Tonight we talk about all the latest, tumultuous news to come out of the automotive world as we welcome Sharon Silke Carty, the Detroit Bureau Chief for USA TODAY. This week Big Ed shakes up the entire GM management structure after dismal February sales, and Bob Lutz announces he will retire in May. Toyota’s woes continue as they issue new recalls, but has human error been addressed sufficiently or at all? John McElroy’s in studio as usual as well as David Welch of BusinessWeek and Bloomberg and Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.
No this isn’t Ray Wert’s version of a pr0n film, well, OK maybe it is, but that’s not exactly what this is all about. While Ford is telling the world about it’s V6 305HP Mustang getting 31MPG on the highway, the kids from Gorillaz have a video out for their new album that’s a mixture of Mad Max, Sin City and Gumball Rally.
It’s the moment you wait for every four years: the RoundAbout Winter Games in which news stories compete for the coveted RoAb Gold Medal. A GM worker takes the medal in Road Warriorism as he racks up more daily miles than any of the competition. Meanwhile, a driver of a Silverado takes the award in Near Misses as he narrowly averts an unorthodox vasectomy. In the highly-competitive Stupidity category, a Bugatti owner (well, former owner) once again takes the prize. Plus Zach, Jeffrey and even Joey all have cars (and planes) In the Garage, and we have an Alaska edition of Meet Your Roadmates!
Sure you’ve watched cars pull massive wheelies when they launch on a drag strip, but how many do you see get up in the wheelie bars at the 1/8th mile!! I think this car is making a bit of boost about 700 feet out!
Even Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson yelling POWER might say, oh, that’s a bit much maybe.
Tonight we talk the future of car design with Bob Boniface, Director of Crossover Exterior Design and Global Electric Vehicle Design. Bob was the design director on the Chevy Camaro concept, but most recently his work can be found on the forthcoming Volt. We’ll be asking how designing an electric vehicle is different from an internal combustion vehicle and whether cars should be designed with a global audience in mind.
We’ll be getting into those issues, plus a discussion of this week’s news including the Toyota hearings and Fritz Henderson’s reappointment at GM. John McElroy’s in studio as usual as well as David Welch of BusinessWeek and Bloomberg and Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.
So, you’re a crook in Hoboken with designs on a couple Land Rovers that don’t belong to you? You think you have the perfect getaway planned, but not so fast. Those SUVs you’ve just stolen are probably driving about as fast as the Deja Vu Strippermobile down a crowded boulevard in Florida. But if you think that’s the only place you’re going to see a booty shaking out the back of a car, then you haven’t met the pink lady of NASCAR. All that and more in this ‘Not So Fast’ edition of RoundAbout. Plus we’re back with America’s favorite gameshow The Price is CORRECT, Miss MotorMouth has a doozy of a tale about when Malibu meets a train (standing still), and we’ll actually provide some useful car advice (what?!?) in our Tip of the Week!
Tonight we talk hot rods as we invite a special guest on the show, Bob Larivee, Jr., the owner of the traveling AutoRama exhibition. Are baby boomers going to lose their shirts over the investments they’ve made into classic cars? What are the newest trends in customization? Which of today’s cars will be the future collectibles?
We’ll be getting into those issues, plus a discussion of this week’s news. John McElroy’s in studio as usual as well as David Welch of BusinessWeek and Bloomberg and Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.
Is there more polarizing a holiday than Valentine’s Day? If you’re in a happy, stable relationship then you probably love it. On the other hand, you may be one of the legions who prefer to stay indoors with the windows shuttered, in which case you probably hate it. So, this week we bring you stories of automotive love and hate.
Turns out that despite raising the ire of environmentalists everywhere, the Suburban is the GM vehicle most loved by the youngsters. And, over time there are those noises and creaks in your car that you come to both despise and adore. One clever group of artists have composed a veritable love song made entirely from the noises of a Jeep. Plus we’ve got another installment of Meet Your Roadmates, this week the Dodge Edition, and we’ll get a Chicago Auto Show wrap-up from our guest Colin Bird!
t seems like the bad news just doesn’t stop for Toyota these days. Millions of vehicles have been recalled, with perhaps, more to come, tarnishing the auto giant’s record of high-quality workmanship. Now, members of Congress are calling for Akio Toyoda to testify stateside. To discuss the delicate art of Crisis Management on this week’s show, and what Toyota could have done better, we’re summoning an old friend for a deposition before our panel.
Jason Vines was at the helm of Ford Public Relations when the Explorer rollover crisis occurred in the 1990s. We’ll ask how a company can effectively diffuse a PR bomb and keep the situation from spiraling out of control. John McElroy’s onboard as usual as well as David Welch of BusinessWeek and Bloomberg and Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist.