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Remember when we were all having an argument about whether or not the ID Buzz would become real or not? Well, as we now know, the concept will soon be a reality, and that’s good for everyone because the Buzz is now getting attention from the North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards, which has named it the 2017 Concept Truck of the Year. This follows last year’s award for the similarly designed Budd-e concept. The ID Buzz is the largest vehicles VW expects to build on its shiny new all-electric MEB platform. Thanks to its trading internal combustion engines for electric motors, the platform allows for more interior space. The ID Buzz, with up to four driven wheels, can seat eight and has an expansive cabin for all your hauling needs. “We are proud that the I.D. Buzz was chosen as the 2017 Concept Truck of the Year, and that Volkswagen has been given this honor for the fourth time,” said Abdallah Shanti, Executive VP and Group Chief Information Officer for Region Americas.

After months of talks and offers, the majority of Volkswagen’s Board of Management is not on board with the sale of Ducati. The conversation about selling the premium Italian superbike maker first arose in the wake of dieselgate, when VW was looking for some quick cash. Ducati, though profitable, didn’t really add valuable engineering or technology to the wider VW family, so it was a prime candidate for sale. Several potential buyers were reported to have been interested in Ducati, including the Benetton family and Harley Davidson, but apparently, none were willing to offer VW what it thought the company was worth. “The employee representatives on Volkswagen’s supervisory board will neither approve a sale of Ducati, nor one of Renk or MAN Diesel & Turbo,” VW spokesman told  Reuters  on Saturday . “Everyone who can read the VW half-year results should know: We don’t need money and our subsidiaries are not up for grabs by bargain hunters.” VW’s six-month financial results, recen

California has agreed to Volkswagen’s plan to spend $200 million in the state supporting electrified transportation and factoring in reaching disadvantaged communities. Approved Thursday by the California Air Resources Board, the 30-month program is the first phase of an $800 million settlement with the state. VW pledged $2 billion overall will be spent over 10 years in the U.S. to make amends for the September 2015 discovery of its diesel emissions cheating scandal. VW had submitted an earlier version of the plan that stalled. It had been criticized for lacking an acceptable strategy to better serve disadvantaged communities that are exposed to higher levels of air pollution than the rest of the state. There was also concern over the lack of support for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which makes for part of California’s zero emission vehicle policy. That has been corrected by the U.S. division of the German automaker under its Electrifiy America unit. The automaker will spend 35 perc

The Golf R that we all know and love has just been made a bit more lovable with the addition of some choice parts and the word “Performance.” Bigger brakes, titanium exhaust, and semi-slick tires, it turns out, are the ingredients in the Performance recipe here. The new built pin discs up front allow for more precise braking and are two kg (~4.5 lbs) lighter than the standard Golf R’s brakes, reducing the unsprung mass and helping handling. Under the car, meanwhile, Slovenia’s favorite son, Igor Akrapovic has been tasked with creating pipes that would put an organist to shame. Not only is the new exhaust system seven kilograms (15.5 lbs), it also sounds better. The volume and timbre can be adjusted through the driving modes and is loudest (read: best) in race mode. Volkswagen previously released a video teasing this new Golf R Performance that also mentioned improved aero to help you round the track, too. Finally, some super sticky rubber, in concert with the reduced weight, wil

Filed under: Earnings/Financials , Audi , Volkswagen , Motorcycle "We don't need money and our subsidiaries are not up for grabs by bargain hunters." Continue reading Ducati is not for sale according to VW supervisory board Ducati is not for sale according to VW supervisory board originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Jul 2017 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2ub8CXN

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Volkswagen , Green Culture , Green Driving , Emerging Technologies , Technology , Electric , Hybrid This is the first part of the price VW will pay in its diesel emissions settlement. Continue reading California gives Volkswagen green light for clean vehicle infrastructure plan California gives Volkswagen green light for clean vehicle infrastructure plan originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Jul 2017 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2ubuHp1

