Open Line: Car Talk that Talks Back

It's the big Open Line Finale of 2011, and boy did we find the right guest to help us go out with a bang! We've got the legendary automotive icon that can't help but speak his mind: Bob Lutz. We'll have tons to ask him, and we're sure you will too, but chief among our concerns is the latest news about the Chevrolet Volt. The extended-range EV was developed under his wing, and we'll be asking him whether the battery fires have been blown out of proportion. Plus, we'll be asking him about his involvement with Lotus and where that company is going.

This month host Michelle Naranjo is in Sin City for the annual SEMA show, and she's invited some of the big players to come on and talk. First off is John Krafcik from Hyundai who will talk about their presence at SEMA and their new turbo version of the Veloster. Also Margaret Brooks from Chevrolet will join us to talk about the Sonics, Cruzes and Camaros we're seeing at the show.

We’ve said it over and over here at Autoline: kids just aren’t into cars the way they used to be. They’d rather play with their iPhones than polish a muscle car. So if you can’t get teenagers interested in driving cars, how can you ever hope to get a new generation of kids to be mechanics? That challenge is what this month’s special Open Line guest aims to solve. Pete Raskovic is a 25+ year master technician, race mechanic and automotive educator, and we’ll be asking him what advantages there are to pursuing a career in automotive education.

Shhh… keep this on the down-low, but this month’s Open Line guest is hush, hush. Jim Woolsey is, for all practical purposes, a “greenie,” but not necessarily for all the reasons you might think. You see, Jim served as the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and so he knows a thing or two about national security and why we should curb our use of foreign oil. Jim’s committed to doing his part and he’s happy to rub it in Al Qaeda’s face. We’ll ask him what he thinks the threats are and learn how automotive can be part of the solution.

This week, Chelsea and Michelle are joined by a real GM insider. We ask him about the idea of a $25,000 luxury car and he explains the Buick brand's position on the eAssist technology and what that means for consumer education. We also ask about what GM knows about marketing fuel efficiency versus selling hybrids and if the buying public cares as much about what powers a car as the enthusiasts do. Questions from callers include everything from praise for Buick to category comparisons to pleas for the return of the El Camino. We also discuss what will be next for Buick. Nick Richards is the Buick Communications Group Manager and has previously been at PowerTrain, OnStar, Hummer and Volt. Michelle Naranjo, editor of Autobytel.com is live in studio in Detroit while Chelsea Sexton of chelseasexton.com holds down the fort in California.

July 5th proved to be a great Open Line as Chelsea and Michelle interviewed Mark Dill, VP of Marketing and PR for the Indianapolis Speedway and took calls and chatted about cars well into the night. We even had our first participant in China! Discussion ranged from new technologies in electric cars to the good ol’ traditional gas guzzler talk.

In Open Line's first podcast episode we talk to Eric Fitch from PurposeEnergy. He creates fuel from, of all things, beer! What other ways can we cleverly repurpose byproducts for energy in a world without a viable EV infrastructure?

Everyone’s favorite automotive call-in show returns to the airwaves of the Internet with host Michelle Naranjo back at the helm. But — we’re making some improvements to the show, see what surprises we have in store!