Download MP3

This week we welcome Nina Beckhardt, President of The Naming Group, a company that specializes in branding. She’ll be joining us to offer her expertise in how car names are created–what works and what is a total disaster? Of course we’ll also get into the news of the week including Chevy’s decision to dump Campbell-Ewald, its advertising agency since 1919. Plus, we’ll talk money: do recent earnings mean the industry has turned the corner? Is GM’s deception that it has paid off all government loans going to backfire? Why has Ford stock plummeted despite the fact that the company beat analysts’ expectations? John McElroy’s in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as David Welch from Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends AsianMartin.com, AutobirdBlog.com, MissMotorMouth.com, Rumblestrip.net and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

Runtime 1:33

Subaru’s sales story has been off to the races as of late; in a down, down, down economy, they’ve been the company chugging along unencumbered. But, sit in this Impreza, does it in any way feel like a $30,000 car? We’d venture to say not, but start up the engine and we think you’ll understand where the money went. This is a WRX.

Download MP3

This week we welcome Doug Fehan, the man who’s the “heart and soul” of Corvette racing as the GM Racing Program Manager for the American Le Mans Series. He’ll be joining us to discuss what effect the GM Racing team had on the design of the latest Corvette and whether racing on cellulosic ethanol gives the team an advantage. Of course we’ll also get into the news of the week including a study that suggests the negative perception of domestic automakers is starting to change. John McElroy’s in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as David Welch from BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends MissMotorMouth.com, Rumblestrip.net and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

Runtime 4:10

Join us for a quick trip around the block in the brand-new 2011 Infiniti M. Colin Price, the company’s Technology Communications Manager, explains some of the groundbreaking new safety and luxury features on the car including a Bilnd-Spot Intervention System, Distance Control Assist and more. Find out what makes the redesigned M one of the most technologically advanced vehicles on the road today.

Runtime 2:51

John McElroy gets chauffeured in the new 2011 Hyundai Sonata by none other than President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America, John Krafcik. He explains what the company hopes to achieve with this redesigned sedan.

Download MP3

This week we welcome Walter McManus, an economist at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Director of the Automotive Analysis Group. He’ll be joining us to discuss the news as well as talk about CAFE standards and some recent studies his organization has been performing. John McElroy’s in studio with David Welch from BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News as well as Scott Burgess from the Detroit News who’s filling in while Peter De Lorenzo is on the road.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends MissMotorMouth.com, Rumblestrip.net and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

Runtime 1:14

It doesn’t exactly seem like a match made in heaven: a massive General Motors truck and an advanced hybrid power train. But, when you consider the copious amounts of gas the Silverado normally chugs down, the hybrid system starts to make sense. Still, the system is far from perfect, and we’ve got a bone to pick with a bizarre noise inside the dash.

Runtime 1:14

The cabriolet version of the Audi A5 is very nice car with all the amenities you could think of–and it has the price tag to prove it. But there’s one “glaring” problem that makes driving the vehicle a frustating experience.

Download MP3

This week we hit a milestone: 50 episodes of “unscripted, unapproved, unusually frank discussion” from Autoline After Hours. We, and the auto industry, have come a long way in the last year, and tonight we’ll spend just a little time looking back–at the good and the bad. But, we’ll also be looking forward as we welcome our guest, Larry Erickson, the Chair of Transportation Design for the College of Creative Studies in Detroit. We’ll be asking Larry where the future of automotive design is going and also ask him what he and Billy Gibbons have in common. John McElroy’s in studio with Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, as well as David Welch from BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

Thanks to our partners and friends AutoCritical.com, CarDesignFetish.com, DrivenMavens.com, Rumblestrip.net and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

Runtime 1:11

Behind the wheel of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, the experience does not disappoint despite its fuel-sipping four-cylinder engine. See why we think this vehicle just may be named Car of the Year.