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Autoblog Podcast #317

Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota thinks of beefing up US production, Marchionne on Alfa, Dart and minivans, Ford Atlas concept, Honda Gear concept
Episode #317 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Jeff Ross and Michael Harley bookend the other podcast topics with a pair from the Montreal Auto Show, the Mitsubishi Mirage and Honda Gear concept, and in between we talk about Toyota building all its US-market cars stateside, Hyundai building a Nurburgring test facility, Sergio Marchionne's latest words about Alfa Romeo, Dodge Dart powertrains and the future of Chrysler vans. Some chatter about the Ford Atlas concept finishes up the meat of the 'cast and then we wrap with your questions. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #317:

Next-gen Hyundai Equus spotted horsing around in desert

The last time we showed you the next-generation Hyundai Equus, the northern hemisphere was in the depths of winter and the big luxury sedan was testing above the Arctic Circle. Now, as we're approaching the end of summer, the South Korean company is rather fittingly conducting hot weather testing in the American southwest. As with our last look at the Equus, today's images show a heavily camouflaged car. Said camo, which includes both coverings and more form-fitting stickers, can't hide the overall size of this vehicle. It's a big'un, especially behind the B-pillar. From what we can see through the front camouflage, the Equus should draw some inspiration from the Vision G concept. In short, expect a sportier, more assertive look than what's currently offered on Hyundai's flagship. This particular car is allegedly fitted with a version of the company's Tau 5.0-liter V8, which serves in both the current Equus and the smaller Genesis sedan. It's paired with a ten-speed automatic – yes, ten forward gears... on a car – while our spies reiterated previous reports that a new turbocharged V6 would also be on offer. Importantly, this latest gallery of spy photos gives us our first look at the new Equus' cabin. Again, there's heavy camouflage here, but we can get a look at the handsome leatherwork on the two-tone steering wheel and the stylish silver hue of the HVAC buttons. It also looks like Hyundai will retain a knob-and-button-style controller for the infotainment system, which will be housed in an expansive display at the tip top of the dash. Look for the next-generation Equus to make its debut some time in 2016 as a 2017 model. Related Video:

Hyundai, BMW and Ford win Concept Vehicle of the Year awards

More than two dozen jurors started with a pool of 23 concept cars introduced at the most recent Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto and New York auto shows, then pared it down to three winners in three categories for the twelfth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards. The trophy-bearers are said to be those "vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry," and lead their classes in the Concept Car, Concept Truck and Production Preview divisions.
Hyundai had two cars as finalists for the Concept Car category, the competition boiled down to the Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis concept, Veloster C3 Roll Top, Honda EV-STER and the Toyota Corolla Furia. It won with the HCD-14 Genesis that was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show, a sharp sedan that sharply divided opinion between those who thought it was too much, those who thought it was too much Audi A7, and those who thought it was perfect. The award panel's judges, however, thought so much of it that it's got two awards in one sitting, not only taking concept car honors, but because it earned the highest overall score in the competition it also takes the crown for Most Significant Concept Vehicle of 2013.
The final selection in the Concept Truck category was down to the Ford Atlas, Kia Cross GT, Nissan Resonance and Volkswagen Cross Blue. The Ford Atlas took the silverware, after also winning the Eyes on Design award - shared with the Nissan Resonance - at the Detroit Auto Show where it was introduced.