Vorderman Volkswagen

The Porsche Taycan will enter production in 2019 and the German automaker is hyping up its arrival by dropping some early details on the EV. The Taycan will produce over 600 hp from two permanently excited synchronous electric motors. This will enable the electric four-door to sprint from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in under 3.5s and from 0-124 mph (200 km/h) in under 12s. The automaker says “a Porsche with electric drive technology is naturally track-ready,” as well, thanks to the PSM motors’ ability to stay cool under heavy load. As for the battery pack, it will contain four hundred different cells, each with a current of about 4 volts – equating to an 800-volt system. The battery pack’s 270 watt-hours per kilogram rating is on par with some of the densest lithium-ion battery packs on sale today, helping to provid an estimated driving range of about 310 miles. When the battery has depleted, it will take 15 minutes to charge back up to 248 miles (400 km) of range using Porsche’s 800v fast-c

Audi is planning to debut a new electric supercar concept at Pebble Beach this month. The Audi PB 18 e-tron, as it will be called, is described as “a supercar concept car with electric drive,” that “recalls the LeMans-series winner Audi R18  e-tron,” LMP1 car. The R18 e-tron featured a 4.0-liter turbodiesel V6 engine and an electric drive system with a lithium-ion battery, but we’re expecting the PB 18 e-tron to be pure electric. Audi’s had its (rather bad) day with diesel, after all. “The Audi PB18 e-tron will be unveiled at 5 p.m. on August 23, 2018, on the Laguna Seca racetrack,” the automaker said in a statement. “The concept car will then be shown at the legendary vehicle presentation ‘The Quail’ on August 24 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Audi will present the concept car once more in Laguna Seca on August 25 (8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.). And the concept car can be seen for the final time on Sunday, August 26, at the Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach. In parallel to the show car world premie

Today’s Find comes to us from Canada via Las Vegas. This 2004 R32 is a seriously slick and in excellent condition. For the right price you can call this car your own. The R32 is an interesting beast. Volkswagen raided the corporate parts bin and cobbled together one sophisticated hatchback. They started with a standard Golf 2-door body shell, then added a 3.2-liter VR6 engine, a 6-speed manual transmission, Haldex 4-Motion all-wheel-drive, and independent rear suspension; all shared with the Audi TT 3.2 model. Inside there’s nicely bolstered Konig leather sports seats, alloy dash trim, and Climatronic climate control. Outside there’s a more aggressive body kit, 18″ alloy wheels, blue brake calipers, projector-beam headlights, and two polished exhaust tips. The overall look is…subtly aggressive. [ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] Despite all this kit, the R32 occupies a strange space in the performance car world. To start, its zero-to-60 time, about 6.4 seconds, is nearly ident

This is a second-generation Volkswagen Golf. But it’s no ordinary Mk2. This one has a 2.0L turbo four that makes 1,233 hp. And 807 lb-ft of torque. It also has all-wheel drive. And now it has a DSG dual-clutch gearbox. What does all that add up to? The tuner says it’s the fastest Mk2 in the world. 0-124 mph in 5.4 seconds, and a top speed over 211 mph. And it’s just run an 8.76-second quarter mile with a 166.47 mph trap speed. That’s pretty impressive. So Boba Motoring, the tuner that built the car, has posted a video showing just how quick and chaotic the car is. And is it ever. The post Watch: AWD, DSG, Mk2 Golf Runs Eight-Second Quarter appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVortex https://ift.tt/2AbEV0O via IFTTT

Mindfulness. Yoga. Self-care. All seek to heal your soul and one of them sounds like a pretty dirty euphemism, but none is as effective as this 14 minute video of a Volkswagen crankshaft being forged, all shot on an organic, GMO-free, sustainably farmed potato. Sure, Mindfulness and meditation will help clear your mind, but this will fill it with valuable information about metallurgy, all while giving you a pleasant sense of liberation as your mind becomes decluttered of those pesky “bad thoughts” as Dr. Alvin Cula, a nuclear proctologist who teaches at the Hollywood Upstairs Medical College and is a frequent Goop contributor, explains. Forget about that dumb boss, those ailing children, that the planet is heating up to hitherto unknown temperatures by watching this short video of an impossibly large slug of metal being transformed into an impossibly intricate shape and imagine yourself being transformed from a big slug of metal into a wise and more confident person. “Benefits of

