Autoline This Week - Video

Soapbox

The next time you're in a store take a walk down the detergent aisle and check out the dozens of different products. Some of the packages that look so comfortable on the shelf may have actually started life as an avatar -- a virtual product in an equally digital grocery store. That may be news when it comes to consumer products but automakers have been engaged with 3-dimension computer design for some time now. In fact this virtual universe allows the manufacturers of these complex machines to take them from concept to clearance -- as it were -- through a process called PLM or Product Lifecycle Management. Not only is it a huge cost saver when it comes to time and materials, but it also gives designers, engineers and marketers alike, 21st Century advantages that their earlier counterparts could only imagine.

This week on Autoline the top executive at one of the world's pre- eminent PLM companies joins John to discuss the process and how it continues to revolutionize the auto industry. Bernard Charles, President and CEO of Dassault Systemes talks about the impact of PLM on all of us and how Dassault is out to bring the 3D experience to our daily lives. Joining John and Mr. Charles on the panel are Drew Winter from WardsAuto.com and Christopher Sawyer of Cars In Context.

Habits

They're defined as acquired behavior patterns that are uniquely involuntary. Known to most of the planet as habits, they come from two camps. Some can be bad if it's a personal glitch or foible while others might be good if it leads to a desired end product.

Especially if that product is quality. After all, it was the Greek philosopher Aristotle who was first to recognize some 2,300 years ago that "Quality is not an act, it is a habit." Unfortunately, during the late 20th century, American car makers weren't reading much Aristotle, or so it seemed.

Today we're not sure if the Greek Philosopher has become required auto industry reading or not, but we can say with certainty that U.S. quality numbers are up and up significantly. And on this week's Autoline, one of the executives in charge of that change joins John McElroy and his panel to tell us how they're doing it. Bennie Fowler has been on the front lines of this issue for more than three decades. From his days at General Motors in the '70s and '80s into his early years at Ford, he observed the mistakes, the lack of quality, the bad habits if you will, that the American OEMs had eased into. For the last four years he has been in charge of reversing that trend at Ford. And if you look at the numbers, he, and many others in the company, appear to be doing just that.

Joining John on this week's panel are Brent Snavely with Detroit Free Press and Bryce Hoffman of The Detroit News.

Knots Landing

When it comes to television dramas since the '70s, few have been more consistent than life within the California cul-de-sac called Seaview Circle. And when it comes to automotive drama over that same time frame who has been more compelling than Auburn Hills-based Chrysler?

On the precipice of bankruptcy one moment, onto salvation and success the next, then through a merger, a sale and then back to bankruptcy; if this had been a show on CBS it would have an armoire of EMMYs. Instead, today it has a mercurial Italian owner and a dubious future. And that's the GOOD NEWS!

Welcome to the "new, newer, newest" iteration of Chrysler, the smallest of the historic Big Three. The challenges of this company are too numerous to list here, but obviously one of the biggest is building quality cars and trucks. And these days you're not going to do that without good suppliers. But with the way that community has been treated by the last two regimes, you sometimes wonder who would still want to do business with Chrysler.

Enter Dan Knott, 20-year veteran of the Chrysler culture, and the new head of Purchasing. Mr. Knott joins John McElroy and his panel to discuss the new way of doing business with Chrysler. One that he hopes takes them back to the pre-Daimler days of strong vendor relationships and great Chrysler products.

Joining John on his panel are Eric Mayne from WardsAuto.com and Daniel Howes, columnist from The Detroit News.

Stop Your Sobbing

You may recognize the headline above as a famous '60s song written by the Kinks. However, when GM exited from bankruptcy last year it almost turned that hallowed tune on its head. With brands being jettisoned left and right, "Stop Your SAABBING" -- recorded by Big Ed & The Board -- seemed like the song Detroit was ready to export to Trollhattan, Sweden, home of the iconic motor company SAAB. And as word of its impending doom grew you could practically hear the cries from the Swedish automaker's loyal community for a white knight to save their favorite cars. But instead of resolution came the teeter- totering spectacle where one moment the the brand was saved by some international buyer, while the next the doors were being locked for good.

Yet in the end, Dutch businessman Victor Muller rode in to save the day on a white hand-built Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder and stopped all the potential sobbing with his purchase of SAAB. And now the resurrection begins. But how can a car company that sold less than 9,000 vehicles last year in America be reborn?

For those answers and details on the plan itself join John McElroy and his Autoline panel -- Todd Lassa of Motor Trend and Jeff Bennett from the Wall Street Journal -- as they talk SAAB with Mike Colleran the man in charge.

Reputation

In today's high-tech world, it may be hard to believe but there was once a time in America where the best place to enjoy a movie was in your car. This loose-knit community of film-goers would usually meet on a weekend night in a parking lot full of poles known as a Drive- In. Most are now gone, replaced by so many strip malls and condominiums. However, the yearning for that life lives on in many.

