Autoline Daily

Chinese automaker Chery hired top-level designer Hakan Saracoglu from Porsche. Volkswagen announced its earnings for 2012 and the company posted some jaw-dropping numbers. Jeep is so excited about bringing the Cherokee back that they released pictures before the official introduction at the New York Auto Show in March. All that and more, plus Autoline Daily correspondent Seamus McElroy has our first look into the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Daimler plays executive musical chairs by making some interesting personnel changes. Hyundai is upgrading the Sonata Hybrid for 2013, which is a good thing because the first version didn’t really deliver one main thing you expect from a hybrid. Yesterday Volkswagen officially announced the launch of the most fuel-efficient production vehicle ever made. All that and more, plus on Autoline This Week our guest is former GM CEO, Ed Whitacre and he talks about the mess he found when he got to General Motors.

The FCC is considering selling off more of the Wi-Fi spectrum in the United States and that has automakers worried. Audi will be pulling the wraps off its version of a plug-in hybrid next month at the Geneva Motor Show. The Golf lineup just got a little bigger with the introduction of Volkswagen’s Golf GTD. The D stands for diesel. All that and more, plus Autoline Daily correspondent Sean McElroy takes a ride in Acura’s replacement for the RL.

Volvo is introducing a number of new safety-related technologies. One of those is what they call Road Sign Information. It has been reported lately that BMW passed Mercedes-Benz as the top luxury sales leader in the American market. But, M-B says otherwise, if you look at one important stat. The all-new Flying Spur from Bentley will make its global debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. All that and more, plus we get to some of your questions and comments in this week’s edition of You Said It!

General Motors announced yesterday that it regained the 1 percent share that it sold to its joint venture partner in China. Today marks the official opening of an advanced research center in Silicon Valley for Renault-Nissan which will specialize in one area of technology. RV sales were up in 2012, and Ford announced it will be increasing chassis production for motorhomes. All that and more, plus we take a look at Federal-Mogul’s new bearing lubricant and the new manufacturing technology used to make it.

Danica Patrick became the first woman ever to qualify in the pole position for the Daytona 500 yesterday. According to YouTube viewers, Ram’s “God Made A Farmer” was the top ad during this year’s Super Bowl. We’ve reported how EV startup Fisker is desperately trying to find a partner and now it looks like the automaker has found some interest. All that and more, plus Autoline Daily correspondent Sean McElroy takes a look at the almost all-new Kia Sorento.

SEAT, the Spanish automaker owned by Volkswagen, is set to introduce the all-new Leon SC at the Geneva Motor Show next month. In the third quarter, Ram will offer a diesel package in its 1500 pickup. The UAW has been spectacularly unsuccessful in organizing any of the foreign transplants in the US, but could fix that by changing its sales pitch. All that and more, plus we reveal the identity of our Barn Find, the little blue British-made sports car we showed you on Wednesday.

GM reported its net profits for 2012, and lets just say they’re not very good. Chrysler is holding back the introduction of its mid-size pickup and small commercial van. Michael Dunne is one of the foremost experts on the Chinese automotive industry and he’s predicting some pretty wild developments. All that and more, plus Autoline Daily correspondent Seamus McElroy has the report on the 7th vehicle in MINI’s lineup, the 2013 Paceman.

PSA posted its financial earnings for last year and the numbers were as bad as we were expecting. Better Place is the company that sets up stations where batteries for EVs can be swapped for a fully charged one, or at least it was. In another sign the auto industry in the U.S. has recovered from the recession, car plants in North America nearly hit 100 percent capacity utilization last year. All that and more, plus host John McElroy gets to some of your questions and comments in today’s edition of You Said It!

The production version of the Alfa Romeo 4C finally hits the Geneva show next month. In our New Technology segment, we take a look at Federal Mogul’s ACIS program, which stands for Advanced Corona Ignition System. Find out which hot-button vehicle from GM may be the first production car in the world to use shape memory alloys. All that and more, plus Autoline Daily correspondent Isaac Bouchard takes us for a ride in the 2014 Mazda6.