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Autoblog Podcast #343

George Kennedy from Boldride.com, BMW i3, NACTOY long list, Bentley SUV
Episode #343 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Steven Ewing are joined by George Kennedy, Autoblog alum and Editor-in-Chief of Boldride.com. Topics include the unveiling of the BMW i3, the 2014 North American Car and Truck of the Year long list, and the green-lighted Bentley SUV. As always, we start with what's in the garage, but then answer some of your questions before diving into the week's news. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #343:

Bentley warns its 6.0-liter W12 engine won't survive beyond 2026

Bentley confirmed it will only sell plug-in hybrid and electric models by 2026, so its W12 engine will either be axed. Autoblog learned from a company spokesperson that the latter solution has been chosen. "No more W12," a representative replied when we asked what the future holds for the engine. It's a tectonic shift for Bentley, which proudly calls itself one of the industry's largest manufacturers of 12-cylinders. What remains to be seen is when the 6.0-liter will retire. Jan-Henrik Lafrentz, Bentley's board member for finance, affirmed there is "a lot of mileage left in [the W12]," which suggests it's not going away in the coming days, weeks, or months. Its days are undoubtedly numbered, however, which shows the British firm isn't afraid to make difficult decisions to keep up with regulations and market demand. It illustrated this point well when it axed the Mulsanne, its flagship model in the 2010s, earlier in 2020. Pivoting toward electric powertrains gives it an opportunity to return to the segment; sedans normally return better range than comparable SUVs because they tend to be lighter and more aerodynamic. Will it? Executives didn't say a comeback is imminent, but they didn't rule it out, either. "The market for big sedans is interesting. It has changed a lot over the past 20 years. It's not in a growth phase. While we have a great heritage in that space, we have a perfect sedan with the Flying Spur, so let's see what evolves as we release and reveal our electric car strategy," said company boss Adrian Hallmark. Bentley's first series-produced electric car is tentatively due out in 2025. Built on a new platform, it will be the first in a full range of EVs, and the company pledged to phase out the internal combustion engine by 2030.

Volkswagen Group names Paefgen head of classics program

You may remember the name Franz-Josef Paefgen. Until recently, the German engineer and executive was head of both Bentley and Bugatti. Before that he was chief executive of Audi, after working for several years at Ford. He technically "retired" earlier this year, but like the cars he helped create, an executive like Paefgen could never really retire. So it should come as little surprise that the Volkswagen Group has named Dr. Paefgen head of its Classic program.
In his new capacity, Paefgen will oversee the historic automobile activities of the entire VW Group, including those of Volkswagen, Seat, Skoda, Audi, Lamborghini, and of course Bentley and Bugatti. It strikes us as a suitable semi-retirement for the man responsible in no small part for the Bugatti Veyron and Bentley Mulsanne, to name just two, and who was decorated in 2006 by the ACO as the "Spirit of Le Mans" for his contribution to endurance racing. Read the official announcement after the break.