Well, Autoline may not be able to duplicate the experience in its entirety, but this week's show transforms itself into your own personal drive-in as we feature films "About, Starring and Containing" cars. Our panel of auto experts turned film critics reveal their cinematic interpretations of "The Good" (Bullitt), "The Bad" (Faster, Pussycat Kill Kill) and "The Ugly" (The Betsy), along with a fascinating list of films scattered in-between.

Join John McEloy as he goes to the movies with Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics, Todd Lassa from Motor Trend and Peter De Lorenzo Autoextremist.com for a look at Hollywood's love and obsession with cars.

Hollywood Drivin'

In today's high-tech world, it may be hard to believe but there was once a time in America where the best place to enjoy a movie was in your car. This loose-knit community of film-goers would usually meet on a weekend night in a parking lot full of poles known as a Drive- In. Most are now gone, replaced by so many strip malls and condominiums. However, the yearning for that life lives on in many.

Well, Autoline may not be able to duplicate the experience in its entirety, but this week's show transforms itself into your own personal drive-in as we feature films "About, Starring and Containing" cars. Our panel of auto experts turned film critics reveal their cinematic interpretations of "The Good" (Bullitt), "The Bad" (Faster, Pussycat Kill Kill) and "The Ugly" (The Betsy), along with a fascinating list of films scattered in-between.

Join John McEloy as he goes to the movies with Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics, Todd Lassa from Motor Trend and Peter De Lorenzo Autoextremist.com for a look at Hollywood's love and obsession with cars.

Tiger Woods or Tylenol

A dizzying number of consumer products have been introduced over the last thirty years. And though thousands have succeeded over that time few have achieved the Mount Olympus of brand recognition that translates into the multi-million dollar world of annual sales. And even fewer from that list have survived a potential public relations nightmare that backed the brand into a corner. For the last three months we've been watching the Tiger Woods brand undergo such scrutiny, while 28-years ago Johnson & Johnson faced an even greater disaster with its Tylenol over-the-counter medication. Tylenol, by all accounts, became the gold standard of resuscitating a brand with great corporate public relations. The same can't be said for the Tiger Woods brand though the entire story is yet to be written.

Meanwhile Toyota, long one of the most solid brands throughout the world, is currently at a similar crossroads. For the last six months the company has experienced one bad story about its products after another. Accelerators, brakes, cars and recalls have contributed to the public waterboarding of this once proud seemingly indestructible brand. And it doesn't help that the hits keep coming.

So going forward from today, what path will the company take? What are the challenges it faces in public relations, in marketing and with the automotive world itself? This week Autoline hosts three experts from these disparate fields to talk turkey to and about the Toyota brand, the Toyota company and the Toyota bottom line. Joining John McElroy to do just that are Maria Leonhauser from the world of public relations, Paul Haelterman an authority in auto analysis and Christie Nordhielm who gave us "The Big Picture," literally, with her book on marketing challenges and solutions for companies like Toyota.

The Eyes Have It

Whether it's in the U.S. Senate, the California State House or your own city council, any simple up or down tally where "the ayes have it" can have a significant impact on voters' lives. However, when it comes to having an impact in the world of advertising, there is no bigger forum than the Super Bowl. Especially when there are 106 million potential consumers watching. Truly a place where the "eyes" indeed have it. So for 44 consecutive years businesses have put their products in this spotlight of this special day hoping for a great ROI for the money they spend. And throughout the years automakers have been right there on Super Bowl Sunday trying their best to create the splash that translates to sales.

This year six OEMs braved the nearly $3-million dollar per 30-second advertising Olympics with one, Hyundai, seemingly saturating the entire game. So did Hyundai or the other five -- Audi, Dodge, Honda, Kia, or VW -- get their money's worth? Is it even possible?

Joining John McElroy to try to answer these questions is a panel of automotive advertising experts. Journalist Jean Halliday has written about the industry for years while advertising analyst David Kiley not only covered the business but also worked in it as well. They are joined by an award-winning creative director who is still in the trenches, Gary Topolewski, waiting to produce his next Super Bowl spot.

Nervous System

From the stub of a toe to the bite of a mosquito, our bodies rely on a complex network of neurons that tell our brain what's going on. And like our bodies, each car has a pseudo nervous system which controls everything from the steering to satellite radio. For all manufacturers the quality of their cars and the viability of their systems are extremely important. However, for the world's number one automaker Toyota, its been nothing short of the holy grail. Quality and reliability were once the keys to the design, production and selling of its products. But right now several of Toyota's top models are experiencing what could best be parenthetically described as a severe neurological disorder.

This week on Autoline John McElroy examines the latest reliability and quality woes facing Toyota and what some competitors like Ford have been doing to improve its numbers in those categories.

New clean diesel engines offer better fuel economy and lower emissions than their gas counterparts, so why aren't they more popular in the U.S.? That's the topic on this edition of Autoline EXTRA. John and his guests discuss why there are not more diesels in the U.S. and whether or not something should be done to promote them. Joining in the discussion is Dan Weiss from the Center for American Progress, Fred Smith of the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Ron Cogan from Green Car Journal.