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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:

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge to cost over $100,000?

Enthusiasts have been clamoring for Infiniti to build a car like the Q50 Eau Rouge for years. In concept form, it employs the GT-R's much-loved 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6, tuned to produce 560 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, with the whole works slid underneath fetching luxury sedan bodywork with carbon fiber aero aids. At this point, the model is rumored to be all but certain for production. The company recently even put Sebastian Vettel in one to show it off. However, Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen is suggesting that the model's lifetime could be brief, limited and rather expensive.
The Infiniti boss recently gave a long interview to Motor Trend that spilled a lot of beans about the Eau Rouge. While he refused to officially admit that the super sedan was on the way, he admits that he's "pushing the Eau Rouge concept for commercialization."
According to de Nysschen, if built, the production version will hew closely to the concept with the engine from the GT-R, but the seven-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive system will come from the Q70. And while that would make the Eau Rouge a performance powerhouse, it might also be a rarity on the road:

Behold your 2015 Nissan Versa Sedan, America

If you've been hoping that the 2015 Nissan Versa Sedan would adopt something of the Versa Note hatchback's styling aesthetic, consider your hopes dashed. This is the facelifted four-door Versa, which is set to make its official debut next week at the New York Auto Show.
You can make your own minds up on the exterior rework, which is a fairly gentle evolution of the current model. The headlights and a new, familial grille are the two big changes for the front of the Versa that give it a bit of Altima style. Out back, the headlights are slightly tweaked, while a sportier rear bumper is the most noticeable change. The top-end Versa SL also adds new mirrors, complete with Audi-ish integrated turn signals, while the Versa SV adds new 15-inch alloys.
Tweaks for the Versa's huge interior are kept to a minimum, and constitute a new steering wheel and a tweak to the center stack, along with some improved materials. Like the Versa Note, Nissan has fitted the NissanConnect infotainment system, although it's only available on the Versa SL.