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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #321 LIVE!

We're set to record Autoblog Podcast #321 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #321
Unibody Ford Ranger replacement

These are 2014's best-selling cars and trucks

Now that 2014 is no more than a set of numbers on spreadsheets, at last, the grist mill gets its first real load to chew on. The number one selling vehicle in America last year was the Ford F-Series, a fact that should surprise you only if your family name is Van Winkle and your naps tend to last 38 years, which is how long the Ford pickup has ruled our buying landscape. Even though series sales were down 1.3 percent, it still racked up 753,851 units. That's 2,065.3 sales per day, every day, all year. The Chevrolet Silverado, up 10.3 percent for the year, was still a daylight second at 529,755 units. The cab-and-bed love continued into third place with the Ram 1500-3500 trucks, gaining 23.6-percent year-on-year to clock 439,789 units. The robust turnout at The Bighorn and Jeep helped Fiat-Chrysler increase its sales by 16 percent, past the two-million mark. Our number one car? The Toyota Camry, staying in first place with a 4.9-percent sales boost to 428,606 sales, trailed again by the Honda Accord at number five with 388,374 sales. Accord sales rose six percent, and if it's any consolation to Honda for coming in second - not that it needs one - it is the only manufacturer to have three vehicles in the top ten. The rest of the list: the Nissan Altima with 335,644 sales (+4.7%), the Honda CR-V with 355,019 (+10.2%), the Toyota Corolla/Matrix combo with 339,498 (+5.9%), the Honda Civic with 325,981 (-3.1%), and the Ford Fusion with 306,860 sales (+2.9%). Total sales for the year were up six percent to 16.5 million vehicles, a volume not seen since 2006, aided by a strong December that was up by 11 percent year-on-year. Ford was the top selling brand overall but sales didn't really budge from 2013, while Subaru rocketed up 21 percent to finish with 513,693 sales. At the precious end, BMW, Audi, Porsche and Land Rover all had record years, and Kelley Blue Book thinks we could be looking at 17 million sales for the next two or three years. Looks like it's time to start making hay again... Featured Gallery Best-selling vehicles of 2014 View 10 Photos News Source: Detroit News, Associated Press Auto News Chevrolet Ford Honda Nissan RAM Toyota Car Buying Truck Sedan sales

Translogic 185: Ford Autonomous Testing and Virtual Manufacturing

We've all heard the tagline "built Ford tough," but the automaker is now employing high-tech solutions to ensure that employees don't have to tough-out fatiguing work while testing and manufacturing Ford cars and trucks. Translogic heads to the metro-Detroit area to see how Ford is using autonomous and VR tech to promote healthier work environments. Our first stop is Ford's Proving Grounds in Romeo, MI, where trucks are remotely driven across trying terrain. "The previous process where the human drivers drove the vehicle... we would typically [limit] them to about four hours, just because of the content of the procedure," said Ford durability technical specialist Jeff Bledsoe. "With the robot, you can obviously run 24/7." Next on our tour is Ford's campus in Dearborn, MI, where Marty Smets and a team of engineers are pioneering virtual manufacturing processes. "Manufacturing, of course, is assembling our vehicles," explained Smets. "Virtual manufacturing is doing it before actual, real vehicles exist." Ford does this with an optical motion capture system that allow engineers to test building processes in a virtual environment, and refine them before any parts hit the assembly line. But, does all this tech mean replacing hard-working humans on the job? Ford says no. "It sort of just transitions the work from one group of people to another," said Bledsoe. Have an RSS feed? Click here to add Translogic. Follow Translogic on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to learn more about our host, Jonathon Buckley.