Tag Archives: Volkswagen Group

Automobiles

Volkswagen Will Bring the Phaeton Back to America—Just Not for Another Two Years

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By Jens Meiners

The next generation of the Volkswagen Phaeton will, in fact, be offered in the U.S., but don’t expect it to be unveiled any time soon. There is no substance to rumors that it will be unveiled at the 2014 Detroit auto show, company sources have told Car and Driver. Look instead for a debut late in 2014 or 2015, likely at a European or Chinese auto show, before coming to market as a 2016 model. There is no urgency on VW’s part to replace the venerable luxury sedan.

The original Phaeton, a pet project of Ferdinand Piëch that was launched in 2002, has not performed well in North America—or anywhere else, for that matter. It was yanked from American VW dealers after the 2006 model by former VW CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder as part of his power struggle with Piëch, who heads the supervisory board. However, a company insider tell us that the discontinuation of VW’s S-class–fighter was “one of the smartest decisions ever,” adding, “We couldn’t give them away.”

The Dresden-built luxo-cruiser serves as the technical basis for Bentley’s Continental GT and Flying Spur, actually surpassing both in several aspects when it comes to attention to detail. Despite that enormous technological merit, the Phaeton has been let down by Volkswagen’s image—it’s awfully tough to sell the uninitiated on a $93,000 VW, even if it does have chops good enough for Bentley.

The second generation of the Phaeton is being developed to make use of the Volkswagen Group’s MLB platform, which is loosely shared with the Audi A8, and will return to American showrooms. Our intelligence suggests that the new Phaeton will be powered by a choice of a turbocharged VR6, a turbocharged V-8, a V-6 turbo-diesel, and potentially a hybrid in some form. Unfortunately, we hear there’s very little chance that the Group’s famous W-12 has a future in the Phaeton. Even if engineered to perfection, as we fully expect the next Phaeton to be, it won’t be quite the same without four banks of cylinders providing seemingly endless thrust for the most luxurious VW-badged ride imaginable.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Report: Slumping VW rolls back US sales targets

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By Damon Lowney

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After three years as one of the fastest-growing car brands in the US, Volkswagen has hit a sales rut, and it can’t get out. In response, Volkswagen Group of America downgraded VW’s 2013 US vehicle sales target to 440,000, from the original target of about 486,000, reports Automotive News. The stair-step incentive program under which dealerships earn bonuses also was restructured early this month, yet VW USA remains committed to its goal of producing 800,000 cars annually by 2018.

Many VW dealerships rely on bonuses earned from an incentive program to make a profit, and the program was built around sales targets. But the reality of VW sales in 2013 had a number of dealers resorting to sales tactics that strained relationships with customers and other dealers in an attempt to meet the targets. This was reflected in a recent National Automobile Dealerships Association’s survey that ranked VW’s dealer policies last.

Volkswagen of America COO Mark McNabb has indicated that, through lowering US sales targets, simplifying bonus calculations and giving the incentive program clearer goals and more predictable monthly payments, VW is trying to ease the pressure on dealerships that rely on the bonuses, Automotive News reports.

Dealers are confident that sales will pick up when new models roll in, but VW dealership owner and chairman of the company’s national dealership council, Jim Ellis, admits that right now VW is “getting kicked around a little bit here,” reports Automotive News, by stronger-than-expected competition in the compact and midsize sedan segments.

Slumping VW rolls back US sales targets originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

Volkswagen Group Green Lights Bentley’s SUV Project

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By Jens Meiners

A Bentley SUV will go on sale in 2016, but it likely won’t look like this early design proposal of the EXP 9 F concept.

It’s official: the Bentley SUV will happen. Today, Volkswagen Group chief Martin Winterkorn declared that the long-rumored off-roader—previewed by the unfortunately styled EXP 9 F concept at the 2012 Geneva auto show—will go on sale from 2016. British Prime Minister David Cameron’s presence added a political dimension to the announcement, highlighting Bentley’s investment of more than £800 million, roughly $1.2 billion, which will see the SUV built in Crewe and generate 1000 jobs in the U.K.

No further details were provided, but Bentley did say, however, that the new model “will be a thoroughbred Bentley” and “the most luxurious and most powerful SUV in the market.” The SUV moving to production will be a late triumph for Wolfgang Dürheimer, the recently dismissed head of Audi’s R&D program, who was Bentley’s CEO when work on the SUV model commenced.

Echoing Dürheimer’s remarks of last summer, Bentley maintains that the reaction of customers to a Bentley SUV has been “extremely positive.” Nevertheless, the vehicle will receive a complete makeover; design chief Luc Donckerwolke is in charge of a comprehensive restyling that will address some of the concerns about the model’s design.

What we know is that the Bentley SUV will be based on the Volkswagen Group’s MLB architecture, originally designed by Audi and to be shared with the next generation of Audi Q7, Volkswagen Touareg, and Porsche Cayenne. It will be available with a range of powertrain options that will include a hybrid, a V-8 diesel, and a twin-turbo W-12. Competition will come from the likes of Range Rover, an upcoming Jaguar SUV, and top-drawer versions of the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7. Perhaps most interesting will be the dynamic between Bentley and Lamborghini, as Audi CEO Rupert Stadler announced that the Italians’ Urus SUV project will arrive on showroom floors roughly at the same time as Bentley’s SUV. Just how the VW Group plans to position two similar models with such historic badges and astronomical sticker prices will be fascinating to say the least.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

First Drive: Italdesign Giugiaro Parcour Concept

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By Matt Davis

Italdesign Giugiaro Parcour Concept

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Coachbuilt Italian Finery Rides High In The Mediterranean

Apparently, the appropriate gift to give for the 45th anniversary of almost anything is a blue sapphire stone. I cannot imagine Autoblog readers craving a story about that, so I’m glad that Italdesign Giugiaro spared me that gig and instead created this truly interesting Parcour concept to mark its 45th anniversary.

Parcour is named after the generally urban activity of French origin (spelled “parkour”), of throwing one’s (presumably) agile body off walls and railings in an anti-gravity freestyle momentum ballet. This sometimes ends up being broadcast on YouTube, particularly to show a parkour session gone horribly wrong, with the star taking a metal banister in the cojones or receiving a fetching bouquet of twisted fingers. Clearly design boss at Giugiaro, Fabrizio Giugiaro (son of legend Giorgetto), and his squad had more coordinated good parkour-ing in mind when they let me drive their cool creation on the island of Sardinia. (I live not far away, so it’s a one-hour flight with the herds on a low-cost airline.)

It’s been a while since a traditional Turin house created a million-dollar running prototype or showcar that it felt like entrusting to a journalist or two. Recent years have been distracting, to say the least, for the likes of Bertone, Pininfarina and Giugiaro, as the global crisis threatened to suck them under for good. Italdesign-Giugiaro did a very wise thing in May 2010 and allowed longtime partner Volkswagen Group to buy a majority stake, thus securing the future of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s dream factory. But all of these dealings have put drives like this on hold for a bit while all t’s were crossed and i’s dotted.

Continue reading Italdesign Giugiaro Parcour Concept

Italdesign Giugiaro Parcour Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Rumormill: Audi design getting big overhaul?

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By Jonathon Ramsey

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Car and Driver has an update on the design shuffle in Ingolstadt that will ultimately bring more differentiation to Audi products. Last November, Audi design chief Wolfgang Egger spoke of the need to do “something new without breaking from tradition” in Audi design, but talk at the time centered on how the Crosslane Coupe Concept would influence the new looks of the brand’s Q cars. The most recent moves appear focused on passenger cars, with designers from Volkswagen Group kin like Bentley and Seat moving to Audi, and outsiders from Alfa Romeo moving in.

While Egger decreed the end of “scalable design” to CD, last November’s report said there would be more technology and “greater visual cohesion” between interior and exterior design. We still have no idea what all this means nor when we’ll see visible changes in production, but at least we know there’s something being done behind the scenes.

Audi design getting big overhaul? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

Official: Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse sets world record for fastest open-top car

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By John Neff

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Bugatti has come back from losing its “World’s Fastest Production Car” title with a new superlative to add to the Veyron’s trophy case: World’s Fastest Open-Top Production Car. That’s right, if you can’t beat ’em, take the roof off and join them.

