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Autoline on Autoblog auto news
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08/19/2011 [Original: Autoblog]
Category: Etc., Videos, Autoline on Autoblog
 If you weren't aware already, the Woodward Dream Cruise is set to rumble through Detroit this Saturday. Our friends from Autoline have already made their way over to the famed stretch of road, and are bringing their Autoline After Hours show to you live from the street. John McElroy and Peter De Lorenzo will be there to talk classic iron, and the pair have invited a few guests to join in the enthusiast banter. You can watch it all unfold live after the jump. The start time is scheduled for 7PM EST. Also, be sure to tune in to our own coverage of the Dream Cruise this Saturday. We've got our team assembled, and like years past, we'll be live streaming the entire cruise live so those not in attendance can see the thousands of cars that will be there. We've obsessively covered the Dream Cruise in the past, but this year we are even more obsessed... so stay tuned for a surprise. Continue reading Autoline After Hours coming to you live from Woodward Ave
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07/20/2011 [Original: Autoblog]
Category: Plants/Manufacturing, Videos, Autoline on Autoblog
 As the relative price of gasoline drops, people are not motivated to buy small, fuel efficient cars. All the top executives in the auto industry tell me that oil supplies will only get tighter this decade. They predict that fuel prices will do nothing but go up. And they say customers will be clamoring for small, fuel-efficient cars. Or electric ones. But what if it turns out they're wrong?After all, over the last century the price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States, on an inflation-adjusted basis, has always come down. Always. Data from the Energy Information Administration shows that since 1919 the price of gasoline has spiked during war time or global turmoil, but it has always come down after that. This is a key reason why Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations have not worked. As the relative price of gasoline drops over time, people are not motivated to buy small, fuel efficient cars. A decade ago, the Peak Oil theory attracted a lot of adherents. It postulated that global oil production would peak in 2006, and that the following shortage would send oil prices skyrocketing. Sure enough, in 2008 a barrel of oil shot to $150. It looked like the Peak Oil theory was coming true. But less than 12 months later it dropped to under $40 a barrel. And though the price is now closer to $100 you don't hear as much talk about Peak Oil anymore. Here's why.
![John McElroy]() John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.
Continue reading What if it turns out there's plenty of oil? [w/video]
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04/12/2011 [Original: Autoblog]
Category: Government/Legal, Safety, Autoline on Autoblog
 Ever since automobiles first appeared over 100 years ago, every automaker has tried to make them go faster. And they succeeded. Nearly every year, cars became more powerful with higher top-end speeds. But then, in the mid-1950s, we hit a plateau. The national speed limit was set at 70 miles per hour, and we've been stuck at that rate ever since. As a result, the automobile has made absolutely no progress as a transportation device in over half a century. Speed itself is not a safety hazard. It's the difference in speeds between cars that lead to accidents. Actually, in 1974, it got worse. The national speed limit was lowered to 55 mph, ostensibly to save fuel and lives (it did neither). Such an agonizingly slow rate of travel proved too much to take for most Americans. We demanded that the limit be raised, and we got it back to 70 mph. Now it's time to demand another raise.I'm not talking about some sort of modest increase to, say, 85 mph. We need to put a comprehensive plan in place to gradually move the limit up, over the next couple of decades, to 150 miles an hour. And we need to do that with no sacrifice in fuel economy or safety. Continue reading Opinion: Time to raise the speed limit, how does 150 MPH sound?... [Image: Getty] Continue reading Opinion: Time to raise the speed limit, how does 150 MPH sound?
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03/11/2011 [Original: Autocar via Autoblog]
Category: Minivans/MPVs, Volkswagen, Autoline on Autoblog, Rumormill
 Volkswagen Bulli Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery What did you think of Volkswagen's Bulli concept, which was just shown for the first time at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show? VW is apparently hoping you liked it, because rumor (via Autocar in the UK) has it that it's going into production. The concept version is powered by a 113-horsepower electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack, which can reportedly be charged in less than an hour. We don't know if the electric powertrain will make it into the production vehicle (our guess would be no, but who knows?), and there is no word on pricing. Still, how cool would it be to once again see a modern Volkswagen Microbus prowling the streets of America? The mind reels at the possibility. Photos copyright (C)2011 Steven J. Ewing / Damon Lavrinc / AOL
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03/11/2011 [Original: Autocar via Autoblog]
Category: Minivans/MPVs, Volkswagen, Autoline on Autoblog, Rumormill
Volkswagen Bulli Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery What did you think of Volkswagen's Bulli concept, which was just shown for the first time at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show? VW is apparently hoping you liked it, because rumor (via Autocar in the UK) has it that it's going into production. The concept version is powered by a 113-horsepower electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack, which can reportedly be charged in less than an hour. We don't know if the electric powertrain will make it into the production vehicle (our guess would be no, but who knows?), and there is no word on pricing. Still, how cool would it be to once again see a modern Volkswagen Microbus prowling the streets of America? The mind reels at the possibility. Photos copyright (C)2011 Steven J. Ewing / Damon Lavrinc / AOL
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02/22/2011 [Original: Autoblog]
Category: Safety, Autoline on Autoblog