The head of Volkswagen has said that the traditional auto show is dead. And he left little to interpretation when he said it. “Motor shows are dead,” VW Group Chairman Herbert Diess said at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. “They are a product of the 1960s and they are not as relevant anymore. They’re not delivering what we want and they’re not delivering what car buyers want.” The traditional auto show has been hurting of late. The North American International Auto Show in Detroit, once the premiere global auto show, is now scrambling to find its way after losing BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz. The show is even moving from a longstanding January date to June. Other brands like Jaguar, Land Rover, and Mitsubishi have skipped the show for years. Even the Geneva show in March, the biggest European show, has seen the pressure. “People need to see more interaction with the product. They expect it. Those days of relying on tradition are gone,” Dr Diess insisted. So what’s the solution? “It

Porsche’s stint as king of the Nürburgring is up. Lamborghini has set a new production-car lap record at the famed German circuit. With a lap time of 6:44.97, the forthcoming Lamborghini Aventador SVJ claimed the record title. The time is over 2 seconds quicker than Porsche’s former record of 6:47.3 set in the 911 GT2 RS. And Lamborghini managed the record with a naturally aspirated V-12 engine at that. On hand to verify the record was independent firm Remak via GPS certification using VBOX-Racelogic instrumentation. Lamborghini driver Marco Mapelli, who also set the Huracán Performante’s lap time of 6:57, piloted the supercar to its record time, and aside from Mapelli’s driving skills, much of the credit for the car’s banner performance can be given to Pirelli. The Italian firm worked closely with the tire manufacturer to fine-tune the car’s Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires. The rubber will also be an option for the Aventador SVJ when it launches later this year. [ See image gallery a

It’s the reason that Volkswagen Group might have to stockpile vehicles, and it’s causing headaches for automakers across Europe. But what is WLTP, should you care, and how does it work? For decades, the European Union has used its own test cycle to measure vehicle emissions and set fuel economy ratings for passenger cars. Called the New European Driving Cycle, the NEDC is anything but new. And as it turned out, it didn’t quite represent the real European driving cycle either. Last updated in 1997, the NEDC has two driving cycles, one urban and one extra-urban. the urban cycle is designed to represent driving in a European city. And no, that doesn’t mean sitting in traffic for hours while stuck in a roundabout. Strap a cold car onto a chassis dyno, strap it down, and start the engine. A computer, or a really precise driver, follows the test procedure using the gas and brakes. The dyno is loaded to simulate the weight and aero of the car, making it real-world applicable. More or less.

Filed under: Chevrolet , Ford , GMC , Honda , Hyundai , Jeep , Kia , Mazda , Mitsubishi , Nissan , Subaru , Toyota , Volkswagen , Car Buying , First Drives , Crossover , SUV , Comparison From CR-V and Cherokee, to RAV4 and Rogue, they're all here. Continue reading Compact SUV Comparison: Specs, pics and reviews of every brand's crossover Compact SUV Comparison: Specs, pics and reviews of every brand's crossover originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jul 2018 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen https://ift.tt/2JSWbru

What happens when an Up! GTI, a Polo GTI, a Golf GTI, and a Golf GTI Clubsport S go head to head? This may seem like a foregone conclusion.  The biggest one, making the most horsepower–the Clubsport S–should always win. But if you have a DSG going up against someone with bad reaction times in a manual, you can some pretty surprising results, as this video shows. Despite making 55 more hp, the Clubsport S screws up a shift and ends up crossing the line just behind the regular GTI Performance. It’s a surprising result, but one that reminds us all horsepower and torque are no substitute for good driving. Unless you’re in a rolling race, then horsepower is a pretty good defence against poor reaction times. The post Watch: Several GTIs Go Head to Head on the Dragstrip appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVortex https://ift.tt/2mGXhgA via IFTTT

Better search Amazon for a bulk package of adhesive remover for this week’s Ratty Rescue , you’ll need allll of it. One of our faithful VWVortex readers needs to rescue this low mileage 1995 MK3 Jetta and restore it to acceptable condition. The late 1990s shall forever go down as one of the most influential decades in North American history. Grunge rock , Tamagotchis , Cher’s hit song Believe , guys with frosted tips , Doc Marten boots, and The Phantom Menace . Never before and never again will we witness true icons like these. But there’s one area where this era of exceptional taste didn’t quite reach: automotive customization. This 1995 Jetta GL illustrates the absurdity of car culture. Look past all the bric-a-brac slathered on this car and underneath it all is a Jetta with lots of potential. It just needs the right owner to find it. [ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] To start, grab a razor and a bottle of Goo Gone and start taking off all those logos. What is that on the