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Volkswagen , Emissions , Diesel It covers model years 2009-2014. Continue reading Federal regulators approve fix for another 326,000 VW diesels Federal regulators approve fix for another 326,000 VW diesels originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jul 2017 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2vX12Ch

Filed under: Design/Style , Volkswagen , Crossover , SUV If you make rational instead of emotional decisions, this VeeDub might be your ideal crossover. Continue reading The VW Atlas ticks every box, but I just can't bring myself to care The VW Atlas ticks every box, but I just can't bring myself to care originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jul 2017 10:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2vXxO6e

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Volkswagen , Emissions , Diesel Another diesel-fix recall from a German manufacturer. Continue reading VW to offer officials a refit of 4 million diesel cars VW to offer officials a refit of 4 million diesel cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jul 2017 07:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2vX9n8N

Filed under: Government/Legal , Audi , BMW , Mercedes-Benz , Porsche , Volkswagen , Technology A German cartel? Continue reading German automakers' stocks fall as EU investigates collusion German automakers' stocks fall as EU investigates collusion originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Jul 2017 08:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2uMvArN

Filed under: Earnings/Financials , Audi , Volkswagen , Motorcycle "We don't need money and our subsidiaries are not up for grabs by bargain hunters." Continue reading Ducati is not for sale according to VW supervisory board Ducati is not for sale according to VW supervisory board originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Jul 2017 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2tOFdTV

Volkswagen’s electric push has not been limited to the core brand. Everyone must participate, including SEAT, which has been on a trademarking spree lately. The Spanish brand has trademarked nine names, all related to the naming contest recently run to find a name for its newest seven-seat SUV. Hidden among the trademarks, though, are a handful of names with the letter E attached. SEAT has applied for trademarks on the names BORN, BORN-E, E-BORN. We don’t need to go to Sesame Street to know what that letter means. El Born, for those not hip to Spanish geography, is one of Barcelona’s trendiest neighborhoods. Contained within the old city, it’s a favorite of expats and tourists. The name is intimately tied to city life, so it seems a likely name for a city car. With the MEB all-electric platform soon arriving under a small hatchback (known as the I.D. in its VW-concept-form), this may be what SEAT elects to name its version of the I.D. The nine names selected for the SEAT SUV nami

With strong returns, doubling profits, and nearly 3 million vehicles delivered in the first half of the year, Volkswagen’s outlook is good for 2017. Following a very shaky 2016 marred by the dieselgate scandal, there was no guarantee that the Volkswagen brand would do anything but flounder this year. That has not been the case, though. “The Volkswagen brand is on the right track,” said brand CEO Herbert Diess. “There is strong demand for our cars throughout the world and our strategic realignment is showing positive effects on business operations.” Between January and June, the Volkswagen brand managed to move 40 million vehicles around the world, which led to an eight percent hike in revenue for the brand. Along with cost saving measures, that led an operating profit of 1.8 billion euros ($2.1 billion), twice as much as the first half of 2016. That means, according to VW, that the brand is matching expectations. “We have successfully embarked on a new phase in our company,” said

The words “blind” and “photographer” seem to be at odds, but Pete Eckert disagrees and his new Arteon photographs might have you disagreeing, too. Eckert grew up sighted but lost his vision as an adult. So now, instead of using his eyes, he uses touch, sound, and memory to make light paintings. “I am a visual person. I just can’t see,” says Eckert. “The Arteon emerges before my mind’s eye.” Patiently, the artist takes photos of his subjects in darkness, moving the light over them to reveal their shape over the course of a long exposure. “The world I envision is partly my imagination, but built from all the other senses,” says Eckert. And his senses have nice things to say about the Arteon. “This car is very sculptural,” he says. “The lines are quite exquisite because they blend and reappear and disappear.” So impressed was VW with Eckert’s photographs, that they set up a whole page dedicated to them on their Arteon mini-site. You can check it out at arteon.volkswagen.com The

