Autoline This Week

These days when it comes to automobiles, technology is everywhere. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a 12,000 dollar Nissan Versa or a 190,000 dollar Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG…though auto experts might expect to find a little bit more in the Mercedes. But how does it get there and who decides what car gets what? Those are questions that this week’s Autoline guest deals with on a daily basis. Joining John McElroy for the entire show is Johann Jungwirth, the President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development in North America along with our panelists the former head of Car and Driver Csaba Csere and Mike Austin of Popular Mechanics.

Before the big recession, leasing was a hefty 25 to 28 percent of new car sales in the U.S. But then in 2009, like so many other businesses, it took a huge tumble to just single digits. However today – three years later – it’s back up to 24 percent and who knows where the ceiling will stop. On Autoline This Week John McElroy talks to three experts in the leasing community that will answer that question and more. Joining him on his panel are Scot Hall from the website Swapalease.com, Geoff Robinson, the VP of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz Financial Services in the United States along with car dealer Sam Slaughter from Sellers Buick GMC in Farmington Hills, MI.

Before the big recession, leasing was a hefty 25 to 28 percent of new car sales in the U.S. But then in 2009, like so many other businesses, it took a huge tumble to just single digits. However today – three years later – it’s back up to 24 percent and who knows where the ceiling will stop. On Autoline This Week John McElroy talks to three experts in the leasing community that will answer that question and more. Joining him on his panel are Scot Hall from the website Swapalease.com, Geoff Robinson, the VP of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz Financial Services in the United States along with car dealer Sam Slaughter from Sellers Buick GMC in Farmington Hills, MI.

As smart phones get smarter and more powerful, more and more people are relying on them to get through the day…in much the same way they have relied on the car. But now the trick is to integrate both. On Autoline This Week John McElroy explores what manufacturers are doing with today’s electronics both in and outside their cars and how they are coming together. Joining him on the panel are Danny Shapiro, from west coast-based chipmaker NVIDIA, the head of Chrysler’s Uconnect Systems, Marios Zenios and Thilo Koslowski, an electronics analyst from Gartner Research.

As smart phones get smarter and more powerful, more and more people are relying on them to get through the day…in much the same way they have relied on the car. But now the trick is to integrate both. On Autoline This Week John McElroy explores what manufacturers are doing with today’s electronics both in and outside their cars and how they are coming together. Joining him on the panel are Danny Shapiro, from west coast-based chipmaker NVIDIA, the head of Chrysler’s Uconnect Systems, Marios Zenios and Thilo Koslowski, an electronics analyst from Gartner Research.

If you’ve ever walked into a retailer like Nordstrom – which is known for its outstanding customer service – and wondered why buying a car couldn’t provide the same type of experience, you’re not alone. In fact, some manufacturers have thought the same thing and are attempting to upgrade the buying experience. On this week’s Autoline, John McElroy is joined by Jeri Ward, Audi’s Director of Customer Experience, Audi dealer Chris Consiglio (of Rochester Hills, MI), along with Customer Service research analyst Megan Burns to discuss how the OEMs and dealers are attempting to upgrade the entire experience of buying a car.

If you’ve ever walked into a retailer like Nordstrom – which is known for its outstanding customer service – and wondered why buying a car couldn’t provide the same type of experience, you’re not alone. In fact, some manufacturers have thought the same thing and are attempting to upgrade the buying experience. On this week’s Autoline, John McElroy is joined by Jeri Ward, Audi’s Director of Customer Experience, Audi dealer Chris Consiglio (of Rochester Hills, MI), along with Customer Service research analyst Megan Burns to discuss how the OEMs and dealers are attempting to upgrade the entire experience of buying a car.

More than ever before, engines across the world are becoming more efficient with better gas mileage while not sacrificing performance…and we’re not just talking about those small 1 or 2-cylinder jobs either. No we mean the 6-cylinders and even the big boy V-8s as well. But what magic are the manufacturers using to achieve such a hefty cocktail of efficiency and power? On today’s Autoline John McElroy is joined by three experts who drive the engine business at the Detroit Three. Jamie Strandring is in Powertrain Integration for Chrysler while Jordan Lee is the Chief Engineer of the Small Block at General Motors and Mazen Hammoud is from Ford’s Powertrain Electrification department.

More than ever before, engines across the world are becoming more efficient with better gas mileage while not sacrificing performance…and we’re not just talking about those small 1 or 2-cylinder jobs either. No we mean the 6-cylinders and even the big boy V-8s as well. But what magic are the manufacturers using to achieve such a hefty cocktail of efficiency and power? On today’s Autoline John McElroy is joined by three experts who drive the engine business at the Detroit Three. Jamie Strandring is in Powertrain Integration for Chrysler while Jordan Lee is the Chief Engineer of the Small Block at General Motors and Mazen Hammoud is from Ford’s Powertrain Electrification department.

Today’s hybrid and electric cars are famous for their double digit mpgs. They get those great numbers, in part, by a combination of products under the hood that start in the earth’s crust. That’s where 17 chemical elements in the periodic table are found which go into lasers, rare-earth magnets and batteries that help power our 21st century transportation. Joining John McElroy on our Autoline expert panel is Kevin Moore, a Rare-earth metals consultant, Dr. Edward Becker who was GM’s Rare-earth expert before retiring and Jack Lifton co-founder of the company Technology Metals Research.