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2022 VW GTI, Golf R and Ford's electric future | Autoblog Podcast #680

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They start off discussing their drives in the 2022 VW GTI and 2022 VW Golf R. They then discuss the news, which is jam-packed this week. The Mazda6 and CX-3 are going away, and Alfa is reportedly mulling a new GTV and Duetto. Plus, Ford teased an electric Bronco, confirmed a future electric Explorer and fully revealed the work truck version of the 2022 F-150 Lightning named the "Pro." They end by turning to the mailbag and responding to another listener's Spend My Money question. Autoblog Podcast #680 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 2022 Volkswagen GTI 2022 Volkswagen Golf R News Mazda6 and Mazda CX-3 officially discontinued for 2022 Alfa Romeo's new CEO sees room to bring back the GTV and the Duetto Electric Ford Bronco could be coming, electric Explorer is confirmed F-150 Lightning Pro revealed as Ford's sub-$40K electric work truck Opinion We need to legalize adaptive driving beams already, for safety's sake Mailbag Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video: Podcasts Alfa Romeo Ford Mazda Porsche Volkswagen Hatchback Performance

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversario gets even more power

Alfa Romeo is celebrating its Quadrifoglio emblem's 100th birthday by rolling out limited-edition variants of the Giulia and the Stelvio. The commemorative cars receive a more powerful twin-turbocharged V6, edition-specific visual accents, and carbon fiber interior trim. The green Quadrifoglio (which means "four-leaf clover" in Italian) first appeared on a straight-six-powered RL race car at the 1923 edition of the Targa Florio, a grueling road race that was held in Sicily. Legend has it that pilot Ugo Sivocci had the emblem painted on his car for good luck. He won, and the Quadrifoglio quickly began appearing on Alfa Romeo's race cars before showing up on street-legal production models. Fast-forward to 2023, and the four-leaf clover denotes Alfa Romeo's most powerful models: the Giulia Quadrifoglio is the Italian company's answer to the BMW M3, and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio competes in the same segment as the X3 M. The limited-edition 100th Anniversario models build on these foundations with a 520-horsepower evolution of the twin-turbocharged, 2.9-liter V6 (that's 15 more than in the regular-production variants). Alfa Romeo also added a mechanical limited-slip differential derived from the sold-out, 540-horsepower Giulia GTA. Based on the recently-updated Giulia and Stelvio, the 100th Anniversario models come with LED headlights,19-inch wheels for the Giulia (the Stelvio rides on 21-inch alloys), and edition-specific gold-colored brake calipers. Quadrifoglio emblems with gold-colored accents and "1923-2023" lettering are fitted to the fenders, and the list of equipment also includes a carbon fiber grille and carbon fiber door mirror caps. The interior gets a similar treatment: There's carbon fiber trim, gold-colored stitching, and a "100" logo on the dashboard. Like their regular-production counterparts, both cars get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster whose layout changes depending on the driving mode selected. Alfa Romeo will build 100 units of the Giulia Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversario and 100 additional examples of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversario. Pricing and availability haven't been announced yet, and deliveries are scheduled to start in the coming weeks for buyers in European markets. Alfa Romeo confirmed to Autoblog that both models will be sold in the United States. Buyers will have three colors called Rosso Etna, Montreal Green, and Vulcano Black to choose from. More details will be announced in the not-too-distant future.

Sergio rethinks FCA-GM merger idea, dismisses critics

After many public overtures, Fiat Chrysler Automotive CEO Sergio Marchionne has claimed his company won't be making a hostile takeover bid for General Motors. This is despite widespread speculation that FCA's desire to merge was motivated by its allegedly dire situation. As one unnamed GM exec who spoke to Automotive News earlier this year put it, "Why should [GM] bail out FCA?" "We are not choking. We are in relatively decent shape," Marchionne told journalists attending an FCA shareholder meeting in Amsterdam, AN reports. "We have been publicly rebuffed, we have been rejected and you cannot force these things. I don't want to. At the moment, we have no intention to do anything hostile." Instead of focusing on merging with GM, or any other partners for that matter, FCA will refocus on implementing its ambitious five-year investment plan, which would see it dump $52 billion into its various brands, with a particular focus on Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Jeep. So far the attempt has largely been unsuccessful, especially as it relates to the Italian brands. Earlier this week, additional reports emerged that claimed Alfa was pushing back the Giulia and an unnamed CUV while reassigning resources to updated versions of the Giulietta and MiTo hatchbacks. This is not the first time we've heard about trouble for the Giulia, of course. For Masearti, though, it was the first we'd heard of delays for Alfieri sports car, which allegedly won't appear in 2016, as promised. We can expect a proper breakdown of FCA's adjusted plans when Marchionne and Company reveal an updated product slate next month. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Alfa Romeo Chrysler Fiat GM Jeep Maserati Sergio Marchionne FCA