AAH #239 – “T” Party, Ford Style

April 25th, 2014 at 4:23pm

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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- Mark Fields to replace Alan Mulally at Ford — Yes, and?
- No new hybrids at the NY Auto Show, meanwhile is Beijing stealing its thunder?

SPECIAL GUEST: David Liepelt, Antique Car Enthusiast
- Would YOU commute to work in a Ford Model T? Our guest has.

All that and more with John McElroy, Autoline.tv; Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; and Todd Lassa, Automobile

Thanks to our sponsor who makes Autoline After Hours possible: Bridgestone.

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Seat Time: 2014 Chevrolet Malibu 2LZ

April 21st, 2014 at 8:30am

2014 Chevrolet Malibu

Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Manufacturer: General Motors
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Malibu 2LZ
Model Range: 4-door sedan
Competitors: Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Ford Fusion
Trim Levels: LS, LT, LTZ
Price Range: Base: $22,140. Price as tested: $35,995
Made in: Kansas City, KS
Drivetrain: 259 hp, 2.0 l turbo I-4 w/ 6-speed automatic
EPA Ratings: 21 city/30 highway/24 combined. Observed: 21.7 mpg.

Read on for John McElroy‘s final impressions of this vehicle

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Seat Time: 2014 Mazda3

April 18th, 2014 at 3:00pm

2014 Mazda3

Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Manufacturer: Mazda
Make: Mazda
Model: MAZDA3 (compact segment)
Model Range: 4-door sedan/5-door hatchback
Competitors: Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic, Chevy Cruze, Nissan Sentra
Trim Levels: i SV, i Sport, i Touring, i Grand Touring, s Touring, S Grand Touring
Price Range: $17,775 to $27,325 — Delivery, Processing & Handling Fee $795
Made in: Hofu, Japan
Drivetrain: DOHC SKYACTIV 2.0-liter inline-4 FWD, DOHC SKYACTIV 2.5-liter inline-4 FWD, 6-speed manual transmission (standard), 6-speed automatic (optional)
EPA Ratings: SKYACTIV-G 2.0L MT — 29 city/40 highway; SKYACTIV-G 2.0L AT — 30 city/40 highway; SKYACTIV-G 2.5L AT — 27 city/37 highway; SKYACTIV-G 2.5L AT w/ i-ELOOP — 28 city/38 highway

Read on for Chip Drake‘s final impressions of this vehicle

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AAH #238 – LIVE (to Tape) from New York, it’s Autoline After Hours!

April 17th, 2014 at 10:23pm

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SPECIAL GUESTS:
Mark Fields, Ford COO
Dave Zuchowski, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor America
Harlan Charles, Product Marketing Manager, Corvette
Raj Nair, Group VP, Product Development, Ford
Pierre Loing, VP Product Planning – Nissan North America
Michael Sprague, EVP Sales & Marketing, KIA Motors America
Moray Callum, VP Design, Ford
Alanna Tracey-Bahri, Product Manager, BMWNA X4

All that and more with Host Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production

Thanks to our sponsor who makes Autoline After Hours possible: Bridgestone.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

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Thanks to our partners and friends AutoFieldGuide.com, DrivenMavens.com and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!

Seat Time: 2014 Subaru Forester

April 17th, 2014 at 8:30am

002_2014ForesterXT

Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Manufacturer: Fuji Heavy Industries
Make: Subaru
Model: Forester
Model Range: Mid-Size CUV
Competitors: Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Rogue, VW Tiguan
Trim Levels: 2.5i, 2.0XT
Price Range: Base: $22,820; As Tested: $36,220
Made in: Ota, Gunma, Japan
Drivetrain: 2.5L BOXER 4-cylinder w/ 6spd. manual or CVT. 2.0L direct-injection turbocharged BOXER 4-cylinder w/ CVT
EPA Ratings: 2.5L w/ manual = 22 city/29 highway. 2.5L w/ CVT = 24 city/ 32 highway. 2.0L = 23 city/ 28 highway