Audi has introduced the second-generation Q3 crossover. Continuing the German automaker’s tradition of evolutionary changes rather than revolutionary ones, the 2019 Audi Q3 looks familiar but certainly more modern. Its predecessor’s design was first introduced in 2011, so the luxury crossover was due for a makeover. Growing slightly, the 2019 Audi Q3 looks to offer more in a segment that’s become very competitive in recent years with entries from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, and more. The new Q3 is 3.8 inches longer and almost an inch wider, while the wheelbase has been stretched three inches. Cargo space has increased from 16.7 cubic feet to 18.7 with the rear seats up, and to 53.9 (up from 50.3) with the seats down. The exterior may not look significantly different compared to the outgoing model, but it certainly gains features from Audi’s modern design language. It borrows some cues from the Q8 with a muscular character line seen above the rear fenders, while triangular openings ca

Volkswagen is having to stockpile vehicles, searching for parking space in an effort to catch up on emissions testing. New emissions and fuel economy testing is coming into effect in the EU. The Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure starts September 1st. The test uses real-world driving data, instead of just lab testing. The real-world drive has meant higher emissions and a scramble to modify and make vehicles compliant. It’s also meant that automakers need to recertify all of their cars. Volkswagen said back in June that it was throttling back production of some models, as up to 250,000 were affected by delays in that certification. The company is running test cells flat-out in an effort to get vehicles certified and tested in time to meet the deadline. Now, Reuters reports that VW is renting parking garages and open lots starting in August to store the cars while it catches up on certification. A VW spokeswoman said that the timing of the stockpiling depends on where

For many of us, getting a car onto the Nurburgring for its public lapping days is a dream, but for some it turns quickly into a nightmare. This Scirocco looks to have been having a pretty good day until it came out of a corner a little hot and ran headlong into the barriers at the next corner. The result is a pretty spectacular crash. Understeering past the tires, the Scirocco slams into the barrier and flips three times before coming to a rest on its roof. Fortunately, the driver was able to get out of the car under her own strength, but given the force of the accident, we’re pretty convinced she’ll be uncomfortable in the morning. Still, the Scirocco fares well in the accident, with the passenger cell largely retaining its shape despite the heavy shunt. It’s a testament to modern safety standards, though the accident also proves that a lap day can still be a pretty dangerous business. [via:  Jalopnik ] The post Watch: Scirocco Flips Three Times After Losing it at Nurburgring

Lamborghini is back, teasing the Aventador SVJ yet again, preparing us all for a presumably shocking Nurburgring lap time. This time, though, they’ve revealed a little bit more about the car. The Italians are promising that the SVJ is “designed to have the best weight to power ratio,” in bold contradiction of the natural order of that phrase. Unfortunately, the claim is so vague that it might as well not have been made. Is its power-to-weight ratio better than a Boeing, Lamborghini? Better than a race car? Or is it simply the best, like Tina Turner? Fortunately, they do reveal that the SVJ’s driver will be Marco Mapelli, a GT racer who set the Huracan Performante’s scorching 6:52 lap time, so at least we know that it’ll have a quick driver who knows his way around the Nurburgring behind the wheel. In fact, some might say that he’s better than all the rest. The post Marco Mapelli, Who Set Performante Lap Time, Will Drive Aventador SVJ Around Nurburgring appeared first on VWVortex

It looks like the Volkswagen Group is finally ready to name a new, long-term leader at Audi. Volkswagen announced Tuesday  that Markus Duesmann, an engine development expert from BMW, will join the its Board of Management, but made no mention of Audi. A report from  Automobilewoche , though, claims that Duesmann is being tapped for the CEO position that Rupert Stadler left vacant at Audi. Stadler left his position when he was arrested in June. He was temporarily replaced by Abraham Schot, a sales executive from within the company. The health of Audi is an important matter, since it is among the Group’s biggest profit centers. Duesmann will become the second major figure in the Volkswagen to be poached from BMW, as Herbert Diess, who became CEO of the Volkswagen Group in April, also defected from the Bavarian brand. Just when Duesmann will leave BMW and actually start work in Ingolstadt remains to be seen, but the VW Group has promised that it will happen “”as soon as he is able t

Filed under: Videos , Volkswagen , Coupe , Hatchback , Performance The driver was reportedly fine. Continue reading VW Scirocco rolls three times in scary Nurburgring crash VW Scirocco rolls three times in scary Nurburgring crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jul 2018 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen https://ift.tt/2LHkryp

