Autoline This Week

On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, John McElroy and his panel sit down to chat with John Hoffecker, the managing director of AlixPartners, a company that specializes in turning problem companies around and getting them back on their feet. From a supplier perspective they discuss what areas need to be focused on to make a struggling company viable. And they also get into whether or not access to credit and lending has improved for troubled suppliers and also the outlook for the U.S. auto industry. Joining John on his panel are Tom Walsh, with the Detroit Free Press and Alex Ortolani, with Bloomberg News.

Stuck In the Middle

Leave it to Quentin Tarantino to remind us what "the middle" is all about. It was Hollywood's whirling creative derbish who took a long forgotten early '70s song, "Stuck in the Middle With You," and burned it into today's consciousness. Whether it was nostalgia, shock or sympathy that helped, it's clear that "the middle" was not necessarily the place you want to be. And yet that's exactly where we find today's auto industry -- stuck in the middle -- according to John Hoffecker from the global turnaround company AlixPartners. In fact, that was even the title of his presentation earlier this month to a session at the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan.

On this week's Autoline, Mr. Hoffecker takes us inside his analysis of where we are and where we will be in the global auto industry. From the good news for the top 25% of North American suppliers to what he terms the "new normal" for sales going forward, Mr. Hoffecker analyzes the good, the bad and the ugly facing manufacturers, suppliers and customers alike. Joining John McElroy on the panel are Tom Walsh, the business columnist from the Detroit Free Press and Alex Ortolani with Bloomberg News.

Now that the American auto industry has restructured and gotten rid of most of its legacy costs, are they at a competitive advantage over the foreign nameplates? That’s the topic of discussion on this edition of Autoline EXTRA, as John and his guests talk about whether the German, Japanese or Korean automakers will need to restructure in order to compete with Detroit’s new business model. Joining John for that discussion are Dr. David Cole from the Center for Automotive Research, Tom Krisher from the Associated Press, and Edward Lapham from Automotive News.

Coleslaw

It never seems like the Midwest is really rid of winter until, at that first picnic, when you spy the official side dish of summer, coleslaw, sidled up to the burgers, dogs and brats. Likewise, you never quite feel it’s summer in the auto industry until the first of August when the Management Briefing Seminars roll into to Traverse City, Michigan as they’ve done for over 40 years. Still leading that CAR caravan up north is Dave Cole, the Chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, and overall auto industry expert. This week on Autoline he joins John and our panel of Edward Lapham with Automotive News and Tom Krisher of the Associated Press to discuss a variety of topics, including where both General Motors and Chrysler stand after their visit to bankruptcy and how they're handling everything since; the current avenue Ford finds itself navigating with new product and public good will; and the future of the transplants in the North American market as they attempt to balance importing, manufacturing and marketing their products. And of course Dr. Cole also provides us a preview of this year's MBS schedule.

The new Ford Taurus is the topic of discussion on this edition of Autoline EXTRA. John McElroy continues his talk from the broadcast with three people involved in the program. They discuss what was done to make the interior quieter, the new EcoBoost engine that will be equipped on the SHO version of the Taurus, and how people have reacted to the ambient lighting feature in the interior, that allows you to choose from seven different colors. Joining John in the discussion from Ford are Lon Zaback the Design Manager of the Interior, Earl Lucas the Design Manager of the Exterior and Mike Crowley the Group Marketing Manager.

No Bull

Some may know it from the stories of Zeus in Greek mythology. While others, who study the stars, are familiar with the famous constellation bearing its name in the Northern Hemisphere. Then there are the rest of us who just read our sign in the Astrology column. Whichever group you fall into, these descriptions are how most became aware of Taurus the Bull. That is, up until the year 1986. That's when Ford Motor released "Taurus the Car" which grabbed the spotlight and became a hit for the company for years. However, like its namesake constellation on a cloudy night, the Taurus brand began to whither and fade in the '90s until it was finally gone from sight. Well, today, some years later, it's back in a big way. But it’s not the same old midsize car you remember -- this Taurus is a show stopper. That's why John invited some of the Taurus team onto to this week's Autoline to give us all a look at a large part of Ford's new future. Joining John on the panel are the two men most responsible for the design of the car: Earl Lucas did the exterior while Lon Zaback did the interior. But as great as a car may be it can't sell itself and that's where the marketers come in. Also here to explain Ford's marketing plans for Taurus is Mike Crowley, Group Marketing Manager for North American Cars and Crossovers.

There’s been a lot said lately about what Chrysler has done wrong in the past but not much has been said about what it has done right. On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, John McElroy and his panel discuss what Chrysler does best and also what impact Fiat will have when its products are added to Chrysler’s lineup. The panel also discusses the Chevy volt and whether it’s a good idea for GM to advertise a car you can’t even buy yet. And they also discuss what Chevy must do to get back on its feet. Joining John in the discussion are Michael Robinet from CSM Worldwide, Christie Nordheilm a professor of Marketing at the University of Michigan and author of the book “The Big Picture”, and Steve Finlay from Ward’s Dealer Business magazine.

"Green" Cross

When the economic tsunami struck the auto industry last year leaving Chrysler and GM in shambles, the U.S. government role-played as the "Green" Cross, if you will, providing the relief both corporations required to stay afloat. But now after surprisingly brief visits to Chapter 11 yielding fewer dealers, a much smaller work force as well as a shrunken brand and/or product lineup for both, the future looks bright...or does it? Some say they cut to the bone in too many areas while still others believe each needs a transfusion of new blood to drive them farther into the 21st Century. Joining John McElroy this week to discuss the present and future of the (formerly) Bankrupt Two in three essential areas are product analyst Michael Robinet of CSM Worldwide, Steve Finlay of Ward's Dealer Business as well marketing expert and author of the "The Big Picture," Professor Christie Nordhielm of the University of Michigan.

Hyundai made a splash at the beginning of the year when it introduced its assurance program, that allowed customers to return a new Hyundai if they lost their job within the first year of purchase. On this edition of Autoline EXTRA, John McElroy and his panel discuss their thoughts on the program and also if it was a good idea for Ford and GM to follow suit with similar programs. The discussion moves back to automotive TV ads from Audi, Toyota and Buick and whether or not those ads will help them. Joining John in the discussion are Bud Liebler, former Chrysler Marketing VP and head of the Liebler Group, Jean Halliday of Advertising Age and David Kiley of BusinessWeek.

Ad "Homonym"

The latest media darling of the hipster set, the award-winning series "Mad Men", has suddenly made it cool again to be in advertising. In fact, as we watch this world through its '60s prism, the show clearly spotlights the similarities of the American ad game across generations. Be it yesterday's print & television or today's Internet programming, it's still all about innovation, imitation and breaking through. And no one knows that better than the auto industry, who, ever since those "Mad Men" days, have watched advertising budgets spike alongside the prices of their latest people moving machines or luxurious mobile yachts.

But as they say "2009 is a new day" and everything has changed from the money to the medium to even the measurement. But what about the message? Is it the same as it ever was or is it striking out a new path to reflect the tenor of the times? This week on Autoline we'll look at what the industry is doing with advertising in a down economy with bankrupt manufacturers. Joining John to talk and review some of the latest in automotive advertising are Bud Liebler, former Chrysler Marketing VP and head of the Liebler Group, Jean Halliday of Advertising Age and David Kiley of BusinessWeek.