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Autoblog Podcast #392

Episode #392 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, and Chris Paukert talk about recent confessions by Autoblog Editors, the unconfirmed rumors that the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat will show up at the Woodward Dream Cruise, and the release of the North American Car and Truck of the Year long list. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #392: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: Autoblog editors come clean Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to debut at Woodward Dream Cruise NACTOY long list released In The Autoblog Garage: 2015 Jaguar F-Type Coupe 2015 Subaru Legacy Limited 2015 Audi S8 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Hosts: Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, Chris Paukert Runtime: 01:48:05 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Editor Confessions - 34:48 Hellcat Charger Unveil - 59:56 NACTOY Long List - 01:09:51 Q&A - 01:25:43 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes

Audi Sport Quattro Concept to spawn volume sports car?

There have been two modern re-imaginings of the original 1984 Audi Ur-Quattro: the Quattro Concept of 2010 (shown above) and the Sport Quattro Concept revealed at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. In between them, there have been numerous rumors about what, if any, kind of production car Audi might make of them. According to a new report in Auto Motor und Sport, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has "indicated... that the car will come," and based on the specs presented, what we get might end up being a mix of the two.
Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi's head of R&D, apparently wants a sports car with wider appeal than the 700-horsepower hybrid Sport Quattro Concept. AMS says his vision would be built on a modified A6 platform - the same MLB architecture under the Sport Quattro Concept - with ample use of carbon and aluminum keeping the weight down to around 1,300 kilograms (under 2,900 pounds). Engines could include a 2.5-liter, five-cylinder (like that of the original, smaller Quattro Concept) offering anything from 310 to 360 hp. Those numbers would be at least 48 horsepower shy of the first concept, but a less-powerful entry point to a new model range would provide a lower cost of entry. Besides, a full model range would likely include a significantly healthier powertrain option on the top end.
At the moment, Hackenberg is said to be unsatisfied with the design of the car, which could well mean we'll get another concept car before a production version appears.

World Car of the Year finalists announced

To say the 2014 Geneva Motor Show was packed full of news is an understatement as big as the show's home at the Palexpo convention center. Despite everything that we were able to cover during this year's show, there's still more coming out of Switzerland, including the announcement of the finalists for the 2014 World Car of the Year Awards.
We reported on the original list of finalists over three weeks ago, and now, that initial list has been pared down to three finalists for each of the five awards. The finalists were announced at a press conference by frequent Autoblog contributor and co-chair of the awards, Matt Davis (above).
The finalists for the overall title of 2014 World Car of the Year are the Audi A3, the BMW 4 Series and the Mazda3. The World Luxury Car of the Year will be either the Bentley Flying Spur, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or the Land Rover Range Rover Sport, while the Performance Car of the Year will be awarded to the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, the Ferrari 458 Speciale or the Porsche 911 GT3 (which, um, yeah...).