Autoline Daily - Audio

Cadillac will unveil its ad campaign for the new ATS small sedan during the Olympic opening ceremonies. The French government is telling PSA it needs to meet conditions for stimulus funds. Ford is in talks with Canadian labor over cost issues, the company is also looking to cut 15 percent of its Aussie workforce due to low demand. All that and more, plus Autoextremist Peter De Lorenzo on why GM should have an official museum like many other automakers.

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.

Toyota will shift production of Yarises built in Japan for North America to France, the first time Toyota will export from Europe to North America. General Motors announced it’s boosting production in Russia. Yamaha plans to introduce a new motorcycle in India with a price of just 500 dollars. All that and more, plus John McElroy test drives the 2013 Lexus GS 350.

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.