 It took ten months. It involved the best brains in the nation. They conducted exhaustive tests. And Lord knows what it all cost. But when it was over, the results were totally predictable. The U.S. Department of Transportation could find nothing wrong with Toyota vehicles that would cause them to suddenly accelerate out of control. The results were predictable because the country went through the same thing nearly a quarter of a century ago. Only then, it involved Audi. And in both of these cases, each car company was accused of having some sort of mysterious gremlin that would cause its cars to suddenly accelerate out of control. But there is a significant difference between both investigations. Back then the Department of Transportation blamed it on driver error. Officially, they called it "pedal misapplication." But this time around, the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, wouldn't do that. He said it was caused by mechanical problems, i.e., sticky pedals and piled up floormats. Too bad the Secretary didn't have the courage to call it like it is. By failing to identify the root cause of the problem, more people are going to lose their lives. Continue reading... [Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty] Continue reading Opinion: Five Questions For Ray LaHood
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02/01/2011 [Original: Autoblog]
Category: Tech, Autoline on Autoblog, Design/Style
Making Stronger Steel As Light As Aluminum
The world's largest steel maker, ArcelorMital, says it has come up with a new kind of steel that the world has never seen before. Thanks to nanotechnology, the company says automakers can now match the weight of aluminum cars, but do it in steel at far lower cost. It can take 188 pounds out of the body-in-white of a car... but total weight savings could be even bigger. Specifically, ArcelorMital says it can take 188 pounds out of the body-in-white of a car. The body-in-white, or BIW, refers to the basic structure of a car, including the doors, hood and deck lid. That's a big number. By taking so much weight out of the structure, other components such as the powertrain, drivetrain, brakes, etc. can be downsized as well. In other words, the total weight savings could be even bigger.ArcelorMital is already showing this new kind of steel to automakers. It isn't yet ready to publicly divulge any of the technical aspects of the steel or how it's using nanotechnology to make it. The company says we're still two to three years away before we get those kinds of details. And that's about the time we'll see this steel show up in production. No word yet on which car company may be the first to use it, but the rumor on the street is that Ford is all over this technology. Continue reading...
![John McElroy]() John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.
Continue reading Steel nanotechnology can reduce the weight of our cars
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01/25/2011 [Original: Autoblog]
Category: Hirings/Firings, GM, Autoline on Autoblog
Can His Arsenal Survive New Management?
When Bob Lutz ran General Motors' product development efforts, he did something that no other car company has done in the history of making cars. He hired four automotive journalists to assess all of GM's new vehicles before they were OK'd for production. And their word was law. Everything had to be developed to their satisfaction. That didn't go down well with GM's traditional engineering staff, at least not at first. They didn't like the fact that four outsiders, four media critics with no product development experience, could force them to make changes on a new-car program. But because the journos reported to Lutz, they had all the protection they needed. [Lutz] personally asked me not to write anything about them. That's how much of a competitive advantage he felt they brought to GM. Lutz hired them as full-time employees because he wanted an independent, third party voice to evaluate GM's cars as they went through their development stages. "These are four guys who made a living out of critiquing cars," Lutz says, "and they made a pretty good living at it." Since the four didn't hold any allegiance to the design, engineering or manufacturing staffs at GM, they could feel free to critique any car just as they would when they were full-time journalists.Lutz tells me they were his secret weapons. He credits them with the reason why GM's cars are now tuned to world-class standards. These guys didn't design, engineer or develop any vehicles. That was done by GM's long-standing employees. But the journos brought an enthusiast magazine mind-set to the evaluation process to make sure there would be very little for the press to pick apart. I've known about Lutz's secret weapons for several years. But he personally asked me not to write anything about them. That's how much of a competitive advantage he felt they brought to GM. He didn't want to see any other car company copying this approach. Since these guys are friends and colleagues whom I've known for years, I also didn't want to jeopardize their jobs. So I didn't write about them. Until now. And now I think it's important that I do. Continue reading...
![John McElroy]() John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.
Continue reading How Bob Lutz made four auto journalists his "Secret Weapons" at GM
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01/10/2011 [Original: Autoblog]
Category: Detroit Auto Show, Videos, Autoline on Autoblog
 The crew from Autoline are broadcasting live from the Detroit Auto Show today and tomorrow. The stream kicks off at noon EST and runs through 2:30 PM each day, with interviews, discussions and impressions from the show floor. Hit the jump for the live stream and keep your eyes peeled for an Autoblog staffer running by in the background.Continue reading Autoline is live from Detroit
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12/18/2010 [Original: Autoblog]
Category: Hatchbacks, Nissan, Autoline on Autoblog, Electric
 Test driving an electric car at an automaker's media event is one thing. Taking one home and living with it is a completely different experience. Nissan just loaned me a Leaf for several days and I came away with a new appreciation for the potential pitfalls and rewards of owning an EV. First off, I really liked the Leaf. It's a nice, comfortable car with more than adequate power, it's unbelievably quiet and offers a decent driving range. In fact, it's been a long time since I was this excited to bring a test car home. But it wasn't always a shiny, smiley, happy experience. Let me state unequivocally: if you can only recharge from a 110-volt outlet, the Leaf is not for you. Not if you have a hefty commute and only own one car, that is. Continue reading...
![]() John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.
Continue reading 2011 Nissan Leaf: Pros and Cons of living with an electric car
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