Autoline This Week - Video

Geoff Day is the Director of Communications at Mercedes-Benz USA and he sits down with John McElroy on this edition of Autoline EXTRA to explain the importance of having public relation events for the media. Mr. Day also explains what value these events have and what the PR team looks to get out of these events.

5-4-3-2-1 For most observers, the word "launch" conjures images of rockets and echoes of countdowns from the space race forty years ago. However, if you happen to be a member of the automotive press "launch" means something totally different. To many in that crowd it means "Pay Attention" because a manufacturer is about to invite you to an exclusive activity surrounding its newest vehicle. This is one of the major ways stories and reviews of the latest cars and trucks appear in your local newspaper, favorite television shows or popular websites before or as that vehicle arrives on local dealer lots. And depending on the importance of the vehicle and the number of media invited, manufacturers can spend more than they care to think about to shine a brief spotlight on this newest product. On this week's program an Autoline Exclusive -- John McElroy takes you "behind-the-scenes" of a new car press launch. From the international phone calls to developing the drive routes to building vehicle displays and much, much more...you'll be right there with the media learning and experiencing everything about this brand new vehicle. And the vehicle or vehicles that you'll see "launched" are Mercedes-Benz new 50 State Clean Diesel SUVs. And don't forget to check out Autoline EXTRA, available on our website (http://www.autoline.tv/) where you can catch every interview we did for this documentary in its entirety 24/7. So join John, a number of his media colleagues and the Mercedes-Benz team as we go "Behind-the-Scenes" in Manchester Village, Vermont for the 50 State Clean Diesel Launch this week on Autoline.

Chairman and CEO of AutoNation, Mike Jackson joins John McElroy on this edition of Autoline EXTRA. Mr. Jackson is in charge of the nation’s largest automotive retailer with dealerships that cover just about every brand. Watch to see Mr. Jackson give his candid opinions on the domestic’s products and dealership network and what needs improvement. Joining in the discussion are Bill Vlasic from The New York Times and Steve Finlay of Ward’s Dealer Business.

"Mass" Exodus Each time a dealer makes a sale and a car drives off the lot, along with it goes a few thousand pounds. And depending on the number of sales, those pounds can add up. But imagine losing one and a half billion pounds. Crazy? Well, that's just what America's largest automotive retailer AutoNation does every year. The company with nearly 250 dealerships across the country sells more than 500,000 units each year, which means more than 1.5 billion pounds of vehicles drive off its lots every twelve months. When it comes to the automotive retail world, all three of those numbers are staggering. On this week's Autoline, AutoNation Chairman and CEO Mike Jackson joins John McElroy to talk about the industry, sales and how they're both reeling amid the economic disaster that is 2008. After that, they'll turn their attention to product. As a retailer who deals with nearly every OEM selling almost every kind of car and truck, he has unique insight into each manufacturer, its performance and its products. Plus, with dealerships throughout the United States, there isn't a demographic or geographic group he doesn't know or sell to. Joining Mr. Jackson and John McElroy on the panel are Bill Vlasic from The New York Times and Steve Finlay from Ward's Dealer Business. As a reminder, you can now watch the latest Autoline immediately after receiving this email. Just click the link, http://www.autoline.tv/ and you'll find yourself at our website where you can watch this week's program, Autoline EXTRA or any of our archived shows 24/7. So if you really want to know what's going on behind the curtain at your local dealer, check out this week's Autoline for the inside scoop.

Co-founder of DUB Magazine, Myles Kovacs joins John McElroy on this edition of Autoline EXTRA. Myles talks about the beginnings of the magazine nine years ago and how it’s now grown to a $50 million business. He also shares his thoughts on the industry downturn, how it’s affecting DUB magazine and how he plans on steering DUB through the economic slump.

