Autoline Daily - Audio

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.

In a surprisingly frank admission, the United Auto Workers says it is losing money and has been for years. General Motors will skip advertising during next year’s Super Bowl because it’s too expensive. Toyota says it will make design a central part of its comeback plan to regain sales. All that and more, plus Autoline Daily correspondent Isaac Bouchard takes a look at the new BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe.

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!”

Cadillac announced pricing for its new BMW 3 Series competitor, the ATS. An Indian company just introduced a new low-cost hybrid system that can be paired with all kinds of different batteries and engines. The electrified version of Toyota’s RAV4 seems pricier than it should. All that and more, plus John McElroy chooses a winner in the Race to Replace GM CEO Dan Akerson.