Tim Kuniskis is the Head of Passenger Cars for FCA North America. He talks with John McElroy about all-new and newly-named Pacifica minivan. While it’s the first to offer a plug-in hybrid minivan, Kuniskis feels that customers don’t really care how a vehicle does something as long as it does it well. And, as you’ll find out, the new Chrysler Pacifica ticks a lot of best-in-class boxes.

Mark Templin is the Executive Vice President of Lexus International. Back in 2012 Lexus showed a concept car called the LF-LC, which was supposed to be a design exercise, but the car received such good feedback that it was greenlighted 6-months later. Mark Templin talks with John McElroy about the much wanted car, called the LC 500 and how it was kept as close to the original concept as possible.

Robert “Steve” Miller is the President and CEO of IAC. If you’ve never heard of IAC, it’s a Tier 1 supplier that does everything that makes an interior luxurious. Miller talks with John McElroy about how important the company has become as automakers use the interior, more than ever, as a differentiator with their customers.

Jeff Conrad is the Senior VP and General Manager at Honda. With unique styling cues, the original truck was met with some skepticism, but Conrad says the new truck keeps all of the features that everyone loves while adding the traditional look and feel of a pickup.https://youtu.be/KP2CuFnJkTs

Raj Nair is the Executive VP of Product Development and CTO at the Ford Motor Company. While the CUV market is currently exploding, Ford still believes it can’t give up on its sedans. Nair talks with John McElroy about the newly refreshed Fusion, which he says is the most advanced vehicle Ford has ever made. Oh, and don’t forget about the new 325-horsepower Sport model!

Duncan Aldred is the U.S. Vice President of Buick and GMC. He talks with John McElroy about the brand’s two newest vehicles, the Avista concept and the Envision. While the Avista is clearly a concept car, it does feature design cues that will carry over to future models and Aldred reminds us to never say never when it comes to Buick building a vehicle like this.

Ralph Gilles is the Head of Global Design for the FCA Group. He talks with John McElroy about the next-generation of minivan, the new Chrysler Pacifica. While some say the minivan segment is dead, Gilles thinks it has the right combination of luxury and function, not to mention bold styling.

Tim Barnes is the Director of Product Planning at Mazda North America. He talks with John McElroy about how Mazda is trying to push the brand more aspirational. One product it looks to do that with is the newly introduced CX-9. It’s a vehicle Barnes says has Mazda driving dynamics and styling yet still can meet the needs of a family.

Join John McElroy as he tours the floor of the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit! Autoline will be bringing you up-to-the-minute coverage of the latest reveals and biggest automotive newsmakers on January 11th and 12th!

Keep checking back throughout the week as we update Autoline.tv with the most recent interviews and vehicle previews hot off the show floor. Just a few of the personalities and cars already scheduled to appear:

Mazda Director, Product Planning Tim Barnes
FCA Head of Design Ralph Gilles
Ford Executive VP, Product Development & CTO Raj Nair
Lexus Executive VP Mark Templin
Buick/GMC Vice President Duncan Aldred
Honda SVP & General Manager Jeffery L. Conrad
Chrysler Head of Passenger Car Brands Tim Kuniskis
Mercedes-Benz Gen. Mgr. Product Mgmt. Bart Herring
Acura Global Creative Director Dave Marek

Ongoing NAIAS Coverage
January 11th and 12th, 2016
Autoline.tv

Andreas Titze is the Head of Interior Electronics for Volkswagen. He talks with John McElroy about its newest EV concept, a van called the BUDD-e. VW chose a van because it wanted to build on the legacy of the Microbus in the U.S. But it’s built on a new electric modular architecture (MEB) that would allow the company to tailor make an EV to any market.