The Los Angeles Auto Show kicks off the American auto show circuit each fall with a significant eco twist. Yet every year, we’ve burned our travel budget by the time the LA Show rolls around. But fear not! We have an Ecoriffic way to deliver the news from LA this time out … We’re honored to host Autoline’s 2011 LA Auto Show coverage. Coverage is slated to start at 3:00 PM EST on Wednesday, November 16th.
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We’ve provided a list of questions for Autoline host, John McElroy to ask the executives from a number of key manufacturers. If John can’t fit the questions into his coverage, we’ll run them past each of the automakers in the days ahead.
John Krafcik, Hyundai
MPG: John, congrats on the stellar launch of the Veloster and for bringing a much-needed turbo so quickly. How crucial was the launch of the Veloster at last year’s Chicago show with Rhys Millen’s Rallycrosser? How risky was it to tie the launch to a fledgling race series?
JK: Well, Rhys and Rallycross were a perfect match for Veloster…built early buzz, & showed the potential of the car. Low risk. ESPN’s involvement gave us a lot confidence.
Mark Reuss, GM
MPG: Mark, congrats on the success of the Cruze Eco and Sonic, they’re proving that America can compete with small cars. A huge thank you for the upcoming clean diesel Cruze. When might we expect to see a clean diesel Sonic? How high can we push the little critter’s MPG?
Derek Kuzak, Ford
MPG: Derek, the One Ford program is wonderful. We’re finally getting what was the forbidden fruit here in the United States, those fabulous European Fiestas and Focus (Focii?). While I can’t wait for the announced ST performance models, what I really want to see are the super-efficient diesels. VW’s diesel take rates have shown that the market is there. Has GM opened the door with the upcoming Cruze diesel?
Jim O’Sullivan, Mazda
MPG: Jim, I always look forward to test driving Mazdas. I learned to drive in a manual-equipped RX-4 wagon, back in the day. In that era, Mazda wasn’t just known for for its marvelous, yet thirsty rotaries, it also had a diesel-powered pickup truck. America has long clamored for a high-MPG pickup. With the upcoming return of the Mazda diesels could we see the BT-50 pickup here in the States?
Michael Bartsch, Porsche
MPG: Michael, the Porsche brand is synonymous with performance. The new CAFE standards pose a significant challenge. How will Porsche be able to sell cars that conform with the latest proposed CAFE numbers? Will we see a Boxter TDI?
– by Daniel Gray