Nearly two years after the mother of all automotive scandals yanked nine years’ worth of Volkswagens out of the “law-abiding citizen” category and into the environmental slammer, U.S. regulators have approved a fix for older VW 2.0-liter diesel cars. The fix, which many believed would never happen, received an official thumbs up from the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board today. The move means potential salvation for 326,000 otherwise doomed VW and Audi vehicles in the United States. The crop of first-generation 2.0-liter cars, which makes up the bulk of the half-million vehicles sidelined in the U.S., span model years 2009 to 2014. An earlier two-phase fix already applies to newer models with Gen-2 engines. (Unsold 2015 TDIs went on sale in April .) “With the approval, VW will offer owners of these vehicles the choice to keep and fix their car, or to have it bought back,” said the EPA in a release. “To obtain this approval, VW submitted test data an

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Volkswagen , Green Culture , Green Driving , Emerging Technologies , Technology , Electric , Hybrid This is the first part of the price VW will pay in its diesel emissions settlement. Continue reading California gives Volkswagen green light for clean vehicle infrastructure plan California gives Volkswagen green light for clean vehicle infrastructure plan originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Jul 2017 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2eTA229

[ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] The Golf and Jetta get a lot of attention from the community—and rightfully so—but their sibling, the Beetle never seems to get the same amount of attention for some reason. ABT is out to remedy that. Not satisfied with just improving the appearance of the Beetle, ABT is now offering brakes and springs to help improve the Beetle’s stance and maybe even make it a little quicker around the bends. The new brake system comes with black calipers that bear the distinctive and historic ABT logo, and if you’re so inclined, hide behind 18” to 20” inch rims. The new springs, meanwhile, help lower the center of gravity of the car. Paired to ABT’s front spoiler, rear skirt, oval exhaust tips, and license plate insert, and you’re sure to impress with this low-key mod set up. Best of all, it all comes with ABT’s 4-year warranty. Visit abt-america.com for more. The post Turn Your Kafer into a Racer with ABT appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVorte

Filed under: Government/Legal , Volkswagen , Emissions , Diesel It covers model years 2009-2014. Continue reading Federal regulators approve fix for another 326,000 VW diesels Federal regulators approve fix for another 326,000 VW diesels originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jul 2017 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2v2ZGI1

Porsche has lost faith in Audi’s ability to “come back” to Le Mans and so will instead go after its stablemate in Formula E. That’s according to r eports from across the racing world that suggest that Porsche is killing its World Endurance Championship entry, the Le Mans-winning 919, a year early to instead go after a Formula E title. That follows Audi’s similar decision last year , and Mercedes’ recent decision to pull out of DTM, in favor of the electric open-wheel series. Indeed, it seems that there will be heavy German competition in the series in the next few years. As Mercedes’ move is having shockwaves in DTM, so too would Porsche’s move have a ripple effect in WEC. Following Audi’s exit, Porsche had only Toyota to race against in the WEC’s top class, LMP1. For Audi, the exit from WEC made a lot of sense, since it was using the series to develop its TDI engines, something it no longer wishes to dump (an estimated) $200 million a year into. Porsche’s entry seemed a little

The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 debuted in 2005 to spec sheet acclaim. On paper, there had never been anything like it. 16 cylinders, four turbos, 987 horsepower. And 10 miles per gallon of premium gasoline. The 2018 Bugatti Chiron is a better car, as it should be after more than a decade passed between development cycles. There are still 16 cylinders and four turbos, but Bugatti increased the power (having intermittently done so during the Veyron’s tenure) to 1,500 horses. That 52 percent increase in power is not quite matched by a commensurate improvement in the distance traveled per gallon of premium gasoline. Not quite . That said, the decision to add 513 horses — like adding to the Veyron the power of two Subaru Legacy six-cylinder powerplants — is not a decision that is expected to be associated with  any fuel economy improvements. Nevertheless, time marches on, and the 2018 Bugatti Chiron will travel 10-percent farther on a gallon of gasoline than its Bugatti Veyron predecessor:

