Autoline Daily

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety lambasted one car company for having some of the worst crash test results in its new small overlap test. Nevada has granted a German auto supplier approval to test autonomous cars on its public roads. A company called Energy Power Systems says the lead-acid battery is going to make a comeback and it has a prototype that could prove it. All that and more, plus John McElroy talks with Dan Barile of Mercedes about its wild looking concept, the Ener-G-Force.

General Motors announced this morning it’s going to buy 200 million shares of its stock from the U.S. Treasury. We've looked at the sales numbers for hybrids and electric cars in China, and they're miserably low. GM just appointed a new vice president of purchasing, Grace Lieblein. All that and more, plus host John McElroy gets to your questions and comments in this week's edition of You Said It!

Mercedes-Benz is not only lagging behind BMW in sales, it’s also lagging in market value. The 2013 Chevy Cruze will be equipped with a new single-stage "smart airbag." An organization called Noise Free America just chose this month’s winner of what it calls the Noisy Dozen. All that and more, plus John McElroy sits down with (pun intended) Michael Miner, the manager of product planning at Faurecia Seating to show a future seat design that it’s showing to automakers.

The Detroit Three are violating their own promises which could hurt the brands and their bottom line. GM and Volkswagen are battling it out for second place in world-wide sales while one company claws back to number one. Automakers were a big hit on YouTube this year, eight of the top 20 most viewed ads this year were from carmakers. All that and more, plus John talks with the CEO of Carbon Revolution about its carbon fiber wheel and the future of the company.

It looks like Jaguar will be the next in a line of automakers to go diesel in the U.S. Backup cameras are about to become required equipment, but John McElroy has a common sense alternative that will be easier on consumers' pocketbooks. A new vehicle from a Chinese automaker has failed the "sniff test" so don't breathe too deeply. All that and more, plus a preview of Autoline This Week, which commemorates 30 years of Honda manufacturing in America.

GM takes the wraps off the all-new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra ahead of their Detroit debut. Renault dumps its stake in Volvo trucks. The finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards have been announced; we'll tell you which ones are in the running. All that and more, plus John McElroy gets a walkthrough of the BMW i3's styling with the head of the company's i design.

Bill Ford Jr. has purchased the oldest surviving Ford automobile. Find out what it is. Indianapolis will embrace natural gas and electric vehicles as it requires city vehicles to dump petroleum in coming years. Think right-to-work means the end of the UAW? Think again. All that and more, plus John McElroy responds to your questions and comments in this week's edition of "You Said It!"

Fiat can’t fight Volkswagen financially in Europe, so it is broadening the war against the German automaker in the American market. New York is facing a lawsuit from taxi operators and Nissan is stuck in the middle. Remember two years ago when a bunch of Chrysler workers at the Jeep plant in Detroit were caught drinking and smoking pot on the job? Now they've got their jobs back. All that and more, plus a look at BMW's 2013 M5.

A Chinese company bought battery maker A123 Systems, which is good news for one EV manufacturer. Japanese automakers are still having trouble in China due to anti-Japanese sentiment. Daimler AG is investing $100 million in its Detroit Diesel plant. All that and more, plus a look at Ford's 1.0 Liter 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine in the 2014 Fiesta.

The state of Michigan's right-to-work legislation will have immediate implications for the UAW. A test done by Consumer Reports shows that Ford's hybrids fall short of their EPA ratings, but this problem doesn't end with the Dearborn auto maker. Manufacturers are always looking for new ways to improve fuel efficiency, and one company has some new technology that can do just that. All that and more, plus John talks with Mazda's John Doonan about its latest effort to use diesel engines in long distance races.