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VW scandal, Alan Taylor on Vipers, and future cars | Autoblog Podcast #474

Episode #473 of the Autoblog Podcast is here. This week, Dan Roth chats with Sam Abuelsamid of Navigant Research about the just-announced deal pending between Volkswagen and the EPA, and Navigant's Transportation Outlook for 2025 to 2050. Alan Taylor, host of The Drive on ERN also visits the Podcast to talk about picking up his Viper ACR in Texas and driving it back to the West Coast. It all starts with the Autoblog Garage - check it out! Check out the rundown with times for topics, and thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #474 Topics VW/EPA deal Navigant Research Transportation Outlook Alan Taylor In The Autoblog Garage 2016 Lincoln MKX 2016 Volvo XC90 2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk Hosts: Dan Roth Guests: Sam Abuelsamid, Alan Taylor Rundown Intro & Garage - 00:00 VW/EPA - 25:51 Navigant Outlook - 38:47 Alan Taylor - 54:43 Total Duration: 01:13:11 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 Dodge Volkswagen

VW exec calls US ops a 'disaster'

Today in the Tell Us How You Really Feel file we have Bernd Osterloh, head of Volkswagen AG's Group Works Councils and member of the company's supervisory board, labeling the company's US operations "a disaster." Why? Because Osterloh believes VW of America doesn't have the models it needs to be competitive here, hasn't been decisive enough about its plans and German higher-ups still don't understand the US market.
In truth, the top labor rep at the German conglomerate is echoing sentiments we've heard from VWoA executives for years, and there's been the same commentary from dealers: Germany doesn't pay enough attention to what the US market really wants. Even ex-VWoA CEO Stefan Jacoby, who preceded the recently departed Jonathan Browning, said early in his tenure that one of his tasks was to get his German bosses to start delivering what the US market demanded. New CEO Michael Horn is saying much the same thing seven years later, telling Sky News that it has to increase "the speed at which we bring new models to the market and innovation to the market."
Osterloh wants to get "more models" here, including a pickup truck, but we'd wonder if the economics have changed from when Jacoby said they'd need to sell 100,000 per year to make money. Osterloh also wants a decision on where the CrossBlue will be built. Although it looked as if the Chatanooga, TN plant would get the call, the Puebla, Mexico plant is still in the running because of lower operating costs. No matter what happens right now, Osterloh thinks the situation won't get better for another two years when revamped models arrive, but at least the company can start taking the steps for a better US future.

Audi diverting a third of R&D budget to electrification

Companies make promises all the time. We'll do X by Y. The new A will be our biggest seller in B. You know the drill. But it's when an automaker puts its money where its mouth is that we really stand up and take notice. That's precisely what Audi is doing as it attempts to convert 25 percent of its sales to electrified vehicles by 2025. Citing two sources with knowledge of Audi's plans, Reuters reports that around a third of the company's research-and-development budget will go to " electric cars, digital services, and autonomous driving." Of course, shifting that much money over to newer technologies means sacrifices elsewhere – Reuters' sources claim Audi will move money away from combustion engines and reduce country-specific powertrain variants, but the sources wouldn't get more specific. According to Reuters, Audi is 22nd in total sales of hybrids and EVs. That's eight spots behind Mercedes and ten spots behind BMW (not to mention hybrid-happy Lexus). Audi's only electric representatives in the US market are the A3 e-Tron and Q5 Hybrid and things aren't much better in Europe – the company needs to dump buckets of money into expanding its meager lineup to bring up the percentage of EVs it sells. Expect greater detail on Audi's electrification plans very soon – CEO Rupert Stadler will discuss the company's path forward on Wednesday at a closed-door meeting in Munich with over 2,000 managers. It's unlikely all those managers will be able to keep quiet. We'll be listening. Related Video: Featured Gallery Audi E-Tron Quattro Concept View 36 Photos News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Audi Green Audi Volkswagen Green Driving Electric Hybrid PHEV e-tron audi e-tron electrification