Autoline This Week - Video

Four years ago he was a one of 435, just a seven-term Congressman from a sleepy section of western Illinois. But since then life has been a bit harried to say the least. When Representative Ray LaHood joined the Obama Administration as the 16th Secretary of the Transportation in January 2009 little did he know that he would be presiding over the most dramatic time in the American auto industry since Henry Ford drove his first car around Detroit. From bankruptcies to bailouts to batteries driving green vehicles, his department oversees everything we drive or ride in on the ground or on the water, as well as divisions like the FAA, the FHA and NHSTA to name three. This week on Autoline from the floor of the Washington Auto Show, John McElroy welcomes Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for an exclusive one-on-one interview on everything automotive and more.

Four years ago he was a one of 435, just a seven-term Congressman from a sleepy section of western Illinois. But since then life has been a bit harried to say the least. When Representative Ray LaHood joined the Obama Administration as the 16th Secretary of the Transportation in January 2009 little did he know that he would be presiding over the most dramatic time in the American auto industry since Henry Ford drove his first car around Detroit. From bankruptcies to bailouts to batteries driving green vehicles, his department oversees everything we drive or ride in on the ground or on the water, as well as divisions like the FAA, the FHA and NHSTA to name three. This week on Autoline from the floor of the Washington Auto Show, John McElroy welcomes Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for an exclusive one-on-one interview on everything automotive and more.

Children do it out of spite when they don't get their way. They may turn a different color for a bit but the good news is it usually doesn't last very long. However, when economists hold their collective breath that's a bit more mysterious. Being an inexact science, the answer is open for interpretation -- a conservative economist sees it one way while a liberal economist sees it another. There is no agreed avenue to prosperity which is unfortunate especially for those whose business it is to watch the auto industry. Unemployment spikes to near record levels and lo and behold auto sales rise. Huh? It's not supposed to happen that way. Maybe it's time to break out the emergency tea leaves. So as Autoline prepares to examine the automotive outlook in 2012, instead of those tea leaves, John McElroy turns to three top professionals in the auto industry to take a look at what they believe is going to happen around the globe. Joining his panel this week are the Chief Economists from Ford, Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, and her counterpart at General Motors Mustafa Mohatarem along with Charles Chesbrough, IHS Automotive's Senior Principal Economist.

Children do it out of spite when they don't get their way. They may turn a different color for a bit but the good news is it usually doesn't last very long. However, when economists hold their collective breath that's a bit more mysterious. Being an inexact science, the answer is open for interpretation -- a conservative economist sees it one way while a liberal economist sees it another. There is no agreed avenue to prosperity which is unfortunate especially for those whose business it is to watch the auto industry. Unemployment spikes to near record levels and lo and behold auto sales rise. Huh? It's not supposed to happen that way. Maybe it's time to break out the emergency tea leaves. So as Autoline prepares to examine the automotive outlook in 2012, instead of those tea leaves, John McElroy turns to three top professionals in the auto industry to take a look at what they believe is going to happen around the globe. Joining his panel this week are the Chief Economists from Ford, Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, and her counterpart at General Motors Mustafa Mohatarem along with Charles Chesbrough, IHS Automotive's Senior Principal Economist.

It was a masterwork in the making that suddenly became the Rip Van Winkle of records. That project was Beach Boy Brian Wilson's 1967 composition "Smile" which was finally released just a few years ago. Given the global economy of late, It's not surprising that car shows have endeared a similar soporific stage. With the auto industry riding a strong wave of creativity and sales throughout the decade, suddenly the 2008 economic meltdown shook the industry to the core -- something that not even auto shows could avoid. Iconic showcases like the North American International Auto Show became mere shadows of what they were just a few years earlier. While some manufacturers offered striped down exhibits, others didn't show up at all. But fast forward three years to the 2012 show where the NAIAS is once again at the top of its game and "Smile" is what manufacturers and the world press were doing as they viewed all the new product. Joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week from the floor of the 2012 Detroit Auto Show are five auto executives who are all smiles indeed. John Maloney is the CEO of Volvo of North America, Klaus Busse the Head of Interior Design at Chrysler, Fred Diaz is the president and CEO of RAM Brand, Ludwig Willisch is the new president of BMW North America, and Max Wolff the Director of Design at Lincoln.

It was a masterwork in the making that suddenly became the Rip Van Winkle of records. That project was Beach Boy Brian Wilson's 1967 composition "Smile" which was finally released just a few years ago. Given the global economy of late, It's not surprising that car shows have endeared a similar soporific stage. With the auto industry riding a strong wave of creativity and sales throughout the decade, suddenly the 2008 economic meltdown shook the industry to the core -- something that not even auto shows could avoid. Iconic showcases like the North American International Auto Show became mere shadows of what they were just a few years earlier. While some manufacturers offered striped down exhibits, others didn't show up at all. But fast forward three years to the 2012 show where the NAIAS is once again at the top of its game and "Smile" is what manufacturers and the world press were doing as they viewed all the new product. Joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week from the floor of the 2012 Detroit Auto Show are five auto executives who are all smiles indeed. John Maloney is the CEO of Volvo of North America, Klaus Busse the Head of Interior Design at Chrysler, Fred Diaz is the president and CEO of RAM Brand, Ludwig Willisch is the new president of BMW North America, and Max Wolff the Director of Design at Lincoln.