The record of 408.84 kilometers per hour, or 254.04 miles per hour, was set by a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse driven by Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu at Volkswagen Group‘s proving grounds in Ehra-Lessian, Germany. The speed was measured and verified by the German Technical Inspection and Certification Association, or TÜV.

That last point is important to note, as the kerfuffle over the closed-roof Veyron’s record involved the Guinness World Records organization, which both sanctioned the car’s world record run back in 2010 and then stripped Bugatti of the title after it was learned the car used to set the record had its speed-limited removed. Also, whereas Guinness calculates a car’s speed based on the average of two runs in opposite directions, Bugatti doesn’t say what criteria TÜV used to verify and calculate the convertible’s speed.

So what we’re really saying is that Bugatti claims to have the world’s fastest open-top production car, but that claim remains unsubstantiated by what many consider to be the only authority on world records, Guinness World Records.

As for the particular Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse that hit 254.04 mph, the special black-and-orange model will be on display at the Shanghai Motor Show later this month, and Bugatti plans to sell eight World Record Editions just like it for the princely sum each of 1,990,000 euro, or about $2.61 million dollars

Continue reading Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse sets world record for fastest open-top car

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse sets world record for fastest open-top car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

Porsche Video Documents History at Le Mans, Previews 2014 Comeback

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By John Lamm

Porsche’s return to prototype racing in Le Mans likely will make use of many components from the 918 RSR concept.

Porsche hasn’t won the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1998, but those in Stuttgart are eager to change that in 2014. The German automaker is  prepping for its return to France’s Circuit de la Sarthe, and to keep us from forgetting about how it once dominated that classic race, Porsche has cut a video that covers its 1971 win there in a 917.

A win won’t be easy. Toyota will be hankering for an overall victory, Audi will be defending what’s become its home turf, and Nissan will be making a comeback to the LMP1 class in a serious way. The most intriguing aspect is how the Volkswagen Group will handle Audi butting heads with corporate rival Porsche. Having a look at the numbers, Porsche—in various guises—has won Le Mans 16 times dating back to 1970, while Audi has scored 11 victories in the past 13 races. (You could argue Audi’s nailed down 12 victories as it was the driving force behind Bentley’s win in 2003.)

Although we’re more than 12 months away from the 2014 race, we have a bit of an idea of what to expect from the four major players. Toyota will have had two years refining its TS030 gas-electric hybrid, and we doubt Audi would abandon its highly successful R18 e-tron Quattro diesel-electric hybrid. Nissan president Carlos Ghosn has promised an LMP1 car that will be “a high-speed test bed in the harshest of environments for both our road-car and race-car electric-vehicle technology,” which we gather to mean something along the lines of what Toyota’s TS030. As for Porsche, we expect its entry will be based on the 918 RSR concept it debuted in Detroit two years ago, which, at the time, featured a 563-hp V-8 and two electric motors producing 204 horsepower. Much of the knowledge and development will be borrowed from lessons learned through the brand’s LMP2 RS Spyder and 911 GT3 R hybrid. But a lot can change between now and when Porsche arrives in Le Mans next May.

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Automobiles

Rumormill: Porsche reportedly working on new turbocharged flat-four boxer engine?

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By Michael Harley

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These days, we’ve seen just about every automaker dropping cylinders in an effort to appease tightening fuel economy and emission standards – and Porsche is no exception. Nearly three years after introducing an all-new V6 powerplant under the front hood of its Panamera sedan (launched with a range of V8 engines) comes word that Porsche is working on an all-new turbocharged flat-four boxer to replace the flat-six engines mid-mounted in its Cayman and Boxster models.

Specifics have yet to be learned, but reports say the engine is a derivative of the current 3.8-liter six (shown above) found under the rear decklid of the Carrera S, yet with two fewer cylinders. Fitted with a turbocharger, direct-injection and the automaker’s VarioCam Plus, the new all-aluminum 2.5-liter flat-four will likely develop upwards of 350 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. Redline should be about 7,500 rpm. Initial indications say that Porsche will only offer the new engine with its seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic, tuned to take advantage of the low-end torque, but a traditional six-speed manual gearbox has not been ruled out. Despite the loss of two cylinders, enthusiasts will likely embrace the new engine as it promises to be lighter, more fuel efficient and more powerful than the 2.7-liter and 3.4-liter sixes in the Cayman/Boxster today.

