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Autoblog Podcast #317

Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota thinks of beefing up US production, Marchionne on Alfa, Dart and minivans, Ford Atlas concept, Honda Gear concept
Episode #317 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Jeff Ross and Michael Harley bookend the other podcast topics with a pair from the Montreal Auto Show, the Mitsubishi Mirage and Honda Gear concept, and in between we talk about Toyota building all its US-market cars stateside, Hyundai building a Nurburgring test facility, Sergio Marchionne's latest words about Alfa Romeo, Dodge Dart powertrains and the future of Chrysler vans. Some chatter about the Ford Atlas concept finishes up the meat of the 'cast and then we wrap with your questions. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #317:

2015 Dodge Challenger looks fresh, still plenty retro [w/video]

It was the Ford Mustang that kicked off the retro-styled muscle car renaissance back in 2005, but it was the Dodge Challenger that served as the movement's poster child, with its unabashedly retro looks. Over the years, though, as the Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro were freshened and upgraded, the look of the big Dodge has remained largely consistent since its 2008 debut. For 2015, the Challenger has received a big freshening, boasting strongly revised front and rear ends and (finally, finally, finally) a redesigned interior.
Let's talk about that new cabin first. It's basically been plucked directly from the redesigned Charger, and boasts the same seven-inch IP display. The center stack's miserable, last-gen display has been replaced by an expansive, 8.4-inch UConnect system. Material quality should see a solid boost with the new cabin, as well.
The exterior, meanwhile, sees a revised front fascia with LED halo lights, as well as new grille inserts. A functional shaker hood scoop is a must-have extra on the V8 models, while the back of the car is highlighted by a new set of LED taillights that don't use the "Racetrack" design of Dodge's other models.

Here's the last Dodge Viper

The last Dodge Viper has rolled off the line. Ralph Gilles, FCA's Head of Design since April 2015, posted a photo gallery on Instagram with the caption "So long... #Viper." The gallery includes multiple photos of the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, where the Dodge Viper has been built since 1995. In the gallery, we see a yellow unit with black stripes coming down the line, and Gilles is posing in front of it with Dodge/SRT Head of Design Mark Trostle. The yellow Viper is followed by a red car, with nothing else behind it on the line. That red Viper is "the ultimate last one," according to Gilles, adding that the automaker will be holding onto that unit for the company's heritage collection. You can click through the gallery here: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. When asked in the comments if the Viper was discontinued because of low sales, Gilles replied, "Not really as it sold well over the last couple of years at a great mix of mostly ACRs in the last 15 months. It has more to do with a new ejection mitigation regulation airbag that simply won't fit in our package." Despite the solemnity of the post, Gilles is upbeat about the Viper in general, saying "The Gen5 had a great 5 model year run and the Viper platform which has not changed that much over the years had a great 25 year run!" He says he has great memories with the car, and that "they are relatively robust so they will be around making memories for generations to come!" Still, we hope to see something that lives up to the Viper's wild, raw spirit come from FCA in the near future. Related Video: Related Gallery Roadkill Nights Dodge Vipers 2017 View 40 Photos News Source: Instagram: @ralphgilles Plants/Manufacturing Dodge Automotive History Coupe Performance Supercars FCA viper