Autoline Daily - Audio

Automakers have been reporting promising third-quarter numbers, but which ones have raked-in the most money so far this year? Citroen plans to introduce a production version of its Metropolis concept in China. GM waxes nostalgic with Chevrolet’s new advertising campaign. All that and more, plus a look at the interior of the 2011 Volvo S60.

Nissan says that every one yen increase against the dollar shaves nearly $190 million off its profits. The CK1 from Chinese automaker Geely received zero stars in crash tests. A 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in the James Bond movies "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball" is up for auction. All that and more, plus John responds to your comments in the "You Said It!" segment.

Ford reported its third-quarter earnings today and the numbers are downright impressive. Nissan just introduced its own hybrid in Japan, the Fuga, which is known as the Infiniti M elsewhere in the world. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency issued fuel-economy standards for heavy-duty trucks . . . for the first time ever. All that and more, plus a comparison of the Chevy Volt and the Nissan LEAF.

Fiat CEO, Sergio Marchionne provoked anger in Italy when he said the automaker would be better off without the country and its unions. BMW plans to launch a new program in Germany that allows drivers to rent its vehicles by the hour. We get an update from John McElroy, who's down in Nashville driving the Nissan LEAF. All that and more, plus a look at the brand-new engine lineup for the 2011 Ford F-150.

John got to test drive the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the Sonata GLS and found that the base version got better fuel economy. Chevrolet is going to sell the Volt in Europe right up against the Opel Ampera. Ford is developing an SUV based off of the redesigned Ranger's architecture. All that and more, plus a preview of this week's Autoline Detroit all about selling luxury cars in the American market.

China is cornering the market for rare-earth metals used in hybrid batteries and electric motors. Toyota’s in trouble, again, this time recalling vehicles for brake-fluid leaks and fuel-pump problems. The auto-parts business is booming with the stock prices of several companies at 52-week highs. All that and more, plus a look at how Ford is working to make its vehicles as quiet as possible.

Sergio Marchionne is making one big push to finally make Alfa-Romeo profitable and analysts he needs to invest at least €2 billion to pull it off. Mazda just introduced what it calls its Skyactiv powertrain in the Demio and claims it can get over 70 miles per gallon. Hyundai announced pricing of its luxury sedan, the Equus which will be introduced in the U.S. at the end of the year. All that and more, plus John answers your questions in the "You Said It!" segment.

Big news for electric vehicles. GM is showing the Volt to automotive journalists this week and Nissan is letting them drive the LEAF next week. Another hurdle EVs face is a shortage of machines that make lithium-ion batteries. The Volkswagen/Porsche merger is taking a little bit longer to go through than we thought. All that and more, plus a look at the exterior design of the 2011 Volvo S60.

Employees at GM’s plant that makes batteries for the Chevrolet Volt decided to join the United Auto Workers union. The CUV segment is the most popular in the American market for the second consecutive year. Ralph Nader questions R&D spending claims Toyota made in some of its advertisements. All that and more, plus a look at the design of the 2011 Kia Optima.

Car sales continue to decline in Europe, falling over 9% last month. Formula 1 is headed to Russia and the country must pay $40 million a year for the rights to host the event. A look at Ford's new engines for the 2011 F-150. All that and more, plus Autoline Daily hit two important milestones, our two-year anniversary and episode number 500 and to celebrate we'll show you some of the hilarious, unaired clips from the past two years.

Former GM CEO Ed Whitacre speaks out about GM's IPO. We hate to say we told you so, but it looks like Steven Rattner's in hot water again. Continental develops a brilliantly simple mechanism for triggering under-the-hood airbag systems. All that and more, plus a preview of this week's Autoline Detroit coming to you once again from Paris.

The US Environmental Protection Agency took a step closer to approving E-15, but so far it's limiting that approval to cars built since 2007. The Chinese government confiscated seven of BYD’s factories saying it built them on land that was zoned for agriculture. Researchers successfully hacked into a car by intercepting wireless tire-pressure monitoring signals. All that and more, plus John answer's your questions about the Chevy Volt and the Ford C-Max in "You Said It!"

General Motors is caught in another flaming controversy, this time over the Chevrolet Volt's drivetrain. New-vehicle sales in China are slowing down, but some analysts say they could hit 17 million units this year. Nissan released a sketch of its next-generation Versa, which is a lot more stylish than the current model. All that and more, plus John comments on the attention the media are paying to Steven Rattner.

Google says it has equipped a fleet of cars with autonomous technology that have logged 140,000 miles driving on roads in California. Disgruntled union workers are going to picket the UAW’s headquarters because of wage concessions. In an attempt to help alleviate "range anxiety", Nissan is considering offering Leaf customers a free car loan for at least one week a year. All that and more, plus a look at the Ford Grand C-Max.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers doubled its sales forecast for the year. Fiat may bring its compact Doblo to North America because sales of the Ford Transit Connect jumped 76% last month. GM announced it’s pouring $145 million in its Orion Assembly plant to make small cars but could this lead to discontent between the company and the union? All that and more, plus a look at a 2-cylinder engine Fiat just introduced in Europe, in a preview of this week's Autoline Detroit.