Even though Porsche has been using Volkswagen Group engines for years (e.g., Cayenne V6, Cayenne Diesel and upcoming Macan), all indications are that the new flat-four will not be shared. Instead, it will be kept in-house for the automaker’s sports cars and possible future fitment in an entry-level 911.

Porsche reportedly working on new turbocharged flat-four boxer engine? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Audi Reportedly in Talks to Purchase Alfa Romeo

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By Jens Meiners

BMW X1 EV/Hybrid spy shots

Alfa Romeo’s 4C will continue to look as gorgeous as it does, even if it winds up being property of Audi.

Fiat is strapped for cash and the Volkswagen Group knows it. What’s more, VW can help. Over the years, German executives have made no secret of the fact that they’d like to add Alfa Romeo to the VW Group’s impressive portfolio of brands. The advances, however, have been met with a cold shoulder. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, in particular, has reacted harshly to VW’s praise for Alfa’s potential—which he largely has left untapped—with a firm “hands off.”

In the past two weeks, the fire surrounding the ailing brand has flared up again with a report from Wards Auto. According to the report, negotiations are taking place at the highest level in Ingolstadt and Turin, and that the deal could include Fiat’s Pomigliano plant and supplier Magneti Marelli. The official line from Audi and Fiat is that there is no truth to the rumor. And to our knowledge, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler and Sergio Marchionne haven’t met to discuss the subject as yet.

We believe there is some merit to the speculation, however. Our sources tell us that the Agnelli family could well be open to a sale of Alfa Romeo, Marchionne’s posturing notwithstanding. However, some of the details of the rumor don’t exactly jive with what we’re hearing in Germany. For example, the Volkswagen Group has shown no interest in taking over one of Fiat’s production sites. The brand is interesting, but its baggage isn’t. Audi also has no interest in purchasing Magneti Marelli. “Why would we take over a supplier?” an Audi source asked us rhetorically. That source at Audi believes, and we agree with him, that the rumor originates in Turin, intended as an elegant way to communicate that Magneti Marelli is for sale.

If the VW Group manages to acquire Alfa, it would make a lot of sense to integrate it into the Audi empire of brands, which includes Lamborghini and Ducati. In fact, Audi designers have been spending time to come up with strategies and concepts in case of a takeover. Alfa design can only profit from the departure of a styling language that has led to vehicles such as the MiTo, which, according to former BMW chief designer Chris Bangle, looks “like a squirrel that has been kicked in the balls.”

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Volkswagen to Drop Routan Minivan at End of 2013, According to Report

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By John Lamm

Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK GTR - Forza Horizon

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but so too did Ford’s Edsel, Mercury’s LN7, and importation of the Yugo. When Volkswagen presented its Routan-badged, Chrysler-built minivan at the 2008 Chicago auto show, there was talk of as many as 45,000 being happily driven off VW dealer lots each year. In theory, that would have put Routan sales to this point at some 200,000, but the total through February 2013 runs to just 57,650. Now comes word via Automotive News that VW will drop the Routan from the brand’s lineup as of this year.

Any Routans built for the 2013 model year will be designated for fleet use, mainly by VW. In fact, Chrysler hasn’t assembled any Routans in its Windsor, Ontario factory since July 2012. We understand that the agreement between VW and Chrysler’s Windsor facility expires at the end of 2013, and VW tells us that a decision regarding the future of that agreement hasn’t been determined yet. According to AN, that contract will be allowed to expire, as we speculated late last year.

At the New York auto show, Jonathan Browning, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, told Automotive News, “The segment is contracting in favor of crossovers and SUVs,” adding, “If you look at the history of the [minivan] segment, I don’t think anybody can deny there’s been erosion.” AN points out that U.S. minivan sales rose 14 percent last year to 597,118, with Chrysler and Dodge selling 253,212 of those and Honda adding 125,980. VW sold 10,483 Routans during the same period.