Natural Number The number three has a unique heritage. From time, to matter, to grammar, for years humans have naturally divided elements and categories into three. That may be because it's a natural counting number or the first odd prime number. Then again it may be as simple as sets of three, for whatever reason, just feel right. Take this week's Autoline for instance. John McElroy interviews three separate guests discussing totally different topics related to today's auto industry. The first, Tim Leuiliette the new CEO of auto supplier DURA, offers his observations on the poor state of business for everyone automotive these days, especially the Detroit Three. He even dares to mention the "B word" as in bankruptcy and how that may be a factor in the near future. Meanwhile, joining John to discuss the new spinoff from ArvinMeritor is its President & CEO Designate Phil Martens. Arvin Innovation, as it is called, takes over the company's light vehicle systems business and will be looking to grow its existing 2.3 billion in sales (2007) in a U.S. market that hasn't had much positive news for OEM or supplier alike. Finally, as we pass the one-year anniversary of Cerberus buying Chrysler, John talks to private equity expert Frank Dunne from the national law firm Dykema. Mr. Dunne, a long time General Motors veteran, chronicles the movers and shakers from these high stakes financial groups and shares with John his impressions for the future of Chrysler and if private equity as a whole is getting what it wants out of auto. And remember, you no longer have to wait to the weekend to view this latest episode of Autoline. Just click on our link, http://www.autoline.tv/ , and you can watch it immediately at our website along with our Internet-only Autoline EXTRA segment and any of our archived shows.

Every year around 40,000 people die in the United States in traffic accidents. And that’s the reason why the U.S. Department of Transportation is looking at “connected vehicles” as a way to significantly reduce this number. Paul Brubaker from the U.S. Department of Transportation joins John McElroy on this edition of Autoline EXTRA and explains the benefits of using this technology and his goal of reducing accidents 90% by 2030.

Hypernova Experts in Astronomy have studied collapsing stars for years. The phenomenon of Hypernovas is very rare but extremely destructive since they morph themselves into light-swallowing black holes. Meanwhile, experts in the automotive industry have been watching their own collapsing star, or more appropriately, collapsing Pentastar in Chrysler. Some analysts believe that the venture capitalists at Cerberus bit off more than they could chew when it bought the troubled automaker last August. Now faced with a depressed truck market and a four-cylinder lineup that just isn't selling the way it should be in our $4 a gallon gas world, some fear that Chrysler will collapse like a Hypernova with its brands and pieces swallowed by other industry giants. That is not a fear of Tom Lasorda. Chrysler's co-President insists that Cerberus is committed to the company and believes it can be profitable thanks to a future portfolio of energy efficient vehicles built by not just by Chrysler but an international alliance of partners as well. Of course that's easier said than done. To get to that point the company must slog through the next couple years of retrenchment like every other manufacturer. Hear how he believes Chrysler will circumvent this crisis as he joins John McElroy for an exclusive one-on-one interview from the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan. And remember, if you don't want to wait until the weekend you can now watch this new episode of Autoline immediately by visiting us at http://www.autoline.tv/ . There you can also view our Internet-only Autoline EXTRA segment as well as any of our archived shows. So if you're looking for the automotive stars to stay aligned, just follow the light from this week's all new episode of Autoline.

SIGN O’ THE TIMES - PART TWO Serendipity can strike with serendipity. Sometimes it occurs in music when the right album comes along at the right time and affects the industry as a whole with both high sales and critical praise. And then again, it can also occur in other industries, sometimes with deleterious effects. Take today's energy crisis for instance. With gasoline roller-coasting around $4 a gallon, automotive manufacturers have suddenly seen the Truck market "tank" this summer. So the OEMs have circled the SUVs so to speak, and have reforged the truck future. But as we're waiting for that future to take form, new product continues to hit dealer lots around the country. Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers of all types have been released in 2008. On this week's Autoline, John McElroy looks at some of these new vehicles like Ford's "Back to the Future" Flex Crossover, Mercedes’ new GL with its Clean Diesel technology, and Chrysler's Two-Mode Hybrid SUVs to see how they stack up when it comes to perhaps winning some "Best Of" awards later this year. Joining John to talk trucks are two of his fellow judges from the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards. Natalie Neff is the Road Test Editor for AutoWeek while Mark Phelan is an automotive columnist with the Detroit Free Press. And if you don't want to wait until Sunday, remember you can now watch this new episode of Autoline immediately by visiting us at http://www.autoline.tv/ . There you can also view our Internet-only Autoline EXTRA segment as well as any of our archived shows. So if you're looking for a sign of times in the truck world, don't miss this week's Autoline for the best insight around.

