Autoline Daily - Audio

As the situation in Europe continues to go from bad to worse, Volkswagen may put its ultra-luxury SUVs on hold. Fox and Turner Sports have inked a deal that may have greater ramifications on racing coverage. And, John McElroy weighs in on whether Chrysler should buy Fiat to save the company. All that and more, plus correspondent Andrew Justus has some first drive impressions of the new BMW M5!

Could autonomous vehicles be in consumers' hands as soon as five years? One company thinks so. Honda customers now have a new incentive to buy a CNG Civic -- free gas! NHTSA uncovers airbags that either don't work or deploy shrapnel. Is yours faulty? All that and more, plus John McElroy responds to your questions and comments in this week's edition of You Said It!

Toyota's chairman says he won't approve any new models that are not waku waku doki doki. What does that mean? Find out. Four major companies agree to accelerate the pace of fuel cell development and infrastructure. Toyota makes good on damaged cars in recent protests. All that and more, plus Andrew Justus has Autoline's first look at Ford's new dedicated hybrid, the C-MAX.

California temporarily lowered its emission standards for gasoline because prices skyrocketed in the Golden State. E85 must be priced 20 percent below gasoline or motorists have no financial incentive to use it. We take our first look at what will become the new 2014 Kia Forte sedan. All that and more, plus we take a look at the fashion aspect of the Paris Auto Show.

Anti-Japanese sentiment in China is crushing car sales for Japanese automakers. The auto industry in Europe continues to struggle. VW just slashed its European sales forecast for the year and Renault is moving more production out of France. But there is one bright spot in Europe. Sales last month in the U.K. were up 8 percent. All that and more, plus a look at one of Chevrolet’s most important reveals from the Paris Motor Show, the Trax.

Toyota will no longer sell its Matrix hatchback in the United States. The move will free up capacity to build more Corollas. Traffic deaths in the U.S. have been declining for the past several years but that trend has reversed this year. Things are bad in Europe but in Italy sales of bicycles have actually overtaken cars! All that and more, plus a design walk around of the new 2014 Jaguar F-TYPE.

Car sales in the U.S. continue to grow, hitting nearly 1.2 million units, an increase of 13 percent compared to last year. Infiniti wants to expand its relationship with Red Bull’s Formula One team. Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is pushing to sell Jeeps in India. All that and more, plus a look at Opel’s new small car, the Adam.

We bet you didn’t know that Volkswagen has the highest number of employees in the global automotive industry, topping half a million. September light-vehicle sales plummeted in France, making a bad situation even worse. Toyota’s chairman, Fujio Cho was denied permission to land his jet in Beijing as tensions between China and Japan escalate. All that and more, plus John responds to questions and comments in “You Said It!”

Nissan is offering huge discounts for the Leaf in the U.S. in an effort to boost sales. The Greek government is subsidizing the construction of a Formula One race track despite the country’s financial woes. Analysts say Europe needs to take out at least 5 million units of capacity. All that and more, plus we’ll take a look at why the Dodge Charger got to be as good as it is.

Tire prices are expected to drop in the U.S. after a tariff placed on Chinese tire makers expired earlier in the week. Bosch predicts that half of all new cars in the U.S. will be equipped with stop/start technology within four years. John takes a look at the Audi Q3 with Audi of America’s President, Scott Keogh. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week with Don Butler the Vice President of Marketing at Cadillac.

The Canadian Auto Workers reached a new labor agreement with Chrysler. Jaguar unveiled an all-new two-seat convertible called the F-Type in Paris today. Hot on the heels of its light-duty 1500 model, RAM truck just revealed its latest crop of HD pickups. All that and more, plus we take a look at the new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Tesla is lowering its sales forecast for the year by 30 percent because of manufacturing and supplier issues with its Model S. Volkswagen is interested in acquiring Alfa Romeo but Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne will have none of it. California just passed a bill that will allow autonomous cars on its roadways. All that and more, plus guest host Peter De Lorenzo talks about the latest chapter in the ongoing “Fisker Follies” saga.

Toyota doesn’t see much chance of success for EVs in the short term because of limited range and long recharging times. Tesla just launched a network of solar power charging stations to allow Model S owners to power up for free. Chrysler announced that it is suspending testing for its plug-in hybrid program. All that and more, plus John answers your questions and comments in “You Said It!”

Ward's predicts September sales will hit the best SAAR in three years. GM figures out how to shed pounds by spot welding aluminum. John McElroy takes his first drive of the CODA electric car and gives his initial impressions. All that and more, plus a report from KPMG about using the cloud to improve the automotive supply chain.

A new study says that batteries in the Nissan LEAF degrade faster in hot climates. The Congressional Budget Office says that federal subsidies for manufacturing and purchasing EVs will cost taxpayers around 7.5 billion dollars through 2019. Audi revealed the 2013 S3 which gets a walloping 300 horsepower from a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week about whether using ethanol in gasoline hurts our food supply.