Volkswagen has suffered from van envy for years after doing much to establish the segment in the 1950s before falling victim to the infamous 1963 Chicken Tax. VW has teased us mercilessly with very cool Microbus concepts, including the Bulli—an ad featuring Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs doing “Wooly Bully” would have been a natural—but apparently couldn’t make the numbers work for U.S. or Mexico production. Now VW is on a new track echoing Browning’s comment about crossovers and SUVs, as evidenced by the debut of the CrossBlue concept, the made-for-America three-row crossover.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Report: Volkswagen's De Silva says next Scirocco will be 'completely different'

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By Chris Paukert

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From our perspective, the reborn Volkswagen Scirocco is a handsome (if squat) little thing. Yet design-wise, it’s always struck us as uncomfortably close to the Golf three-door hatchback with which it shares its basic underpinnings. That aesthetic kinship may be part of the reason why Volkswagen has steadfastly refused to import the Scirocco to North America, seeing as how the Golf doesn’t regularly set the company’s sales charts alight, and it’s less expensive.

But that visual similarity might be about to change, says Walter De Silva, who recently told Australia’s Car Advice that, “It must be completely different… we don’t want to repeat the bodystyle of the Scirocco, we want to change that.” Further, the Volkswagen Group’s design boss says that the next-generation car isn’t terribly far along in development yet – “at the moment, it’s only a studio [project]… it’s not defined.” It’s probably just as well, as the new seventh-generation Golf arguably borrows some of its design from the current Scirocco anyway.

So we should expect a much bolder, more differentiated design, right? Well, yes, no and maybe. Back in September, De Silva himself was quoted as saying that the era of flamboyant styling has passed, and that future VW designs will be simpler to better reflect the times and preserve resale value. So… how different could it be?

Volkswagen’s De Silva says next Scirocco will be ‘completely different’ originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

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Is Audi Looking To Buy Alfa Romeo?

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By Kurt Ernst

2014 Alfa Romeo 4C - image: Alfa Romeo

2014 Alfa Romeo 4C – image: Alfa Romeo

We’re filing this one in the “unconfirmed rumor” bin, but it’s strange enough that it just may be true. Ward’s Auto is reporting that German automaker Audi is close to reaching a deal with Fiat to acquire the assets of the Alfa Romeo brand, as well as Fiat’s Pomigliano assembly plant.

While Pomigliano currently assembles the Fiat Panda, it was constructed in the 1960s as an Alfa Romeo assembly plant, meaning the facility would be going full-circle. Word is that Audi may also be looking to acquire the Magneti Marelli auto parts brand, which is an easy way for Fiat to raise much-needed cash. It would certainly be odd, however, if Audi controlled the supply of spare parts and accessories for the Fiat brand.

A spokesman for Audi, Juergen De Graeve, said only, “There is no substance in the news,” which is essentially the same thing the brand said about rumors it would acquire motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, right before the deal was inked. For its part, Alfa Romeo is only saying, “we do not comment on speculative rumors.”

Alfa Romeo is currently a brand in turmoil, and it’s not adding much to Fiat’s coffers. Given Fiat’s struggles in the European market, a sale of Alfa Romeo to the Volkswagen Group would help its bottom line, while likely assuring a solid future for the Alfa Romeo brand, which needs more products and better distribution to survive.

We’re not buying into this just yet (after all, Monday IS April Fool’s Day), but we’d be the first to admit that it’s possible. Given the potential benefits for all parties involved, we hope the rumors turn out to be true.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts

Automobiles

Official: Melbourne Motor Show cancelled, Sydney might follow suit

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By Zach Bowman

Australian International Motor Show logo

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Organizers have cancelled the Melbourne Motor Show in the face of declining attendance and lackluster support from automakers. Australia has already seen shows in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth close their doors, and with Melbourne following suit, Sydney is the country’s last major auto show left standing. According to reports, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce – the two parties behind the Melbourne expo – have plans to remake the show in the image of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but this year’s efforts were crippled when Volkswagen Group pulled its participation. Likewise, neither Hyundai nor Kia had committed to attending.

