Autoline This Week - Video

Steve Kiefer has a big checkbook. As head of Purchasing for General Motors he awards billions of dollars of contracts to suppliers across the globe. But he doesn’t just hand out money. He has to make sure that he’s giving it to the right partners and they deliver high quality products for GM vehicles. Easier said than done. On this week’s show John McElroy’s special guest is Steve Kiefer, the Global VP of GM Purchasing and Supply Chain. Joining John on his panel are David Welch of Bloomberg and Doron Levin from Fortune.

Steve Miller is an automotive turnaround specialist. His bona fides date back to the bankruptcies of Chrysler and Delphi with stops at Federal-Mogul and Ford for good measure. Now he presides over the International Automotive Components Group as it moves from a private Wilbur Ross company to a publically traded firm. Mr. Miller joins John McElroy as his special guest for this week’s Autoline discussing the consolidation of the automotive interior business and where he sees it going. Joining the panel are Jeff Bennett of the Wall Street Journal and Tom Murphy from Wards Auto.

When experts are asked what will be powering our cars now and into the future, you hear any number of options ranging from electric to plug-in to hydrogen just to name a few. In reality, there are a number of companies around the world working on just that: three who join us today on Autoline THIS WEEK. Joining John McElroy’s Advanced Propulsion panel to discuss the products they’re working on are Dave Johnson from Achates Power, Matthew Riley from Nautilus Engineering and Isak Lofgren from KASI Technologies of Sweden.

Electrics were all the rage a few years ago. Nissan, Mitsubishi and Chevrolet, among others, gave consumers their first taste of gas free driving. But as manufacturers improved the performance of their internal combustion engines, electrics almost went into hibernation. But now, suddenly, they are de rigueur once again. Join John McElroy from the floor of the New York Auto Show as he discusses this electric resurrection with Salim Morsy from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, John Voelcker of High Gear Media and EV enthusiast Chelsea Sexton.

Once not too long ago it was king of the luxury hill. But having lost that title to the Germans years back, Cadillac has sputtered on every end. By the time the product was fixed much of the customer base had defected. But now Cadillac has turned to the luxury brands’ Mr. Fix It, Johan de Nysschen. Responsible for transforming Audi into the U.S. sales powerhouse it is today and was on his way to attempting the same for Infiniti before Cadillac came calling. On this week’s show, Mr. de Nysschen talks about his strategy for Cadillac to regain the luster, and more importantly, sales it has lost since 2000. Joining John McElroy on his panel are John Stoll of the Wall Street Journal and AutoPacific analyst David Sullivan.

Personal phones and computers aren’t the only items that need protection. Hackers are at work everywhere. We saw recently how they controlled a car driving down the road. And despite layers of protection, even the U.S. military is worried about its platforms. Cybersecurity has become the clarion call of the times. From the site of the National Defense Industrial Association Conference join John McElroy for an in-depth look at what members of the NDIA are doing about Cybersecurity. Today’s guests include Bryson Bort, CEO of Grimm, a cyber research and development company; Dr. Anuja Sonalker, VP, Engineering and Operations, TowerSec Automotive Cyber Security; and BG Michael A. Stone, Assistant Adjutant General for Installations, Michigan National Guard.

Ever since the gas cap dropped on VW and its diesel shenanigans last fall, it seems that the company has been stuck in first gear. Not only has there been no resolution so far, but no one seems to know what’s going on. In addition, the company hasn’t engaged the media very effectively and its customers are still trying to figure out what’s up. Joining John to discuss where the company goes from here and what it needs to do now are Todd Turner, auto analyst from Car Concepts; Jason Vines, Independent PR consultant and author; and Lisa Whalen, auto analyst with Frost and Sullivan.

Apple, Intel and Facebook are there. So are electric and autonomy leaders Google and Tesla. But in addition to these tech giants, today’s Silicon Valley in Northern California also contain a lab or office from nearly every major automaker as well. Joining John McElroy from the floor of CES 2016 in Las Vegas to talk about why they’re attracted to Silicon Valley are top executives from three different major car companies including: Ken Washington, VP, Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford; Frankie James, the Managing Director of General Motors’ Advanced Technology Silicon Valley Office; and Arwed Niestroj, the CEO for MBUSA Research and Development North America.

Back in 2011 when the original Fisker Karma was released, seeing it on the road was breathtaking. The vehicle turned heads with its beautiful designs so there was never a problem with looks. The issues for this electric/hybrid car were technical. From breaking down during a Consumer Reports drive to actual customer cars catching fire, it proved too much for the startup automaker and it filed for bankruptcy in November 2013. However, its new Chinese owners believe they have worked out all the problems and are ready to re-commence production of the car. And the man chosen to run Karma Automotive is no stranger to Detroit. Jim Taylor, who formerly ran Cadillac, will now be responsible for selling the Karma 2.0 to the world. Joining John McElroy to talk to Jim about Karma, Cadillac and more will be Joe White for Reuters and Dave Guilford from Automotive News.

Driving has always mattered at Mazda. From its iconic “Zoom-Zoom” tagline to classic cars like the Miata to its involvement with motorsports, this small Japanese company remains a favorite of automotive enthusiasts around the world. Joining John McElroy on this special edition of Autoline is the Senior Vice President of Mazda’s North American Operations, Robert Davis. Rounding out the panel are Todd Lassa from Automobile and Dutch Mandel of Autoweek.