Read on for Seamus McElroy‘s final impressions of this vehicle

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Seat Time: 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG

April 16th, 2014 at 11:46am

Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG

Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Manufacturer: Daimler AG
Make: Mercedes-Benz
Model: CLA 45 AMG
Model Range: 4-door sedan
Competitors: Cadillac CTS-V, BMW M3, Audi RS3
Trim Levels: CLA 250, CLA 45 AMG
Price Range: Base price: $30,825. Price as tested: $61,590
Made in: Kecskemet, Hungary
Drivetrain: 2.0 l I-4 turbo; 355 hp, 322 lb-ft, 7-speed DCT
EPA Ratings: 23 city/31 highway/26 combined. Observed: 23 mpg.

Read on for John McElroy‘s final impressions of this vehicle

continue reading »

Seat Time: 2015 Hyundai Genesis

April 15th, 2014 at 12:29pm

2015 Hyundai Genesis

Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Manufacturer: Hyundai
Make: Hyundai
Model: Genesis
Model Range: 4-door sedan
Competitors: Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Cadillac CTS, Lexus GS (Primary); Lexus ES, BMW 5-Series & Audi A6 (Secondary)
Trim Levels: 3.8L RWD, 3.8L AWD & 5.0L RWD
Price Range: $38,000 (base 3.8L V6 RWD) to $55,000 (5.0L V8 RWD w/ optional Ultimate Package) + 950 freight charges
Made in: Ulsan, South Korea
Drivetrain: 3.8-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 GDI (in both FWD & HTRAC All-wheel drive), 5.0-liter DOHC 32-valve V8 GDI (RWD) with 8-speed electronic automatic with SHIFTRONIC manual shift mode
EPA Ratings: 3.8L V6 RWD — 18 city/29 highway/22 combined; 3.8L V6 AWD — 16 city/25 highway/19 combined; 5.0L V8 RWD — 15 city/23 highway/18 combined

Read on for Chip Drake‘s final impressions of this vehicle

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AAH #237 – Meet Chris Svensson of Ford Design

April 11th, 2014 at 4:15pm

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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- Hybrids vs. diesels… or maybe you don’t need either.
- GM adds $1.3 billion charge in Q1, meanwhile invests $449 million to build more Volts
- Land Rover’s augmented reality technology could be a game changer.

SPECIAL GUEST: Chris Svensson, Ford Design Director, The Americas

All that and more with John McElroy, Autoline.tv; Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; and Chris Paukert, Autoblog

Thanks to our sponsor who makes Autoline After Hours possible: Bridgestone.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

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Seat Time: 2014 Ford Fiesta Titanium

April 9th, 2014 at 5:11pm

2014 Ford Fiesta

Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.

Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Make: Ford
Model: Fiesta Titanium
Model Range: 4-door sedan & hatchback
Competitors: Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Chevrolet Sonic
Trim Levels: S, SFE, SE, SE Appearance, Titanium, ST
Price Range: $14,100-$21,400. Price as tested: $20,390
Made in: Cuatitlan, Mexico
Drivetrain: 1.6 L TIVCT; 5-speed manual
EPA Ratings: 27 city/38 highway/31 combined. Observed: 35 mpg.

Read on for John McElroy‘s final impressions of this vehicle

continue reading »

AAH #236 – GM’s Defect: What Did Barra Know, and When Did She Know it?

April 4th, 2014 at 3:24pm

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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- Mary Barra’s testimony in D.C. — going from bad to worse?
- How did the analysts get March sales forecasts so wrong?
- Chrysler says Ram outsold Silverado, but WardsAuto data disagrees
- Sales overall are up, yet green car numbers continue to plummet

SPECIAL GUEST: Barry Ratzlaff, Executive Director, Hyundai Connected Car & BlueLink

All that and more with John McElroy, Autoline.tv; Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; and Mike Austin, Popular Mechanics.

Thanks to our sponsor who makes Autoline After Hours possible: Bridgestone.

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

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Thanks to our partners and friends AutoFieldGuide.com, DrivenMavens.com and WardsAuto.com for embedding AAH!