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To say Dan Akerson has had an exciting career is an understatement. He's held leadership positions such as CEO, Chairman, President, and Managing Director of top organizations - including MCI, General Instrument, Nextel, The Carlisle Group, and General Motors. He's been successful at each stop. He continues to be active, serving on the boards at American Express and Lockheed Martin, but it's his four years as CEO of General Motors that people remember best. He led GM from 2010 to 2014 where he orchestrated a major turnaround. He joins us today to talk about the auto industry and its supply-chain challenges. He also shares a few stories about leadership, working with Vladimir Putin, and how to knock out a billion dollars in losses. Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.
UP FOR DISCUSSION:- VW of America sacks its president, Jonathan Browning- NACTOY jurors debate car and truck of the year- GM pulls Chevy out of Europe, appoints a new CEO, shuts down Holden and a whole lot moreAll that and more with John McElroy, Autoline.tv; Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist; Matt DeLorenzo, KBB; and Gary Vasilash, Automotive Design and Production
Dan Akerson, Chairman and CEO of General Motors, adds Tesla to the list of companies he’s bashed. Goldman Sachs says EU car sales are set to rebound in the near future. Honda finally puts a price to the hybrid version of the Accord. All that and more, plus John McElroy talks to Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top about his love for cars and the origin of “Cadzilla.”
In a move that caught most industry observers by surprise, General Motors hired away the top marketing executive from Volkswagen of America. The U.S. Treasury Department is selling off its remaining shares in General Motors. And one of those people who bought stock was GM CEO Dan Akerson. NISMO became Nissan’s exclusive performance and motorsports brand. All that and more, plus John McElroy shows you how the top car companies stack up against each other.
He spent 55 years developing racing engines with Ford, worked with some of the greatest drivers of the 20th century, and now he's talking with us! Mose Nowland is the former Senior Motorsport Engineer for Ford Racing, and he's only recently retired. Having worked on cars for Le Mans, Indy, NASCAR and drag racing, this guy's no one trick pony. We'll be asking him to opine on the good ole days and compare them to what's going on today in racing. Plus, you can bet there's a discussion of the past week's hottest topics on tap, including the revelation that Mark Reuss got passed over for Dan Akerson at GM. And, should Corvette spin off into its own brand? Peter De Lorenzo thinks so, and John McElroy thinks his ambitious plan might not be ambitious enough. Joining John and Peter in studio is none other than the man who knew far, far too much: Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics.
Once a year the Autoline After Hours fellas get to play Santa as they bestow their prestigious (or not so prestigious) Naughty and Nice awards. What people, brands and cars will get presents? Which will be smothered in coal dust? There's only one way to find out! Joining John McElroy for this special holiday-themed broadcast is his partner in crime Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, Jim Hall from 2953 Analytics and Gary Vasilash from Automotive Design and Production.
GM CEO Dan Akerson is taking GM employees down a peg. The former naval officer criticized employees for leaks to the media, and the company’s products for not being competitive. Auto workers in South Korea are striking for higher pay and an end to night shifts which the workers say are dangerous. Frito-Lay, the snack foods division of PepsiCo, is increasing it’s fleet of EV delivery trucks. The fleet is now the nation’s largest. All that and more, plus we pump up some tires.
Engines of Change is the new book by Paul Ingrassia. In it he names the 15 cars he thinks have had the biggest impact on American society and culture. Paul is our guest this week in the AAH studio, and this conversation is could be a big debate! What 15 cars would you pick? Plus, you know we’ll be digging deep into the hot topics of the week including Dan Akerson blaming Detroit’s downfall on the car guys. To discuss this and way, way more, John McElroy is joined in studio by co-host Peter De Lorenzo, the one and only Autoextremist, and Todd Lassa from Motor Trend and Motor Trend Classic.
The full-size car segment is starting to heat up in the American market. Chrysler will unveil two new concept vehicles at the Beijing Auto Show in two weeks. Mazda is struggling financially, which is why the financial community wants to see the company dump some of its non-core assets. All that and more, plus John talks to Jessica LaFond from Chrysler about a program the company uses to develop future management.
GM CEO Dan Akerson Dan Akerson, Chairman and CEO, General Motors THaving posted the most profitable year in it history, General Motors seeks to drive technology toward a cleaner future. GM CEO, Dan Akerson says the “new GM” wants to be part of environmental solutions not the problem. He also talks about the Chevy Volt, climate-driven business risk, and funding of the controversial Heartland Institute. This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco on March 7, 2012
This week we take an up-close peek at the next phase of transportation with our guest, Chris Borroni-Bird, the Director of Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts for GM. We'll be getting into the details of the EN-V program and even take a ride in one of the futuristic concepts. GM's President of North America, Mark Reuss, suggested that an EN-V trial program could happen in Detroit, but what would it take to make that happen? As usual, we'll be getting into some of the hottest topics of the week. John McElroy is joined in studio by the one and only Autoextremist Peter De Lorenzo as well as Charlie Vogelheim from Intellichoice.com.
Chinese automakers are expanding at a rapid pace and one of them is building cars in Iraq of all places. Geely and Volvo are clashing over the direction the safety-conscious Swedish brand should go. GM CEO Dan Akerson adds Lincoln to the long list of brands he's bashed. All that and more, plus we evaluate BMW's fast and fun X5 M.
This week it’s “Home Sweet Home” as the After Hours crew returns to the studio for another outspoken edition of your favorite LIVE webcast. We’re joined by special guest John Waraniak, SEMA’s vice president of vehicle technology. We’ll be asking him if performance cars can survive the CAFE crunch. We’ll also get into the other news of the week including Ford’s plummeting profits, January sales figures and what Dan Akerson is up to at General Motors. John McElroy is joined in studio by Frank Markus of Motor Trend and Mr. Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo.
Earlier this week we reported that Ford is facing a parts shortage and now other automakers are feeling the squeeze, too. Volvo plans to drastically cut its lineup in the U.S. Tesla announced it's launched a battery-recycling program in Europe with a Belgian company called Umicore. All that and more, plus guest host Peter De Lorenzo, the Autoextremist, takes a stab at responding to your questions and comments in the "You Said It!" segment.
A group of eight automakers are getting together to work on car-to-car communications. Toyota is recalling 1.7 million vehicles worldwide to replace faulty parts including defective fuel systems. Italian sports-car builder Pagani revealed its latest creation and this thing is crazy-looking! All that and more, plus guest host Peter De Lorenzo shares his thoughts on GM CEO Dan Akerson and his latest moves to put his "stamp" on the company.