Those absences left fewer than 20 brands committed to the event despite the fact that the Australian market plays host to nearly 60 makes. Melbourne has seen attendance fall from a high of 257,000 visitors in 2004 to 160,000 in 2011. Likewise, attendance at the Sydney show has slide from a peak of 320,000 in 2001 to just 135,050 last year, and organizers had already moved to consolidate the two events under a joint-venture that would see both shows operate under the Australian International Motor Show moniker. See the official press notice on the cancellation below.

Continue reading Melbourne Motor Show cancelled, Sydney might follow suit

Melbourne Motor Show cancelled, Sydney might follow suit originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Report: Audi settles CVT class-action suit over 2002-06 A4 failures

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By Michael Harley

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A class-action lawsuit, lodged against Volkswagen Group of America over alleged defects with the continuously variable transmissions (CVT) it put in 64,000 2002-06 Audi A4 and A6 models, has been settled. The German automaker has denied all allegations, telling the New York Times that it settled the case because it was “‘mindful of the fact that future protracted litigation, with the burdens and uncertainties it creates, may not be in the best interests of their customers.” (That said, the plantiff lawyers will receive about $2.4 million for fees and expense.)

What matters most to affected Audi owners is that the settlement bumps many parts of the original powertrain coverage (e.g., transmission control modules) from 4 years/50,000 miles to 10 years/100,000 miles for the original owner, and it will reimburse owners who paid for specific repairs if they occurred within the extended warranty coverage. The agreement also includes trade-in reimbursements for lost value if the vehicle was sold or traded with no repair. Excluded from the settlement are claims for personal injury, property damage or subrogation.

Audi settles CVT class-action suit over 2002-06 A4 failures originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

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Here’s What the 2014 Audi A3 Looks Like Under a Sheet, Plus a Glimpse of Its Back Seat

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By Alexander Stoklosa

2014 Audi A3 sedan teaser

Today, Audi released the photo above and announced that the unspecified mystery car in it is an all-new ride. Given the absence of any scale-providing objects, it could be argued that literally any Audi sedan could be hiding under that sheet—admit it, they all look pretty similar—but it’s a pretty safe bet that this is a peek at the 2014 A3 sedan. After all, the A4 was just recently refreshed, a new A6 arrived for 2012, and the A8 isn’t due for an update for another year or two. 

2014 Audi A3 sedan teaser

The A3 sedan and a two-door cabriolet are the only two A3 variants guaranteed to come to the U.S.; the three- and five-door hatchbacks likely will stay in Europe. As are the A3 hatches, the sedan is based on the Volkswagen Group’s new MQB modular front-drive architecture. Based on an A3 sedan test mule our spy photographers caught out in the wild, the production model largely will look like a scaled-down, stumpier A4. Audi also released a brief peek at the the aft quarters of the A3′s interior, which promises to be more luxe than what the brand previewed at CES last year (we expect the dashboard to mimic the hatchback’s)—all the better for going up against Mercedes-Benz’s new CLA250.

Audi says it will provide fans with a sneak peek at the 2014 A3 sedan on March 27, which happens to be the first day of the 2013 New York auto show. We’ll bring you more info as soon as it becomes available.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Upcoming Audi Hypercar Known as Scorpion, Will Receive R18-Derived Engine

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By Jens Meiners

Audi’s Scorpion will use a modified version of the 510-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 TDI engine from this R18 e-tron Quattro.

Speculation is rife about Audi’s upcoming hypercar, which is being referred internally as Scorpion—and not R10 or R20 as has been previously speculated. A final decision on the name hasn’t been taken yet, we learned from an Audi source, but progress is strong on this pet project of the brand’s R&D chief Wolfgang Dürheimer.

Details on Scorpion are slow in emerging from Germany, but we can reveal that the car will be powered by a modified version of the 3.7-liter V-6 TDI engine found in the R18 e-tron Quattro Le Mans Prototype racer, as well as a front-mounted hybrid module that remains unspecified to those outside the program. The diesel mill is a 120-degree V-6 featuring four valves per cylinder and a fully aluminum engine block, force-fed by a single turbocharger. In race trim, this engine produces “more than” 510 horsepower and “more than” 27 lb-ft of torque, but its intakes are restricted. In series-production trim, theoretically, it could be even more powerful.

