GM Product Chief confesses the company’s cars are too heavy

September 29th, 2009 at 10:07am


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While most of General Motors’ products are world class, it’s well known that the vehicles have a weight problem. In a recent interview with Tom Stephens, GM’s Vice Chairman of Global Product Development, he provided a candid confession.

INSTANT IMPRESSION – Ford Shelby GT500

September 29th, 2009 at 1:38am


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With the new Shelby GT500 Mustang comes a heaping helping of powerful performance as well as a hefty dose of aggressive styling to match. From the front to the back, this is one mean-looking machine.

GM Product Chief on the Future of the G8

September 28th, 2009 at 5:16pm


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It’s one of the few shining vestiges of the old General Motors and the car that people just don’t want to die. In a recent interview, Tom Stephens, GM’s Vice Chairman of Global Product Development indicates that the G8 may still live on.

AAH #26 – Leuliette’s Lessons

September 25th, 2009 at 11:26am

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This week we partake in the wisdom of an experienced automotive veteran, Tim Leuliette, the Chairman, President and CEO of DURA Automotive Systems. Joining John McElroy in the studio as usual is David Welch of BusinessWeek, in addition to Gary Vasilash of Automotive Design & Production. Now that the supplier Magna owns Opel, it finds itself in the awkward position of competing with its OEM customers. Fisker gets half of a billion dollars to get the Karma into production. Meanwhile, Tesla loses its head of manufacturing and engineering just as the Model S is going into production. All that plus we get to your questions in Rapid Fire!

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Thanks to our partners WardsAuto.com for embedding tonight’s episode of AAH!

INSTANT IMPRESSION – Cadillac CTS-V Interior

September 24th, 2009 at 3:26pm


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The Cadillac CTS already has a beautiful interior, but for the high-end version of the car, GM took the extra effort to step up some of the materials, giving it the extra polish worthy of a V.

INSTANT IMPRESSION – Cadillac CTS-V Styling

September 22nd, 2009 at 2:50pm


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The styling differences in Cadillac’s V-Series cars are subtle, but worth noting. However, in the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V, for all its awesome performance, there’s at least one elegant touch that has been inexplicably stripped away since the last generation of the vehicle.

Autoline LIVE: Tom Stephens, GM Global Product Development

September 21st, 2009 at 8:59am

AUTOLINE LIVE WITH TOM STEPHENS

GM’s Tom Stephens, the Vice Chairman of Global Product Development, joined us for a LIVE taping of Autoline Detroit and then continued the broadcast in an exclusive web-only Q & A session with you, our audience. Watch as Tom responds to questions about the Pontiac G8, what General Motors’ answer is to EcoBoost, whether natural gas is a viable option going forward and more!

INSTANT IMPRESSION – BMW 7-Series Safety

September 21st, 2009 at 8:30am


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Most people don’t know it, but safety standards have a big effect on how cars are designed. Here’s a look at the clever way BMW incorporated “crush space” as a design flourish in the latest 7-series.

AAH #25 – Introductus Interruptus

September 18th, 2009 at 9:53am

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The boss is back, and it’s time to talk about all the news to come out of Frankfurt over the past week. In the studio, as usual, are Peter De Lorenzo from Autoextremist.com and David Welch of BusinessWeek, both ready and raring to discuss the hot topics. Sergio Marchionne from Fiat says Chrysler is in more of a mess than anyone thought. Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn says EVs can be profitable at $70-a-barrel oil. From the look of the show, EVs are trumping diesels all around, but is it for real or just posturing? All that plus the guys pick their favorite vehicles to come out of Frankfurt, and we get to your questions in Rapid Fire!

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Thanks to our partners WardsAuto.com for embedding tonight’s episode of AAH!

INSTANT IMPRESSION – Kia Forte

September 17th, 2009 at 10:53am


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Kia’s hired a former Audi designer to take their cars from silly to sleek. The new 2010 Forte is no exception, and it just might give the comparably-sized Honda Civic a run for its money. See how they compare.