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Driving the Chevy C8 Corvette Convertible, Polestar 1 and Porsche 718 Cayman T | Autoblog Podcast #649

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. Lately, they've been driving some pretty great cars, and one OK car. John's had the Chevy C8 Corvette Convertible and Polestar 1. Greg's been enjoying the Porsche 718 Cayman T. Jeremy's been testing the Buick Encore GX. After a long day of driving and writing, our editors like to enjoy a cold beer, and share some of their favorites for the fall. They also get an update from a listener about a winning recipe and a new plug-in hybrid purchase. Autoblog Podcast #649 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman T 2020 Polestar 1 2020 Buick Encore GX Fall beer fun (For those interested: Shakshuka recipe) Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Porsche engine wizard Wolfgang Hatz resigns

Wolfganag Hatz has resigned from his position as Member of the Porsche Executive Board with responsibility for Research and Development. He has held that title since 2011. Hatz's storied career came to an abrupt end in September when he was suspended pending investigation into the Volkswagen diesel scandal. Before the Porsche job, Hatz was the head of engine and powertrain development for the Volkswagen Group. It has been alleged that he is at the center of the investigation into the company cheating on emissions testing, but so far there has been no direct link made to him, according to Porsche's announcement today. Hatz has worked at a variety of European automakers, including Audi, BMW, Opel, and Fiat. He is considered the father of the BMW S14 engine, which powered the E30 M3, and also developed the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8. He was also very involved in Porsche's motorsports efforts, including the recent return to the prototype class and a short-lived F1 V12 engine project. Ulrich Hackenberg, most recently VW's lead engineer and a board member at Audi, was also suspended at the same time as Hatz and resigned shortly thereafter. It's not clear why Hatz waited so long to do the same, but Porsche claims his resignation was voluntary. Michael Steiner has been named Hatz's replacement as head of Porsche R&D. Steiner has been with Porsche since 2002 and seems like a forward-thinking sort, having headed the innovation and concepts division, lead Panamera development, and, most recently, been in charge of complete vehicle engineering. Prior to his time at Porsche, Steiner held positions at Daimler. The change in leadership is effective immediately. Related Video:

Despite premium carmakers going downmarket, luxury auto sales stick at 10-11%

According to research conducted by global information company IHS Automotive, the leporine birthing of new models by luxury manufacturers over the past six years hasn't increased their market share in the US. Even as car sales reached 15.6 million units, IHS says what's happened instead is that luxury buyers are merely moving from one brand to another, moving from larger luxury vehicles into hot segments like compact luxury crossovers or leaving the market at the same rate as other buyers enter.
Whether broken out by makes or by segment, market share has rollercoastered inside a narrow band from 10.5 to 11.5 percent since "at least" 2008. Closer investigation reveals the shifting boundaries in the aspirational pond, with brands like Mercedes-Benz and Audi gaining territory as Lexus and Lincoln lost it, and Saab and Hummer were buried, dead, under it. One neat note is that Tesla has gone from a share of zip to .12 percent.
The subcompact and compact crossover segments show growth, with those little high-riders jumping from .3 percent to 1.16 percent of overall industry sales. Their rise, though, is concomitant with the decline of four other segments: compact and midsize cars and fullsize cars and SUVs. We think the next few years that will tell if the small-car expansion can overcome the large-car retraction, with a phalanx of smaller offerings like the CLA only recently hitting the market and others like the GLA, Macan and Q1 doing so in the near future.