On today’s show…Dodge becomes the first to equip a muscle car with all-wheel drive…Paris bans half of all cars from driving in the city…and minivan sales hit the skids. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.

This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.

DON’T BREATHE THE AIR!
We often talk about poor air quality in China but there are problems in Europe as well. In response to a week of red-alert levels of pollution, Paris temporarily banned half of all cars from driving on city streets. Officials blame weather conditions and heavy use of diesel fuel for the spike in pollution. Only cars with even license plate numbers were allowed to drive in the city yesterday. And public transportation is free for the day. To put this pollution in perspective, we checked out the air quality index readings for several cities over the last 48 hours. Beijing just about pegged the needle with a very unhealthy 245. Paris stood at 151. Los Angeles, which is considered the most polluted city in the United States, stood at 65. And just for kicks we threw in Detroit and its heavily industrialized metropolitan area, which is squeaky clean at only 27.

MINIVAN SEGMENT SLOWDOWN
Yesterday we showed you how sales of small commercial vans have fallen off a cliff in the American market. And they’re not the only vans that are struggling. So are sales of minivans, which are down nearly 17% over the last three months. The best selling minivan is the Dodge Caravan, which at $25,000 has the lowest base price in the segment. But it’s followed by the Toyota Sienna, which has the highest base price of thirty grand. Next up is the Chrysler Pacifica, which is selling quite well despite being brand new to the market. It looks like the Pacifica could rise to the top of the segment in the next couple of months, so we’ll have to watch this one closely. The Honda Odyssey also performs well in the segment. The Kia Sedona is a small player but it’s the only van that saw its sales go up. And the Nissan Quest sure looks like it’s headed for extinction. Minivans offer more versatility and utility than crossovers, but these sales numbers show that they can’t shake that soccer-mom stigma.

HENRY’S SECRET SKUNK WORKS
Did you know that in 1907 Henry Ford set up a secret skunk works room to develop the Model T? That was at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, which today is a museum. The curators had to hire an architectural archeologist to determine exactly where that experimental room was located. That’s going to be one of the topics we cover in Autoline After Hours tomorrow when our guest will be Nancy Darga, the executive director of the museum. That’s tomorrow afternoon, right here at Autoline, for some of the best information about the automotive industry.

Still to come…Toyota introduces a new range of engines and transmissions.

THE POWER OF PISTONS
While electric cars and fuel cells seem to get so much media attention, Toyota is proving they still have a long way to go to compete with the internal combustion engine. By the end of 2021, the automaker will introduce 17 versions of nine new engines that it claims will provide up to 10% better power performance and up to 20% better fuel economy. One of these new engines is a 2.5L 4-cylinder unit that we’ll see at the start of 2017. The remaining engines will eventually make their way into 60% of Toyota and Lexus’ global lineup. In that same timeframe it plans to introduce 10 versions of four transmissions, including multi-geared automatics and a new kind of CVT. The first will be new 8- and 10-speed automatic transmissions. The 8-speed is for front-wheel drive vehicles, while the 10 is for rear-wheel drive. But this is Toyota, so of course it’s not giving up on hybrids either. It has 10 versions of six hybrid systems in the works. This includes a new hybrid system for 2.5L engines paired with rear-wheel drive. Toyota worked to reduce size and weight and improve efficiency for better performance and fuel economy. It also improved it plug-in hybrid system. A new dual-mode drive system allows the electric motor to provide direct power, rather than being used as just a generator. It will also be using a larger lithium-ion battery pack for more range.

GEE. NO, GT
Dodge will bring a first to the pony-car segment… all-wheel drive. A new version of the Challenger, dubbed the GT will feature an all-wheel drive system plucked from the Charger. It comes with the automaker’s Pentastar 3.6L V6 mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. For those wondering, no manual or V8. The car launches this winter with a starting price of about $35,000.

Coming up next, Lexus goes crazy with LEDs and Opel unveils the brand new Insignia.

LEXUS LOVES LEDS
Talk about distracted driving. Check out this wild and colorful version of the 2017 IS, Lexus just revealed. Called the LIT IS, it’s covered in nearly 42,000 programmable LEDs, which allows the car to broadcast graphics and animations in response to gestures or music. The LED strips would stretch a half a mile if you laid them out end to end. The car is also featured in U.K. artist Dua Lipa’s new music video, “Be the One.”

OPEL’S NEW INSIGNIA
Opel released the first official pictures of the new Insignia that goes on sale in Europe next month. It’s based on the General Motors Epsilon architecture, the same as the Chevrolet Malibu, and will likely make it to other markets badged as the Buick Regal. The front end styling is very reminiscent of the Buick Avista concept car, while the rear end has a fastback roofline that is similar to the Malibu. There will be a station wagon and crossover version that will come out later next year. The Insignia will be offered with gasoline and diesel engines, an 8-speed automatic and all wheel drive.

But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and join us again tomorrow for the latest news in the global automotive industry.