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This week we welcome Chris Theodore, the namesake of Theodore & Associates. Chris played key roles in the development of the Ford GT and the Dodge Viper. Now he’s showing off what he calls Uni-Chassis, which will be aimed at EVs. He also has a goal of creating a $500 car. You read that right $500. We’ll be talking about those projects and getting into the big news of the past week including Ford and VW profits, the sinking ship that is Lexus and what we can infer from the fact that Chrysler and Fiat have all but dropped out of the EV game. By the way, we’ve got an update about the MKZ after last week’s show; this info is very telling. John McElroy is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

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Subcompacts, b-cars, $#!+shakers. Call them what you want, but these little buggers are here to stay, even in U.S. Being a full-size country loaded with full-size people used to driving full-size vehicles, b-segment cars may seem out of place in the land of the free. But as fuel prices send our wallets through the ringer, more and more Americans are turning to and enjoying the smaller side of driving. Here’s a look at how some of the most popular subcompacts stack up against each other in our first-ever Power-to-Weight showdown. The results may just surprise you.

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Is the Acura TL worthy of its premium price tag? The brand’s recent history has been a little checkered and its vehicles aren’t selling that well. At first glance this four-door sedan with a goofy-looking grille doesn’t look like it has the chops to compete with the heavyweights in its class. Does it deliver a top-shelf experience or is it just another gold-plated Honda? Magistrate McElroy recently spent a week with a 2012 model. Hit “play” to hear his judgment.

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On John’s recent trip to Taiwan he visited a company called Pihsiang that makes a variety of electric vehicles — think scooters and wheelchairs. It also makes batteries, and it’s developing a next-generation cell chemistry its founder claims can FULLY recharge in less than five minutes! Find out what all the hubbub is about by clicking “play.”

Get Shanghaied in the Big Apple this week as we run down the latest auto show reveals from these two mega cities.  Learn about Subaru’s latest Impreza, the new Honda Civic, Ford’s refreshed Taurus and a lot more, only on RoundAbout, #79, the “New York vs. Shanghai” episode. 

Brought to you by Advance Auto Parts.

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Featuring: Michelle Naranjo, Dalibor Dimovski, Colin Bird, Steven Ewing, Charles Krome, Eric Trytko, Craig Cole and Ben Sanders

Show notes and Ustream video after the jump!

RoundAbout records LIVE on Fridays at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT. Visit RoundAboutShow.com and click Watch Live to watch our webcast and look in on all the antics.

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(Archived video after the jump below)

This week’s guest of honor is Ford’s Barb Samardzich, the Vice President of Global Product Programs. We’ll be asking her if there are new segments Ford needs to get into and what the future holds for the Lincoln brand. John McElroy will also talk about his trip to Taiwan and a brand new car company called Luxgen that is developing some very interesting technologies. We’ll also touch on some of the most interesting reveals from the dueling New York and Shanghai auto shows this week. John is joined in studio by the Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.

Thanks to our sponsors who make Autoline After Hours possible: Bridgestone, Chevrolet and Hyundai.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

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

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If you missed Autoline’s LIVE coverage from the Washington D.C. Auto Show, watch the replays here. Highlights include Sue Cischke the Group VP of Sustainability, Environment & Safety Energy Engineering for Ford, Jonathan Browning the President & CEO for VW of America, Margo Oge of the U.S. EPA and Ed Welburn the VP of Global Design at General Motors.

On this week’s installment of RoundAbout, get screwed by a bizarre Russian vehicle. Find out who has the world’s greatest driveway. And learn what vehicles Uncle Sam absolutely will not let you drive. Enjoy all that and a whole lot more, on RoAb #78, the “Taking it to the MAX” episode. Our special guest this week is Jeff Glucker of Autoblog.

Brought to you by Advance Auto Parts.

Play RoundAbout Episode 78

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Featuring: Jeff Glucker, Jeffrey Ross, Eric Trytko, Craig Cole and Ben Sanders

Show notes and Ustream video after the jump!

RoundAbout records LIVE on Fridays at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT. Visit RoundAboutShow.com and click Watch Live to watch our webcast and look in on all the antics.

continue reading »

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A lot of — sorry — fanboys seem to be upset by the Turbo version of the Buick Regal. They say this is no car for enthusiasts, and they’re right. But, stop all your hand wringing, because guess what: it doesn’t matter. Here’s why.

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You already know the two big players in the EV marketplace. Both Nissan and Chevrolet have come out, both guns blazing, with purpose-built electric cars. Smart is taking a safer and perhaps, uh, smarter route by adapting its small Fortwo model into an EV, or as they call it, ED. So, can they stand up to the rest of the electric competition or will they be out-SmartED? Let’s see.