Reaction times are a wonderful thing, especially at the drag strip. Case in point, this Golf R that eats a Ferrari 458 Italia for lunch. It’s hard to say just what’s happening under this Golf R’s hood but whoever’s behind the wheel ( our money’s on that 75-year-old Brit from a few weeks ago ) isn’t letting the side down. The video shows the R take on more than just a Ferrari, too. Everything from a Skyline to an RS6 is taken on here and our sleeper hero beats most of them. The post Watch: Golf R Beats a Ferrari at the Drag Strip appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVortex https://ift.tt/2Ljz2Up via IFTTT

Sure you might say that if you had a supercar you’d drive the wheels off of it. That’s just an expression, though, right? Well, if you’re driving a 2015 or 2016 Lamborghini Aventador SV, those wheels might come off a little more easily than you’d expect. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the recall, that on those cars the bolts that center and hold the brake discs to the wheel hub can come loose over time. Drive with those centering bolts loose, and the whole wheel could come off. The fix is a simple one. Dealers will replace the centering bolts with liquid thread-locked bolts. That will stop them from coming loose. Fortunately, the recall only affects eight cars, SV coupes and roadsters of those years. Lamborghini will start notifying the owners and the recall is expected to start August 31. If you’re the owner of one of those cars, you’re probably not reading this. But if you are, well then hi! How’s it going? Thanks for reading! Now go get your bolts re

The Volkswagen Beetle isn’t long for this world, but the German brand could have one last derivative planned before production ends. A filing by supplier Magneti Marelli depicts a VW Beetle’s gauge cluster, but also includes a bar for an electric charge.  Green Car Reports   reported Friday the gauge is awfully similar to the e-Golf’s cluster with the addition of tachometric functions. The filing was made last month and Magneti Marelli requested part of the document be kept confidential until December 14 of this year. We could see a Beetle Hybrid surface for the 2019 model year as the nameplate prepares to depart. VW confirmed last March the Beetle will exit production and the reborn Microbus, based on the ID Buzz electric van concept, will serve as a retro-inspired model.   It’s unclear what will power a potential Beetle hybrid model, but VW previously showed a Beetle Hybrid concept in 2015. The show car featured the Jetta Hybrid’s 1.4-liter engine married to a 27-horsepower elect

Filed under: Volkswagen , Quick Spins , Hatchback , Performance Germany's original hot hatch gets a mid-cycle update. Continue reading 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI Drivers' Notes Review | More than mild 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI Drivers' Notes Review | More than mild originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 13:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen https://ift.tt/2LjDwue

A 1971  Lamborghini  Miura P400 S formerly owned by British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart will be sold at RM Sotheby’s London auction in September. This Miura S is one of two Miuras that Stewart owned – the second, a UK-spec 1971 Miura SV was sold a few years back. The vehicle will be sold along with a picture of Stewart’s then-girlfriend Dee Harrington standing with the two Italian supercars (below). The Miura P400 S was purchased new by Stewart in 1971. He owned it for several years before selling it to it second owner. The car has traded hands numerous time over the years and recently underwent a thorough restoration by Lamborghini’s in-house vintage division, Lamborghini Polo Storico. It has 28,834 miles on the odometer, which actually seems like quite a lot for a Miura. RM Sotheby’s estimates the Miura will sell for £1.2 million and £1.4 million – or about $1.6 million to $1.8 million USD. View the listing at  this link  for more photos of the rockstar’s old Lamborghini. a v

It doesn’t take much braaaains to see the value in a no-reserve auction. You get a feeling deep down in your guts that it’s a great deal. You know you have to bid quickly before the car shuffles off to someone else. If you’ve just been wandering around aimlessly looking for your next ride, then this Find Of The Day , a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta GLI. First, let’s get to the gory details. This GLI is mostly stock. It has an EA888 2.0T engine making 200 horsepower. While we tend to highlight manual transmission cars, this one has a DSG dual-clutch transmission; keep that left had free for clearing a path through apocalyptic traffic. It has xenon headlights with LED marker lights that’ll cut a bright path through the darkest of streets. There’s even a sunroof up top: it’s another way out should your killer ride get swarmed by onlookers. [ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] Inside it’s standard GLI-fare. Any biohazard will wipe right off the leatherette seats (don’t let ad fool y

