Autoline Daily - Video

Yazaki is hit with a massive fine for its bid-rigging scheme. Aussies are experiencing the lowest car prices in 36 years. And, just like a good pork roast, the economic recovery continues low and slow. All that and more, plus a look at Federal-Mogul’s innovative lighting solutions.

The National Automobile Dealers Association just released its latest Dealer Attitude Survey and for the third time in a row Hyundai topped the charts. Luxury sales in China skyrocketed last year. The California Air Resources Board approved new regulations that mandates that one out of every seven new cars sold in the state must be zero-emission by 2025. All that and more, plus a look at all the aerodynamic tweaks GM engineers made to the Chevy Malibu Eco.

Ford posted its financial earnings for 2011 and it was the company’s best year in over a decade but it still fell short of Wall Street targets. BMW will now offer a diesel engine for select M vehicles in Europe. Chevy announced all of its vehicles sold in the U.S. will have a window sticker explaining the environmental impact of the car. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week about GM and Chrysler dealers who were forced to give up their businesses during the companies' bankruptcies.

Nissan just announced it will build a third plant in Mexico. The company plans to invest 2 billion dollars in the facility, with production scheduled to begin sometime in 2013. Opel has delayed the launch of the Ampera to fix a potential coolant leak in the battery. Ford’s successful “Drive One” slogan is being retired, replaced by another two-word catchphrase. All that and more, plus guest host Murray Feldman from FOX2 News, Detroit shares some of his thoughts on the resurgent American auto industry.

Japanese auto supplier Yazaki was hit with a record fine from the Japanese government over a bid rigging scheme involving wire harnesses. Limo Broker, a British limo company, is making a stretched version of the Audi R8. The city of Trollhättan, Saab AB and The Wallenberg Foundation have shelled out more than 4 million dollars to buy and preserve Saab’s official museum. All that and more, plus John responds to your questions and comments in the “You Said It!” segment.

It's predicted that in four or five years Russia will be the largest car market in Europe – beating out Germany. General Motors is putting enormous pressure on Opel to finally become profitable again, and now the company is in talks with SAIC to sell cars in China. Automakers fight for every ounce of weight they can take out of their vehicles. Today’s bulky and bloated lead-acid batteries are prime, low-hanging fruit that’s ready for pickin’. All that and more, plus a look at the new 2012 Honda CR-V.

Ward’s Auto is forecasting that car sales this month in the U.S. market will jump nearly 10 percent compared to a year ago which translates to a SAAR of 13.9 million vehicles. Honda delivered its first Fit EV as part of its Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program. Scosche, a company that sells electronic accessories, just introduced a device that can block mobile phones while in the car. All that and more, plus find out why Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne says the Jeep Liberty is the most important product the company is investing in.

GM announced that it sold just over 9 million vehicles globally last year which sparked off a flurry of news reports over who’s the Number One automaker in the world. Chinese automaker Youngman Lotus and Turkish private equity firm Brightwell Holdings intend to place bids for Saab. Hyundai will supply six-speed automatic transmissions for the Dodge Dart. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week about the pitfalls and benefits facing automakers in China.

Europe’s financial troubles are starting to hurt automakers, forcing them to cut costs wherever they can. Peugeot just announced that it’s dropping out of the 24 hours of Le Mans this year. Kia is going back to the drawing board to improve the stop/start system in its Rio and Soul models. As we told you when the story first broke a couple of years ago, Toyota’s problems with unintended acceleration were largely due to driver error, and now the National Academy of Sciences concluded the same thing. All that and more, plus John answers your questions in the "You Said It" segment.

The average age of vehicles on roads in the U.S. increased again last year to 10.8 years. Mercedes-Benz is considering exporting engines built in the U.S. Japanese conversion company, Campinn just unveiled a camper add-on for the Toyota Prius at the Tokyo Auto Salon. All that and more, plus guest host Mark Phelan from the Detroit Free Press shares his hits and misses from this year’s Detroit Auto Show.

All the world is watching the Eurozone right now, and the news is very pessimistic as consumer confidence plummets and unemployment rises. But maybe some new product will help. Fiat will introduce a five-door version of its scrappy little 500 at the Geneva Motor Show in March. A great bit of news for Chrysler: it can’t keep up with demand for the Jeep Wrangler. All that and more, plus a look at Mazda’s Skyactiv technology.

General Motors lost two of its top executives. Mike Arcamone, the head of GM’s operations in South Korea left the company, as well as the head of its Powertrain Operations, Tom Stephens. Heavy-duty truck sales in the U.S. were up 41 percent last year. Several automakers in Europe could be fined for not hitting emission targets. All that and more, plus Ford’s Jim Farley talks about how and why social media can start selling cars before they’re even in the showroom.

Audi unveiled a new technology called Traffic Jam Assist at CES which autonomously drives a car at speeds up to 37 MPH. Electric cars and fuel cell vehicles are selling so poorly in China, the government will drop the sales tax on those cars in an effort to boost sales. The 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class hybrid comes with a feature that allows the car to cruise along on battery power alone. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week about how African-American men essentially saved Cadillac in the depths of the Great Depression.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW are engaged in a knock-down slug-fest to claim the No. 1 sales race for luxury cars in the American market, yet both companies claim they have no interest in the top sales slot. Rolls-Royce had its best sales year ever in 2011, selling more than 3,500 cars. Mopar announced the availability of a laundry list of accessories for the new 2013 Dodge Dart. All that and more, plus John answers your questions and responds to your comments in the "You Said It" segment.

Join John McElroy as he hits some of the highlights of the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Falcon Motor Sports revealed a light-weight sports car called the F7. Mercedes is going back in time with a display of its 1952 SL. Honda and Lincoln unveiled concepts that hint at the future design for both companies. All that and more, plus find out which car a panel of designers voted the best looking at the show.