If you’re looking for excellent performance, execution, and layout from your car, look no further because VW’s got what you need. The results of J.D. Power’s latest APEAL study were just made public and the VW Group leads the way with the most wins (six) in individual categories and the top brand in the study. For the 13 th year in a row, Porsche took top honors with an overall APEAL score of 884. It was followed by Genesis (869), BMW (855), and Audi (854). Weirdly, although it came in fourth overall, Audi and Porsche had the same number of category wins. The A3, A4, and A7 all won their categories, while the Porsche 911, Cayenne, and Macan won theirs. For Audi, though, the competition was tight. Just one point back of BMW, Audi was also only three points clear of Mercedes-Benz, which came in fifth overall. With the three brands all in the top five, though, it seems that competition is doing what it does and breeding better performance. “Many automakers are getting better and be

Filed under: Design/Style , Volkswagen , Crossover , SUV If you make rational instead of emotional decisions, this VeeDub might be your ideal crossover. Continue reading The VW Atlas ticks every box, but I just can't bring myself to care The VW Atlas ticks every box, but I just can't bring myself to care originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jul 2017 10:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2h5RFwL

Filed under: Government/Legal , Volkswagen , Emissions , Diesel Another diesel-fix recall from a German manufacturer. Continue reading VW to offer officials a refit of 4 million diesel cars VW to offer officials a refit of 4 million diesel cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jul 2017 07:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2u1ohZu

June 2017 was only the Volkswagen Atlas’s first full month on sale in the United States, but the Atlas, still ramping up inventory, already accounts for more than half of Volkswagen’s U.S. utility vehicle sales. In fact, the only Volkswagens that sold more often than the Atlas in June were the Jetta, Passat, and (if you count all variants together) the Golf. 2,413 units is not a terribly impressive number, although it’s stronger than what the Mitsubishi Outlander, Ford Flex, Mazda CX-9, and Volkswagen’s two other utility vehicles managed last month. But the rate at which Volkswagen is building the Atlas at the company’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, assembly plant suggests dealers are only beginning to see just how many copies of the Atlas they’ll soon have to sell. Will there be buyers? According to the  Automotive News Data Center ,  Volkswagen’s Tennessee plant built 6,104 Atlases for North American consumption in June, the sixth month of production increases at the Tennessee plant. G

Just a few weeks ago we were stunned to discover the newest creation from Speedycop Lemons race team, the “ Trippy Tippy Hippie Van “. Now we finally get a chance to see it in action, courtesy of Ridiculous Rides. Through the years  Jeff Bloch, aka Speedycop ,  has been building some of the wildest race cars in the series – including an  upside-down Chevy Camaro  – and now he’s gone sideways, quite literally.  No, we’re not talking about drifting sideways (anyone can do that with a VW bus!), but a tilted sideways microbus.     The team found a 1976 bay  window bus that has been sitting in a Tennessee field for close to 20 years, rotated it and fastened it to a 1988 Rabbit, with a 16 valve GTI  engine .  According to Bloch, the 120hp engine can launch it to 60mph in around 8 seconds and reach a top speed of 100mph – if you can muster the bravery to do so. In order to, you know,  see , the top and bottom of the van were removed. But rather than just leave it, they added Lexan panels

Germany has announced that dieselgate affected VWs that aren’t retrofitted with VW’s fix, will have to be taken off the road. Many owners are unwilling to have their TDIs fixed due to fears that their performance will be negatively impacted. Despite assurances from both VW and the KBA (Germany’s federal motor transport authority) that the fix—usually consisting of a filter or a software update—doesn’t hurt performance, media reports have found cars whose performance was worse following the fix. A report from Germany’s Focus magazine says that owners who refuse to retrofit their diesels could have their cars deregistered as early as August. So far 5.5 million TDIs have been fixed in Europe, with 1.8 million of those coming from Germany. [source: carscoops ] The post German TDIs that Aren’t Fixed Will Be Taken Off the Road appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2uBpZ5D via IFTTT

[ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] Want to make a statement at the next Volkswagen show or local Cars and Coffee? Strap your ride down on this euro import, slide behind the (right-hand drive) wheel, and blow everyone’s mind. Are you a VW tech, own a repair shop, or manage a dealership? This could be the ultimate truck for picking up customer’s cars. What we have here, ladies and gentleman, is VW enthusiast,  Orchid Euro owner, and Vortex contributor Jamie Orr’s 1985 VW LT tow truck. Jamie brought this model over from London England a number of years ago. He has used the LT as a true work truck hauling cars and parts around the Pottstown PA (and farther) area. While Volkswagen has never offered their commercial vehicles here, their work trucks have been available in Europe for decades in hundreds of combinations including a Westfalia camper that looks like a Vanagon on steroids. This ’85 features a 6 cylinder diesel engine with a 5-speed transmission. Jamie says top speed is

As anyone who is a fan of Rallycross will already know, Rallycross cars accelerate violently, decelerate violently, corner violently, and do just about everything with a ferocity that would put a Grizzly bear on steroids to shame. Naturally then, you’ll have asked yourself how easy it is to do normal, everyday tasks in one. Not, it turns out, is the answer. Celebrity chef DJ BBQ recently went for a ride in an RX2 car (a lower-powered series that runs alongside the full-fat FIA World Rallycross Championship) with the voice of European Rallycross, Andrew Coley, to find out just how hard it is to assemble lunch from the passenger seat of a Rallycross car. And as almost all of the burger DJ BBQ was tasked with making flies out of his hands and into the air during one of the sport’s famous jumps, two things become eminently clear: First, whoever’s job it is to clean up this rallycross car is going to have a very unpleasant afternoon; and second, rallycross driving seems to be about as a

Volkswagen will hold an emergency supervisory board meeting on Wednesday to discuss recent allegations that Germany’s automakers have been operating as an automotive cartel since the 1990s. Meanwhile, Daimler’s workers’ council is demanding answers from management as the automaker reels from a one-two-punch of collusion and emissions cheating accusations. “I advise the car industry to clear the air now, to say what has happened, and then we can look to the future together again,” parliamentary group leader Volker Kauder, said Monday on German television. “If the antitrust violations prove true, and there’s a lot to suggest that, then one must really say the clear sentence: the rule of law also applies to the car industry.” However, claiming there is sufficient proof to prosecute is a little premature. With the exception of a somewhat damning letter intercepted from VW, no hard evidence of collusion has been made public. Investigators are still in the early stages of the antitrust pr

Reports came out recently that VW was looking to sell Ducati, not because of its lack of profitability, but instead because it didn’t really add anything of substance to the Group engineering-wise (among other reasons). That actually makes it a pretty attractive property for buyers, who have been lining up (according to reports) to buy the brand. The latest interested buyer, according to Reuters , is the Benetton family. The family’s investment firm, Edizione Holding, has sent in several bids and apparently values Ducati at $1.2 billion. The Italian family owns The United Colors of Benetton, a clothing company famous for its involvement in motorsport. The family has some stiff competition because lots of bidders—including Harley Davidson, Polaris, Eicher Motors (which owns Royal Enfield), and the Ducati’s former owner, Investindustrial—have been showing interest in the brand. VW, for its part, has valued Ducati at $1.4 billion, which is a little rich for many, since Ducati lacks s

[ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] America is a land of many great things: lakes, blue herons, Wolf Lodges, etc. But one area where we have soundly been outdone is in naming conventions for trim packages that add only the appearance of performance. Brazil is a place that knows its VWs. Since the early days of Volkswagen, Brazil has been a hotbed of production and modification, a hot land full of flavor and spice so it should come as no surprise that instead of naming their slightly-cooler-looking cars “R-Line,” they call them “Pepper.” Yes, that’s right, if you want your Fox to look a little hotter, you reach for the Pepper. And now there are even more cars to spice up. Both the Saveiro Pepper and the Up! Pepper have been added to the lineup, so Brazilians can have their tiny city cars and their Utes looking a little more GTI-like. And I don’t mean that VW do Brasil calls their cars the Portuguese for pepper (pimenta), they literally call it “Pepper.” In the Up!’s (boy is

The Corrado is one of VW’s many legendary vehicles, and few earn the reputation more than this purple Corrado VR6 driven by Matt Farah on The Smoking Tire. From the very first frames of this video, you can tell that Farah loves it and that its owner wants it to be driven. Making about 220 hp, this isn’t what you’d call a wild build, but it is a good build. With some choice mods, this free-revving VR6 sounds good and according to Farah the rest of the car feels excellent in the bends. The mods are (as taken from wheelie.cool) Mods/Upgrades (about 7k miles old) Wavetrac LSD Schrick 268 Cams Heavy Duty valve springs – revs to 7500 rpm! GIAC Chip Neuspeed Intake 2.9 Intake Manifold 2.9 Throttle Body Eurosport exhaust KW V3 fully adjustable coilovers Front, rear and trunk mats with OEM Corrado logo Momo Prototipo Steering Wheel EGR and Secondary air pump deleted Includes CA smog if needed Work done about 5k miles ago All suspension bushings replaced New front control

[ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] Microbus buyers have very specific needs when it comes to window and door count, but this may take the cake. Believed to be one of just one of three left in the world, this double-door walk-through camper is up for sale this weekend in England . Which is annoying because it first landed in California, where EZ Campers, a renowned aftermarket camper company, plied its trade. EZ Campers put on EZ front steps (now very rare) and converted the interior before handing it back to the dealership where it sold in 1964. It spent some time in disuse before being purchased by Vintage Warehouse, who added the double bunk pop-top and the awnings. It was then exported to the UK in 2005, where a restoration was performed by Haywood Classic & Custom, which spared no expense, using high-quality materials. In total, they spent about £ 50,000 on the restoration. Now it’s being sold at The Silverstone Classic Sale 2017 and it will roll across the block o

The first and only functional example of the 2006 Lamborghini Concept S is being auctioned… again. With only about 112 miles on the odometer (180 kilometers), the Lamborghini Concept S is a true street-legal roadster and has been shown twice at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This is not the first time it is crossing the auction block, as it was offered in late 2015 by RM Sotheby’s. The auction house will once again host the car at Monterey this August. The Lamborghini Concept S was first shown as a non-running design study at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. Penned by Luc Donckerwolke, a fully operable Concept S was later shown to the public at the Concorso Italiano sporting a 520-horsepower V10. The Italian automaker then slated it for production based on demand, with a planned limited run of just 100 units. But the exceedingly high costs and time-consuming production of the Concept S ultimately killed off the project, leaving just one sole example in the world. Even after it w

Filed under: Government/Legal , Audi , BMW , Mercedes-Benz , Porsche , Volkswagen , Technology A German cartel? Continue reading German automakers' stocks fall as EU investigates collusion German automakers' stocks fall as EU investigates collusion originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Jul 2017 08:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2upLV5p

Audi has one eye keenly fixed on the future of mobility, and that means moving beyond building cars to become a leading technology company. That’s the automaker’s outlook moving forward, with a three-pronged approach focused on digitalization, urbanization, and sustainability. And it’s the first point that Audi expects to carry the most weight as it makes the transition into the technology space. “Digitalization is much more than just one of the three levers; it’s in many ways the critical enabler for the other two,” Audi’s chief digital officer, Roland Villinger, said during the inaugural Audi Summit in Barcelona, Spain. Providing workable solutions obviously starts with electric vehicles, and that’s something Audi is already close to with the e-tron quattro electric SUV coming next year, followed by other all-electric models in both 2019 and 2020. But the automaker also plans to electrify all of its product lines moving forward, whether that means all-electric variants or gas-ele

[ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] Say what you will about the thrill of the hunt, sometimes you just want classic parts to arrive at your door. Especially if you own something that’s at all rare. VX Tuning is coming to the rescue for at least one group of owners, with new lighting products for the Rallye Golf. Based in the good ol’ US of A, VX Tuning will now sell you headlight lenses, fog light lenses, and bumper signals. Designed to fit into the original light housings, these parts can be used to replace cracked lenses or, if you want that OEM+ look, VX has you covered and offers its bumper signals in clear, smoked, and amber. The lights can be purchased directly from VX Tuning by visiting their website . The post VX Tuning Lights the Way for Rallye Owners appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2vJoxgW via IFTTT

Mark it on your calendars, folks. We’ve reached the peak of what purely mechanical road cars can do. Or at least how Bugatti’s CEO feels. And credit where it’s due, his company’s Chiron is a fairly impressive thing. With nearly 1,500 hp, more than 1,100 lb-ft of torque coming from a mighty 8.0-liter, 16-cylinder, W-shaped engine, and a top-speed that’s still unknown (but could someday, maybe reach 300 mph if tire technology catches up ) there can be no doubt that the Chiron is on the cutting edge of automotive engineering. So improbable are its performance numbers that CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer feels they can’t be beaten by anything without the assistance of electricity. Speaking to Autocar , he recently said that Bugatti would have to follow other supercar manufacturers and turn to hybrid technology to improve upon the Chiron. “[There] will probably never be a car with the pure mechanical capabilities of the Chiron,” Dürheimer told Autocar . “The next car is a long way from being deve

[ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] While Sunday marks the main show day at Waterfest, in Englishtown, New Jersey, it is indeed truly a two-day event. Saturday brings out all of the vendors, and the racing gets underway as well. Once the sun starts to set on Saturday evening though, all attention moves to the Afterfest event. As a way to bring some of the often not-quite-legal, unsanctioned fun of past years into a safer and more controlled environment, the Afterfest offers a chance to showcase some of the best cars, and also have a ton of fun doing it. There’s a car limbo contest, a burn out pit, DJs, and more – and yes, this does seem aimed solidly at the youth segment of the show attendees. The gents from Eurokracy in Quebec are behind the evening’s revelry, with a New Jersey based local MC operating the microphone keeping everyone updated on who’s doing what in their lowered, or tire smoking, vehicles. Check out the photos for a peek at the Afterfest’s proceedings. The p

Audi, Volkswagen, and Porsche are offering European owners a voluntary software update that will help their V6 and V8 TDIs “improve their emissions in real driving conditions beyond the current legal requirements,” according to Audi. The retrofit is being offered to TDI engines that were approved under the Euro 5 and Euro 6 emissions regulations. That covers TDI engines made from 2009 on. Owners across Europe and other markets are being offered this no-cost update. Diesels sold in some markets outside of Europe are also covered, but the US and Canada will not receive the update. The move follows a pledge both Audi and BMW made to Bavaria’s state government in June to develop software to cut emissions from diesel engines. We believe there are more intelligent options than driving bans,” said Harald Krueger, BMW CEO, back in June. “That’s why we support the initiative of the Bavarian government for a comprehensive and lasting improvement of air quality in our cities.” Many Europea

Filed under: Government/Legal , Audi , BMW , Mercedes-Benz , Porsche , Volkswagen , Diesel Audi recalling 850,000 cars for software fix, following Mercedes' recall of 3 million this week. Continue reading Automakers agree to clean up diesels to avoid ban in German cities Automakers agree to clean up diesels to avoid ban in German cities originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jul 2017 08:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/2gPRky1

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