Automakers that aren’t part of the Volkswagen empire must have a hard time booking laps at the famous German track. With all the records and the times VW brands set at the ‘Ring, the schedule must be packed. The latest brand is Lamborghini, which is taking the Aventador SVJ–in camouflage–to the Nurburgring for what will presumably be a deeply impressive lap time. While Lambo has made no assertions about records, its recent performance with the Huracan Performante means that we’re excited to see what kind of time the big Lambo can set. Thanks to its active aerodynamics and a bit of brave driving, the Huracan Performante set a time of 6:52 seconds, making it faster than the Porsche 918 Spyder and the 911 GT3 RS. Pretty much the only road car it wasn’t faster than was the 911 GT2 RS (6:47.3). To put its time in perspective, when Lamborghini announced the time they were met with accusations of having lied. Even after releasing the video people accused them of cheating, and Cameron Gli

In the first ever  Automotive Influencer Report on Tires ,  Michelin  is the clear leader when measuring the share of conversation each brand has. Key Findings Michelin dominates the discussion and is broadening the gap Seasonality plays an important factor Tire brands have a dramatically different share of conversation metrics depending on which automaker the discussion relates to Across the world’s largest online automotive audience, every month tens of millions of visitors seek the advice of community influencers, talking about everything from vehicle reliability, to dealership experience, to parts and service. They also talk about tires, and the first annual  Automotive Influencer Report on Tires  provides insight on the tire brands that are dominating the conversation on the  VerticalScope  platform. In 2017 the brand that had the overwhelming share the tire conversation was Michelin with a convincing 20.15 percent of the discussion. In second was Nitto Tires with roughly ha

Forum user PnZrFst started his latest project build, a 1981 Rabbit, in 2015. Let’s take a look at his build and what he’s done with it in the years since he purchased this classic truck. The Build This Rabbit was road hard and put up wet when PnZrFst picked it up. It had more than 280,000 miles on the body and an unknown number of miles on the engine. The previous owner claimed to have replaced the engine at some point, but PnZrFst is skeptical that the replacement was ever completed. The motor mounts were toast, the shift linkage was loose and sloppy, and the radiator needed replacing because of a bad leak. One odd thing was that the radiator fan and the reverse lights were wired to a switch in the cab rather than to their respective sensors. PnZrFst had a lot of work to do to get this car back in working order. Other than that, the body was in great shape with minimal rust, which is fantastic for a truck that’s more than 30 years old now. This truck had a great body, but if it n

A new set of emissions testing rules means that the base MkVII Golf GTI will not be back for 2018 in Europe. But fear not, Europeans, the GTI Performance will return and the cheap GTI will be back for the MkVIII. The Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) is coming to replace the notably lax European emissions tests, which is good news for air-breathers, but which causes a headache for automakers. Already the SEAT Leon Cupra and the Golf R Performance have taken 10 hp performance hits as a result of the coming WLTP rules, but  Autocar reports that it will kill the lower-rung MkVII GTI altogether next year. That’s because the price of reengineering the lowly GTI is a little too high for VW, which will instead focus on the GTI Performance and the upcoming GTI TCR.  And VW hasn’t given up on the low-price GTI. When the MkVIII Golf is revealed next year, the base GTI will return, according the  Autocar. [source: Autocar ] The post Report: Base GTI to Go Missing in

Filed under: Videos , Volkswagen , Coupe , Electric , Performance , Racing VW Pikes Peak record drive onboard footage is released. Continue reading Volkswagen releases Pikes Peak onboard footage from I.D. R Volkswagen releases Pikes Peak onboard footage from I.D. R originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Jul 2018 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen https://ift.tt/2O8aJa2

Of all the entries in the German luxo-hot-rod derby, Audi has consistently avoided following the rest of the pack. By remaining true to its all-wheel-drive formula, the brand’s S – and then RS – divisions have resisted the temptation to simply build a variant of the BMW M3, an affliction that ran its course at both Mercedes-AMG and Cadillac V. And what does Audi have to show for its refusal to conform? Vehicles like the 2018 Audi RS5, an all-new design that pushes the two-door personal rocket ship farther away from its rivals in terms of personality, while still remaining true to the modern core values that have long drawn customers to the quadruple rings. Don’t Look Back There was never any chance that the previous RS5’s high-revving V8 engine was going to stick around to play in the world of instant-torque turbos. An 8,250 rpm redline may have yielded 450 horses – six more than the current car’s twin-turbo, 2.9-liter V6 – and a whole heap of adrenaline, but its 317 lb-ft of torq

