky. Margery wrote the book "Sirens of Chrome," which details the transformation of models into knowledgeable product specialists. We'll be getting a look at some vintage outfits from the past 50 years, modeled by contemporary product specialists. These are the dresses that stood alongside cars such as John Lennon's Flower Power Rolls-Royce, the Ford Sunliner and Pontiac Firebird. Per usual, we'll also be getting into the news of the week. John McElroy is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week in the After Hours bunker is Larry Burns the now-retired Vice President of Research and Development for General Motors. During his time at GM, Burns was an unflagging proponent of hydrogen propulsion, and we're going to ask him if fuel cells will ever catch on. Will we ever see a hydrogen infrastructure in this country? We'll get into the news of the week too including GM's whopping big earnings and talk about why hybrid sales are stagnate while the price of gas shoots sky high. John McElroy is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo as well as Frank Markus from Motor Trend.

This week we welcome Chris Theodore, the namesake of Theodore and Associates. Chris played key roles in the development of the Ford GT and the Dodge Viper. Now he's showing off what he calls Uni-Chassis, which will be aimed at EVs. He also has a goal of creating a $500 car. You read that right $500. We'll be talking about those projects and getting into the big news of the past week including Ford and VW profits, the sinking ship that is Lexus and what we can infer from the fact that Chrysler and Fiat have all but dropped out of the EV game. By the way, we've got an update about the MKZ after last week's show; this info is very telling. John McElroy is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

This week's guest of honor is Ford's Barb Samardzich, the Vice President of Global Product Programs. We'll be asking her if there are new segments Ford needs to get into and what the future holds for the Lincoln brand. John McElroy will also talk about his trip to Taiwan and a brand new car company called Luxgen that is developing some very interesting technologies. We'll also touch on some of the most interesting reveals from the dueling New York and Shanghai auto shows this week. John is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

Our guest this week comes straight from one of the greatest museums in the world with a fantastic car collection of all makes. Bob Casey is the Curator of Transportation for The Henry Ford and an automobile historian. We'll be asking him what's on his wishlist for the museum and if there's ever been "one that got away." As always, we'll be sure to get into the news of the week including March sales results, whether Saab is on its last legs, and a new hope for Detroit called Tech Shop. John McElroy is also joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

Behold the future of Ford! Well, we're sure our guest won't giveaway ALL the secrets, but if you want to know where Ford design is headed, tune in this week for Joel Piaskowski who is Ford's Director of Exterior Design for the Americas. As you may remember, Joel recently came from Hyundai where he was responsible for the fresh design language of the Sonata and other models out on the roads now. We can't wait to find out what he's got in store for the blue oval's product line. We'll also take some time to remember David E. Davis Jr., a former AAH guest and an outspoken automotive legend who died earlier this week. Does this mark the end of the enthusiast magazines as we know them? John McElroy is also joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press.

Does your IRA stink? Are they going to tax your pension? Maybe it's time to invest in classic cars ... or maybe not. That's one of the questions we'll put to our special guest this week. Ken Lingenfelter is the owner of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering as well as the Lingenfelter Collection, an assortment of Corvettes, muscle cars and exotics. Of course, you can be sure we'll get into the latest news including Bob King's accusation that Alan Mulally's raise is "morally wrong" and what the near future holds for automakers in crisis-stricken Japan. John McElroy is also joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as auto journalist Jim McCraw.

This week it's time for that big, important talk about journalistic ethics. One of tonight's guests is Scott Burgess, former auto critic for The Detroit News. Scott decided he needed to resign this week when the newspaper asked him to soften his review of the Chrysler 200 at the request of an advertiser. We'll be asking Scott what happened and whether he might go back to the paper now that they have reversed their changes. There are a lot of sticky issues when it comes to reviewing cars and covering the industry as a journalist, and we'll be discussing them all. Should reporters accept free trips from automakers to cover their vehicles? How do you keep your criticism unbiased when the subject is also an advertiser? John is also joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as fellow journalist Sharon Terlep who covers the auto industry for The Wall Street Journal.

This week the After Hours crew has stars in their eyes as they welcome Hollywood Car Designer and TV Host Fireball Tim Lawrence to Skype in from Malibu, California. He’s conceptualized vehicles, spaceships and other props for some of Hollywood’s biggest movies and television shows. As always, we’ll be getting into the news of the week including Alan Mulally’s big payday, Renault’s ever-stranger tale of EV espionage and the exit of GM CFO Chris Liddell. John McElroy is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, as well as our pal Todd Lassa from Motor Trend.