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Ford Mustang chief engineer, mid-engine Corvette | Autoblog Podcast #488

Note: There were some technical difficulties that prevented some of you from downloading this week's podcast. The player and link below should be working now, and the file has reached iTunes and other feeds as well. Thanks to everyone who wrote in to let us know of the issues! On the podcast this week, we have some questions for Ford Chief Engineer Carl Widman. Plus, Associate Editor Reese Counts joins Mike Austin to talk about the latest news, most notably the spy photos of the upcoming mid-engine Corvette. We also chat about the Jaguar F-Type Coupe, the Nissan Armada, and why 0-60 mph is a stupid performance figure. And, of course, we get into some Spend My Money advice, telling strangers what car to buy. And new this week is a cost-no-object what-cars-would-you-buy game. The rundown is below. And don't forget to send us your questions, money-spend or otherwise, to podcast at autoblog dot com. Autoblog Podcast #488 The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics and stories we mention Mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette spied Chevy Bolt EV comes with 238 miles of range Ford will sell self-driving cars by 2025 Jaguar F-Type Coupe 2017 Nissan Armada (yes, Mike knows it's not a Patrol) Ford Mustang Chief Engineer Carl Widman interview Spend My Money - we give purchase advice Why 0–60 mph is a stupid performance test Rundown Intro - 00:00 The news - 03:30 What we've been driving - 16:20 Carl Widman - 26:44 Spend my money - 37:03 New fun game - 51:48 0–60 mph is overrated - 56:50 Total Duration: 1:04:57 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 Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Podcasts Chevrolet Ford Jaguar Nissan Car Buying nissan armada mid-engine corvette jaguar f-type coupe

Mitsubishi could use Lancer Sportback name on its version of the Nissan Leaf

Various reports might help with filling in some of the blanks in Mitsubishi's Momentum 2030 plan. That's the automaker's new initiative we heard about last month that Mitsubishi North America President and CEO Mark Chaffin said is "setting the stage for new powertrains and vehicles being introduced, new dealerships being opened, and new technologies being developed to make the shopping and ownership experience faster, easier and more enjoyable." The first hints of new product suggested a rugged plug-in hybrid van, something else in the Subaru Outback segment, and perhaps an electric pickup. And after Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance partner Nissan introduces a new-generation Leaf EV for the 2026 model year, Mitsubishi's supposed to get the Leaf for its own use. Based on a recent trademark renewal, Australian outlet Which Car? via Car and Driver suspects this EV (highlighted in the image above) could be called Lancer Sportback.  Car and Driver caught the fact that Mitsubishi renewed a trademark application for the name Lancer Sportback at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on March 12 of this year. And speaking of Lancers, the Japanese automaker applied to trademark Lancer Evolution on August 8 last year. The USPTO refused the registration, Mitsubishi filed an appeal that's still under consideration.    Which Car? doesn't say why it believes Mitsu might apply the Lancer (requested in 2020) or Lancer Sportback name to its little EV, but notes that the automaker's been reusing names around the world of late, such as Airtrek, Colt, Eclipse, and Eclipse Cross. There's more where that came from for us, C/D also tabbing Mitsubishi's trademark application for the name Montero, submitted last August and approved in February. That 4x4 launched as the Pajero in 1981 and sold in the U.S. as the Montero (and the Dodge Raider). The carmaker hasn't sold a Montero here since 2006, and ended Pajero production in 2021. A new model called the Pajero Sport filled the gap in the lineup, but that SUV is based on Mitsubishi's Triton pickup sold in overseas markets.  We've got a while to wait to figure out what's up. The new Leaf is expected to be a mini Nissan Ariya based on Nissan's Chill-Out concept from last year's Tokyo Mobility Show. The image above is from the Momentum 2030 announcement, the little crossover we've highlighted has a DRL signature that fits the form factor.

Nissan bringing GT-R LM Nismo back to WEC

Things didn't go exactly as planned when Nissan entered Le Mans this year with the GT-R LM Nismo. First years of a new racing program seldom do. But the radical front-drive LMP1 prototype performed so poorly that it looked for a while like Nissan would scrap the program altogether. Fortunately, however, the Japanese automaker has announced that the GT-R LM Nismo it is coming back. Several changes are afoot for next season. For starters, while the prototype only competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, Nissan says it "will return to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2016" – of which Le Mans is just part. It isn't saying how many of the races it will contest, exactly, but the calendar currently consists of nine events: Silverstone, Spa, Le Mans, the Nurburgring, Mexico City, Texas, Fuji, Shanghai, and Bahrain. Hopefully we'll be seeing the Nissan team at all nine events, especially the one at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, where it can be seen undergoing testing in the fresh and massive image gallery above. Schedules aside, Nissan has appointed a new principal to run the team. Brought in "to share the heavy load on Ben Bowlby's shoulders" will be Mike Carcamo, who moves from his job at Nissan Mexico to serve as the WEC team principal. Outgoing principal Bowlby does, however, appear to be staying on in an as-yet undisclosed capacity. Finally, Nissan says that "multiple changes have been made to the car since Le Mans," and you can bet that's a huge understatement. We won't know what those changes constitute, exactly, but the automaker is certainly hoping that they'll prove enough to make the car competitive. In its debut at Le Mans this year, two of the three cars failed to finish, and the third wasn't classified since it didn't cover enough distance. Related Video: NISSAN GT-R LM NISMO TO MAKE RACING RETURN IN 2016 Nissan's innovative LM P1 racer to complete test programme before returning to WEC YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - 1 October 2015: Nissan today announced that the innovative Nissan GT-R LM NISMO will return to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2016. The team has been working hard to address the technical issues faced at Le Mans in June and is in the middle of a comprehensive test and development programme to prepare the new car to race against the tough competition it faces in the LM P1 class.