Nearly a month after its multiple-record breaking run up Pikes Peak in Colorado, Volkswagen is finally releasing the in-car footage of the run. Aaaaaaaand we’re also finally getting a hint as to why it took them so long to release the footage. Volkswagen Motorsport: Excellent at making cars, less excellent at placing cameras in them. While there are several angles in the video, the in-car footage is about as enlightening as half an hour of reality TV. VW doesn’t seem all that eager to use the footage from the go-pro looking out of the windshield like they did in, say, the Porsche 918’s record-breaking ‘Ring run. The run, for those with the memory of a gnat, took place on June 24 at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, outside Boulder, Colorado.  Volkswagen took its I.D. R, an all electric, purpose-built Hillclimb car to the mountain with Le Mans winner, Romain Dumas behind the wheel. Although they had set out to beat the electric record of 8:57.118 seconds, it actually beat th

Filed under: Green , Volkswagen , Crossover , Hatchback , Minivan/Van , Electric , Luxury Top exec says VW 'wants to localize electric mobility in the U.S.' Continue reading Volkswagen wants to build I.D. Buzz, Crozz in the U.S. Volkswagen wants to build I.D. Buzz, Crozz in the U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Jul 2018 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen https://ift.tt/2LtxCq0

We’ve all been tempted by an exotic car on Craigslist that’s ludicrously cheap, only to be turned off by a voice of reason chiming in with upkeep costs. But why does it cost so much to maintain an exotic? Turns out that getting to literally anything is a major pain. This video from Royalty Exotics shows the difficulties involved in doing something as simple as changing the fluids in a Bugatti Veyron. Worse yet, it all has to be done without scuffing any part of someone’s priceless exotic. The post How Hard Could it Possibly Be to Change the Veyron’s Oil? appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVortex https://ift.tt/2zTrK4I via IFTTT

Filed under: Videos , Weird Car News , Volkswagen Heavy rains caused the boulder to fall. Continue reading Volkswagen crushed by boulder on mountain road in southwest China Volkswagen crushed by boulder on mountain road in southwest China originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jul 2018 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen https://ift.tt/2uxdjOn

Volkswagen is preparing to unleash an onslaught of electric cars and they’ve long said that they’ll need to build at least some of them in North America. The company has now given its strongest indication yet that it plans to build them in the USA and not Mexico. “For strong product momentum, they need to be produced in the USA,” VW North America boss Hinrich Woebcken, told Autocar . He added a “high-volume” scenario won’t be possible with imported electric cars. Volkswagen has previously said that EV production would likely be based in an area where a plant already existed, making Chattanooga, Tennessee and Puebla, Mexico the likely spots. But until now, brand representatives refused to even express a preference for which. The move would follow VW’s strategy to build cars tailored to the market they’re sold in. The brand has found greater success in differentiating the Passat and Jetta models from global counterparts in the U.S., for example. Both the ID Crozz and ID Buzz cater to

It takes a special kind of brand to produce a car considered to be a classic that is loved and adored by the masses that it is memorable not just upon release, but in the decades that follow. Volkswagen seems to have a knack for creating these memorable vehicles, and today we’re recounting 5 of the best and most memorable Volkswagen vehicles that have been immortalized in the annals of history. 5. The Volkswagen Type 181/182 (The Thing) Sold in the U.S. for just two years (1973-74), the VW Thing was originally designed to meet the need of a vehicle that could handle the roads in less developed areas that the Type 1 Beetle couldn’t necessarily handle. With Mexican buyers requesting such a vehicle and Type 1-based dune buggies becoming more popular stateside, Volkswagen decided this more durable take on their people’s car would prove successful. Due to stricter regulations, the Thing was only sold for two years in the U.S., but continued to be popular elsewhere, such as South Americ

Audi seems pretty confident that they’ve updated the TT for 2019, but they’ve been taking too many notes from Porsche here, because we can hardly see any differences. As best as we can tell, the major visual updates include a honeycomb grille where the old one was straight lines across; single-frame grilles only; and the TT RS’s side skirts on non RS models. Again, though, we welcome any help because we haven’t focused so hard on spotting the differences since grade school. Under the hood, though, Audi is promising some changes you’ll feel (Well, not you, but Europeans. We’ll update you when we get the US-spec changes). The TT will come in three trims and the TT S. The TT 40 TFSI (197 hp, 326 lb-ft), the 45 TFSI (245 hp, 272 lb-ft), and the 45 TFSI quattro (245 hp, 272 lb-ft, but to all four wheels). The TTS, meanwhile, gets 306 hp and 295 lb-ft. All will be powered by the same 2.0-liter four-pot at different levels of tune. [ See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com ] The TT will al