Autoline This Week

Connect the Dots

One of the first things we all learn is to draw. A dot here, a line there -- it's a combination of art, entertainment and education for children around the world. But somewhere along the way most of us move on from this creative foundation to discover other vocations. Those, that is, who haven't been bitten by the bug of design.

One man who has, and devoted his life to it is Ian Callum. And his design of choice has been the car. Over the years he's had a distinguished career working for Ford, designing Aston Martin product and for the last decade leading the design team at Jaguar. This week he joins John McElroy on Autoline to discuss the latest vehicles from Jaguar, the state of the auto industry itself and what he sees for the future of automotive design.

On the broadcast version of the show, John and his panel discussed the big news of Chrysler revealing its turnaround plan. But that wasn’t the only bombshell dropped this week in the auto industry. On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, John and his panel discuss how Ford shocked just about everyone, reporting a $1 billion profit for the third quarter. The conversation then moves to October sales and what the big surprises were from those results. And finally the panel talks about GM’s decision to keep Opel and whether or not it was a good move. On the panel with John McElroy is Aaron Bragman from IHS Global Insight, Erich Merkle from Autoconomy.com and Michael Robinet from CSM Worldwide.

Stella Sconosciuto

Unknown stars pepper our existence. From the night sky to our daily culture, we can't seem to take our collective eyes off them because you're never quite sure what they'll do. That's why, with a nod to our Italian brothers and sisters, the biggest story of the automotive week was the "Stella Sconosciuto" or unknown star in the business constellation, Chrysler.

After months of intra-continental maneuvering, Chrysler's new CEO Sergio Marchionne left the security of Fiat's Italian headquarters and landed in Auburn Hills Wednesday to unveil his plan to save Chrysler. And what a meeting it was. The flight from Rome to Detroit might've been shorter.

This week Autoline devotes its entire program to Marchionne's marching orders for Chrysler. John McElroy is joined by three top automotive analysts who will discuss and dissect these plans and tell us if this "unknown star" will shine brightly in the near future, or eventually burn out of existence.

Seaweed Part 2

Many a boater has cursed that slimy green lake junk wrapped around the prop that killed his engine. But as today's technology continues to improve those curses may soon turn to congratulations when that same lake junk -- seaweed -- is used to power the boat. Of course that power source won't exactly be seaweed, however, it will be coming from the Latin derivative of the word known as algae. Yep, that tiny green chlorophyll organism may be the next best hope to replace petroleum and it's all good with the oil companies. At least that's the contention of the Don Quixote of the biofuels movement, Josh Tickell. You may remember him as the guy who drove the Veggie Van across America in the late '90s bringing attention to the ever-shrinking global reserves of fossil fuels. Well, for the last 11 years he's been making a movie about that very subject entitled "Fuel." And surprise, surprise, his documentary grabbed a big award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. This week Josh joins John in studio to discuss all aspects of his film and the future of the fuel that we put in our cars. And that future, Josh contends, is all about algae.

There’s a lot of debate over what should power our cars in the future. Hybrids and electrics are getting a lot of attention right now but what ever happened to biofuels? On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, biofuels expert Dr. Bruce Dale from Michigan State University talks with John McElroy and his panel to defend ethanol as a source for fuel. Dr. Dale discusses if creating ethanol from water waste or algae are viable options and he also tells the panel what policies he would recommend for pursuing ethanol. Joining in the discussion are Tim Higgins from the Detroit Free Press and James Amend from WardsAuto.com.

10%

When most folks see a number like 10% they're receiving a discount on a sale item or reading a nutritional chart at the grocery store. But the number that we're talking about on this week's Autoline is more dramatic, and it has to do with your everyday transportation. When it comes to refining crude oil and turning it into gasoline in this country, the government has strict regulations. And when you start stretching a gallon of gas by adding ethanol -- which we've been doing for years -- you can only go so far...10% so far. Now, that used to be fine as we looked to find alternatives to imported oil, saving a little gas in each gallon, but we need more. We need, our experts have been preaching, to break through the "Blend Wall." That's what the industry calls the government's imaginary line in the corn field, so to speak. Experts say it's time to move beyond that 10%, especially when biofuels are coming from products other than corn. With cellulosic ethanol and other options inching closer each day to becoming viable fuel alternatives, that 10% number, hopefully, may be a thing of the past. So join John McElroy and his panel for an insightful discussion on ethanol, biofuels and the near future for both.

On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, John McElroy talks with Mark Vann, the Project Manager of GM’s fuel cell program, called Project Driveway, which gave customers the opportunity to drive a Chevy Equinox equipped with GM’s fuel cell stack. Mark discusses how customer feedback helped improve the vehicle and he also talks about GM’s 2nd generation fuel cell stack and how it differs from the original.

Thin Air

Climbing mountains is difficult and dangerous. Not only is it treacherous traversing the rocks and the snow, but if you're not in shape, just try breathing in all of the "thin air." Reaching for the summit of anything is time-consuming and perilous but rewarding as well. Especially when the prize -- like so many in the auto industry are striving for -- is alternative power independence. That's the brass ring the everyone from manufacturers to oil companies continue to chase. We've heard for years we're getting close, but, it seems, never close enough. On this week's Autoline, GM's new R and D guru, Dr. Alan Taub, shows us how the finish line is getting closer thanks to the success of developing "thin" materials. From batteries to fuel cells, Dr. Taub lays out the where his company is and the near-term future of plucking what we could call "thin power" out of the "thin air."

On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, John McElroy is joined by Doug Speck the president and CEO of Volvo Cars North America. First they discuss HD Radio and compare it with satellite radio. The conversation then moves to safety, and whether or not customers like active safety features. Mr. Speck also highlights areas where safety needs to improve and even talks about why the company is studying locusts in order to help improve safety. Joining John in the discussion are David Welch from BusinessWeek and Michelle Krebs from Edmunds.com.

Mamma Mia

Sweden has never had an export like the band ABBA. And it's not just that first ten year run ('73-'83) of success it enjoyed with all those famous top ten singles. What's most amazing about ABBA is how the band morphed into a brand that has continued to score financially even twenty-five years after the original members officially called it quits. A business plan that Sweden's other major export Volvo can only lust after. A fact not lost on this 82-year old automaker nor its parent -- at least at this point -- Ford Motor Company which put the Swedes on the block in one way or another over two years ago.

And now as its stay in Glass House comes to a close with two bidders fighting over the "Volvo For Life" pedigree, the company is preparing to not only change addresses, but to change face as well. New products linked with a new strategy are, the company hopes, leading the way to new customers. At least that's the plan for this mid-luxury brand according to Doug Speck, president and CEO of Volvo Cars North America. Mr. Speck joins John McElroy and his panel to talk about some of the new products like the well-received XC60 CUV and next year's new flagship sedan the S60 and how he expects they will match up against the competition. He also updates us on the Volvo mantra -- safety -- and how the company intends to stay a step up on everyone, especially since safety plays such a big role in almost all of today's vehicles.