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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- Chevrolet Unveils the new Cruze and the Camaro Convertible
- Alfa Romeo Unveils the Long-Anticipated Giulia
- Ford Unveils… an Electric Bicycle?

SPECIAL GUEST: David Woodhouse, Design Director, Lincoln Motor Company
- Does Lincoln’s Continental Concept look a little too much like other luxury leaders, or just enough?

All that and much more with John McElroy, Autoline.tv; Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; John Manoogian, College for Creative Studies.

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

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

Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

It was 1966 arguably the greatest music year in the 20th Century. Not only did Dylan release “Blonde on Blonde” but the Beatles came out with “Revolver” and the Beach Boys gave us “Pet Sounds.” And that doesn’t even count the multitude of singles from that year including like likes of “The Last Train to Clarksville,” “California Dreamin’” and “These Boots are made for Walkin’.”

So in the middle of all this rock n’ roll history comes the man who had owned the charts until a few years earlier and was still making relevant music. That man was the Chairman of the Board: Frank Sinatra.

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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- 2015 J.D. Power IQS: Who is it good for?
- Porsche Wins Le Mans: Even if it did take 17 years
- EPA Ratings: Reality check

SPECIAL GUEST: Craig Metros, Exterior Designer, Ford GT
- Which came first, engineering or styling?

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

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

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

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

Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

This is a tune written by the hottest songwriter in the world at the time, then, 19-year old Jimmy Webb. It was first recorded by his boss at the production studio he worked at in Hollywood, Johnny Rivers; you know Mr. “Secret Agent Man.” A couple years later Glenn Campbell made that same tune a big hit as well as his signature song until he recorded Rhinestone Cowboy. And in fact, according to BMI “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” became the 3rd most performed song over a 50 year period (1940 to 1990).

But as good as the Rivers & Campbell versions were, neither could measure up to our choice for this week’s Auto Tune. No, our spotlight shines on the cover recorded in 1969 by the incredible Isaac Hayes for his landmark album “Hot Buttered Soul.”

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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- Costco the Auto Giant: Guess the middle man can be helpful after all
- BMW’s Tagline: What happened to “Ultimate Driving Machine”—too steampunk?
- GM’s Bryan Nesbitt: Wuling and Baojun… and now Buick

SPECIAL GUEST: Al Oppenheiser, Chief Engineer, Chevrolet Camaro

All that and much more with John McElroy, Autoline.tv; Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; Chris Paukert, Freelance Auto Journalist; Jim McCraw, Freelance Auto Journalist.

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

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

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

Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.

If you know anything about Bernie Taupin, the man who wrote the lyrics to Elton John’s most recognizable tunes, then you know he is great lover of American roots music. In fact, he even has a weekly radio show on SiriusXM devoted to many of these early 20th century recordings.

This is germane because our Auto Tune this week, Elton John’s “Shoulder Holster,” is loosely based on a blues tune from the turn of the century – 1900 that is — by Mississippi John Hurt called “Frankie and Johnny.”

What qualifies it as one of my top Auto Tunes is how Mr. Taupin updated the cheating husband story to a late 1970s ethic complete with transportation. Dolly Summers, our song’s subject, has a lovely life in the American Midwest somewhere save for the fact that her husband ran off with another woman. Not one to be spurned, and obviously holding a bit of a grudge, she grabs her gun, jumps in her Mustang and goes searching for the runaway couple.

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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.

Reviewer: Seamus McElroy
Manufacturer: Kia
Make: Kia
Model: Sorento
Type: 5-door CUV
Competitors: Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Nissan Murano
Price: $45,095 as tested
Made in: West Point, GA
Drivetrain: 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo w/ direct injection mated to 6-speed automatic transmission
EPA Ratings: 19 MPG city/ 25 MPG highway/ 22 MPG combined

Final Impression:
The all-new Kia Sorento went on sale earlier this year in the U.S. and it’s making an impact in the market. Sales were up in May and year to date sales are up 13%. And after driving the new model, it’s easy to see why customers are snapping up the new version.

The 2016 Sorento is bigger than the outgoing model. Its wheelbase is 3 inches longer and its overall width is slightly larger too. The styling is more evolutionary rather than revolutionary but it’s easy to tell when you’re looking at the new model. Most notably the grille and the lower air intake are larger and bolder.

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Klas Bendrik is the Group CIO and Senior VP of Volvo Cars. He talks with John McElroy about how Volvo optimizes the display of information in the car to keep drivers safe. They also discuss the XC90′s massive 9.2-inch display, and McElroy asks when Volvo’s Autopilot technology will allow autonomous driving at highway speeds.

Dan Kinney is the Director of User Experience for GM. He talks with John McElroy about how GM prefers to eschew “Internet of Things” thinking in favor of the “Internet of Me.” Kinney discusses GM’s Apple Bar-like Connection Centers in dealerships and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay integration.

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UP FOR DISCUSSION:
- May Sales: Is Everybody Happy? (Well, maybe not Ford)
- Telematics, infotainment: Too much of not always a good thing?
- Chevy’s 2015 Car Onslaught: Didn’t they get the memo about trucks?

SPECIAL GUEST: Arie Groeneveld, Chief Engineer, Ford Explorer

All that and much more with Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design & Production; Henry Payne, The Detroit News; David Welch, Bloomberg.

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

Subscribe to the free podcast version of Autoline After Hours:

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