It was a masterwork in the making that suddenly became the Rip Van Winkle of records. That project was Beach Boy Brian Wilson's 1967 composition "Smile" which was finally released just a few years ago. Given the global economy of late, It's not surprising that car shows have endeared a similar soporific stage. With the auto industry riding a strong wave of creativity and sales throughout the decade, suddenly the 2008 economic meltdown shook the industry to the core -- something that not even auto shows could avoid. Iconic showcases like the North American International Auto Show became mere shadows of what they were just a few years earlier. While some manufacturers offered striped down exhibits, others didn't show up at all. But fast forward three years to the 2012 show where the NAIAS is once again at the top of its game and "Smile" is what manufacturers and the world press were doing as they viewed all the new product. Joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week from the floor of the 2012 Detroit Auto Show are three auto executives who are all smiles indeed. Jim Farley is the Group Vice President of Global Marketing for Ford which has been on a roll with its EcoBoost technology, Reid Bigland is the president and CEO of the Dodge Brand which unveiled its hot new Dodge Dart at the show and Mary Barra, GM's Senior VP of Global Product Development whose products have helped the company regain the title as the world's number 1 automaker.

It was a masterwork in the making that suddenly became the Rip Van Winkle of records. That project was Beach Boy Brian Wilson's 1967 composition "Smile" which was finally released just a few years ago. Given the global economy of late, It's not surprising that car shows have endeared a similar soporific stage. With the auto industry riding a strong wave of creativity and sales throughout the decade, suddenly the 2008 economic meltdown shook the industry to the core -- something that not even auto shows could avoid. Iconic showcases like the North American International Auto Show became mere shadows of what they were just a few years earlier. While some manufacturers offered striped down exhibits, others didn't show up at all. But fast forward three years to the 2012 show where the NAIAS is once again at the top of its game and "Smile" is what manufacturers and the world press were doing as they viewed all the new product. Joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week from the floor of the 2012 Detroit Auto Show are three auto executives who are all smiles indeed. Jim Farley is the Group Vice President of Global Marketing for Ford which has been on a roll with its EcoBoost technology, Reid Bigland is the president and CEO of the Dodge Brand which unveiled its hot new Dodge Dart at the show and Mary Barra, GM's Senior VP of Global Product Development whose products have helped the company regain the title as the world's number 1 automaker.

National Rifle Association members are famous for their passionate slogan “I’ll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands.” Well, slogans are great but in the end they’re only words. Just ask those American car dealers who, over the last few years, had their franchises unceremoniously ripped from their very live hands and were powerless to stop it. On Autoline This Week John McElroy talks to mega dealer and author Tammy Darvish about her book “Outraged – How Detroit and the Wall Street Car Czars Killed the American Dream” as well as two of her fellow dealers – one former and one still fighting – as they discuss what it’s like to have corporate America try to deal independent business owners a death blow.

National Rifle Association members are famous for their passionate slogan “I’ll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands.” Well, slogans are great but in the end they’re only words. Just ask those American car dealers who, over the last few years, had their franchises unceremoniously ripped from their very live hands and were powerless to stop it. On Autoline This Week John McElroy talks to mega dealer and author Tammy Darvish about her book “Outraged – How Detroit and the Wall Street Car Czars Killed the American Dream” as well as two of her fellow dealers – one former and one still fighting – as they discuss what it’s like to have corporate America try to deal independent business owners a death blow.

China is a communist country with capitalist tastes and the money in the bank to prove it. That’s why nearly all Western automotive manufacturers are now in the country importing, building and selling cars. But despite all this economic attention, Chinese consumers are still a mystery to many in the auto industry. Thank goodness for men like Michael Dunne who packed up and moved to China some 25 years ago. Over that quarter century this automotive consultant has learned plenty about China, its people and manufacturers like General Motors who brought its products east early on. This week on Autoline Michael Dunne joins John McElroy, Sharon Terlep of the Wall Street Journal and David Welch of Bloomberg BusinessWeek to talk about his book “American Wheels, Chinese Roads” and the exploding Chinese automotive market.

China is a communist country with capitalist tastes and the money in the bank to prove it. That’s why nearly all Western automotive manufacturers are now in the country importing, building and selling cars. But despite all this economic attention, Chinese consumers are still a mystery to many in the auto industry. Thank goodness for men like Michael Dunne who packed up and moved to China some 25 years ago. Over that quarter century this automotive consultant has learned plenty about China, its people and manufacturers like General Motors who brought its products east early on. This week on Autoline Michael Dunne joins John McElroy, Sharon Terlep of the Wall Street Journal and David Welch of Bloomberg BusinessWeek to talk about his book “American Wheels, Chinese Roads” and the exploding Chinese automotive market.

Cadillac has long been known as the Standard of the World when it comes to luxury, but especially cars. However, no matter how good the product, even standards can hit on hard times which is what happened to the brand when it nearly closed its doors in the 1930s. Luckily it was saved by a group of men who, at that time, couldn’t even officially buy the car. On Autoline This Week join host John McElroy, Economic Historian John Steele Gordon, Photographer Bill Gaskins and Blues musician Johnnie Basset for a provocative discussion on how African-American men saved the Cadillac brand.

Cadillac has long been known as the Standard of the World when it comes to luxury, but especially cars. However, no matter how good the product, even standards can hit on hard times which is what happened to the brand when it nearly closed its doors in the 1930s. Luckily it was saved by a group of men who, at that time, couldn’t even officially buy the car. On Autoline This Week join host John McElroy, Economic Historian John Steele Gordon, Photographer Bill Gaskins and Blues musician Johnnie Basset for a provocative discussion on how African-American men saved the Cadillac brand.

About the same time the great Tina Turner made the phrase “Simply the Best” household words, a group known as NACTOY was creating its own “best.” But this one – built by 50 veteran automotive journalists -- was a list of the top cars and trucks released in North America that year. Since then, every December that jury narrows its list to three candidates and prepares to crown the winner of the North American Car and Truck of the Year at Detroit’s International Auto Show in January. On this week’s Autoline, founding member John McElroy is joined by two of his NACTOY colleagues to talk about the top trucks, SUVs and Crossovers of the year and to predict the winner of this year’s North American Truck of the Year.