On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, John McElroy and his panel continue their mid-year review of trucks competing to win the 2009 North American Truck of the Year Award. They discuss the Volkswagen Tiguan, Chevy Traverse, and the BMW X6. Watch to see whether or not the panel believes these vehicles have what it takes to take home the award. Joining John for the discussion is Natalie Neff from AutoWeek, and Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press.

SIGN O' THE TIMES - PART 1 It's been twenty years since the musician Prince released what many call his greatest work. "Sign O' The Times" debuted in the shadow of the market collapse of 1987 and the presidential election of 1988, two major events that shaped America over the next few years. In an eerie irony, the title of this album couldn't be more relevant today. 2008 has had its own tumult. With our own presidential election in full swing and an energy crisis that's never been more serious, the sign of "these" times is about change...especially when it comes to the auto industry. $4 a gallon gasoline has given consumers a new fever for small cars. That's why this is the perfect time to look at some of the lineup that has been released so far this year. From small and economical like the Honda Fit to the performance-based cars like the BMW 1 series to Ford's new luxury sedan the Lincoln MKS, it's Cars and NACTOY on this week's Autoline. John McElroy is joined by two of his fellow judges from the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards as they examine the best in cars so far this year. Natalie Neff is the Road Test Editor for AutoWeek while Mark Phelan is an automotive columnist with the Detroit Free Press. And if you don't want to wait until Sunday remember you can now watch this new episode of Autoline right now by clicking here www.autoline.tv and going to our website. There you can also watch our Internet-only Autoline EXTRA segment as well as any of our archived shows as well. So get ready for new cars through NACTOY eyes on this week's Autoline.

On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, John McElroy and his panel of colleagues continue their mid-year review of cars competing to win the 2009 North American Car of the Year Award. They discuss the Nissan GT-R, Dodge Challenger and the Acura TSX. Watch to see whether or not the panel believes these vehicles have what it takes to take home the award. Joining John for the discussion is On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, John McElroy and his panel of colleagues continue their mid-year review of cars competing to win the 2009 North American Car of the Year Award. They discuss the Nissan GT-R, Dodge Challenger and the Acura TSX. Watch to see whether or not the panel believes these vehicles have what it takes to take home the award. Joining John for the discussion is Natalie Neff from AutoWeek, and Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press.

Nissan recently unveiled its new $100 million North American Headquarters in Franklin, TN and on this edition of Autoline EXTRA Rob Traynham the Director of Corporate Services at Nissan North America, gives Autoline a preview of the new building. He explains how it was designed “inside out”, meaning it was designed with employee’s interests in mind. And you get a look at the environmental and technological features of the building.

On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, John sits down with Dominique Thormann, the Senior VP, Administration and Finance at Nissan North America. In addition to talking about Nissan’s new North American Headquarters in Tennessee, Mr. Thormann gives his perspective on the changing market and how Nissan has responded. And he also reveals when Nissan is looking to bring out electric vehicles for the U.S. market.

NEW ROOTS Replanting can be tough. Just ask any backyard horticulturist how easy it is to move a ten-year-old tree. It's not. So imagine the degree of difficulty of moving a nearly 50-year-old company -- not within the same city or even the same state, but some 2,000 miles away. But that's just what Nissan did with its North American Headquarters. Two years ago the company rocked the automotive world with the news that it was leaving Orange County, California for the rolling hills of Nashville, Tennessee. And just last month that move became a reality as Nissan dedicated its $100-million North American HQ Campus. With a number of politicians, guests and employees looking on, the company's CEO Carlos Ghosn flew in to officially open the facility. Normally that would be news unto itself, but during his short visit to Tennessee, Mr. Ghosn sat down with John McElroy for a wide-ranging exclusive one-on-one discussion on all things automotive. From the oil crisis to electric cars to future partnerships, the twenty-minute interview even broke a little news, but we won't spoil the surprise here. At the same time, don't forget you can always catch our Internet-only segment, Autoline EXTRA, at our website 24/7 along with our entire archived Autoline catalogue. Just go to http://www.autoline.tv/ and start watching.