This contradicts previous reports that have filtered out of Germany that the car would the Volkswagen Group’s ubiquitous 3.0-liter V-6 TDI mounted behind the seats of the hypercar. A capable unit, to be sure, the 3.0 TDI powers diesel variants of vehicles as diverse as Porsche’s Cayenne and Panamera, Volkwagen’s Touareg, and just about the entirety of Audi’s range; but that unit is deemed far too pedestrian for an über-expensive, über-exclusive, über-fast hypercar of Scorpion’s stature. “It wouldn’t make sense to use anything but the R18′s racing engine in the Scorpion,” our source tells us. Good news for the select few that will ever have the financial means or the clout to get behind the wheel of Audi’s roadgoing Le Mans racer.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

The Continental: Lingering Questions from the 2013 Geneva Auto Show

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By Jens Meiners

The Continental

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.

No manual for you!

As this story is published, the Geneva auto show is in its second week. For me, the show triggered as many questions as it provided answers, and I could not identify a dominant theme for the show, which seemed to be weaker than usual on concept cars. Here are some random but thought-provoking observations:

Porsche and Manuals

The industry, unfortunately, is working to get rid of manual transmissions. Porsche is fitting its latest 911 GT3 with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, and when questioned about the move, the automaker responded with a flurry of rhetorical questions such as whether the company should go back to carburetors and or ditch ABS. Of course, the dual-clutch auto provides superior shifting times. But I contest the notion that it is therefore the only logical choice for the GT3. Shifting gears is an essential part of operating a car, over which I wish to exercise total control; even with paddle-actuated shifts, there is an extra layer between me and the car. And the dual-clutch automatic is heavier than a manual transmission, to boot. I hear that the upcoming GT3 RS could become available with a manual transmission. This is excellent news.

Porsche and others would do well to reflect on the enthusiastic reaction towards the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S/Toyota GT-86. It came in second in the European Car of the Year votes and placed among the top four in the World Car Awards; the actual winner will be announced later this month. The sports-car trio’s popularity is a powerful message to the industry: People love light-weight, tossable sports cars, even if they’re low on sophistication. And they love a manual. (The cars didn’t get votes because of their available slushboxes).

Qoros GQ3

Qoros Charging On

Qoros could permanently change the perception of Chinese cars. Funded by an Israeli-Chinese cooperation and engineereed with input from Austrian and German engineers, these cars are bordering on premium in content and appearance. The long-term dedication is visible in the three body variations shown in Geneva; an SUV is sure to come, as are further variations in the future. Qoros displays a consistent, attractive styling language (at which some German manufacturers need to take a hard look). Safety will not be an issue, the cars are expected to pass the (overrated) NCAP tests with flying colors. And Qoros also triggered the amusing footnote which is Audi’s lawsuit against the Chinese company’s use of the “GQ3″ moniker. Transforming the image of the Chinese auto industry, and topping it off with exposing the Volkswagen Group’s nervousness—no wonder Qoros executives were all smiles at this show.

<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-108015" title="2014 Alfa Romeo 4C" src="http://blog.caranddriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2014-Alfa-Romeo-4C-313-626×382.jpg" alt="2014 Alfa …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Turbodiesel Audi A4 Coming In 2014

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By Kurt Ernst

2013 Audi A4 - image: Audi

2013 Audi A4 – image: Audi

A few years back, Audi boasted that it would soon offer diesel versions of every model line it sold in the United States (excluding the R, S and RS vehicles). To date, however, that list includes just the A3 TDI and the Q7 TDI, meaning that there’s still room for a lot of oil-burning Audis in U.S. dealer showrooms.

Perhaps the most eagerly-anticipated Audi diesel is the A4 TDI, a car we expected to be on sale by 2013. In a Tuesday morning conference call, Audi of America president Scott Keogh updated the German luxury brand’s position on diesels in the United States, and it really comes down to timing.

The current Audi A4, built on the B8 platform, is due for replacement in 2014. The new B9 Audi A4 will use a completely different platform (Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo), so absorbing the cost of building a U.S.-market diesel A4 on the old end-of-life platform made no financial sense.

We’re hoping that means development of the U.S.-spec B9 A4 TDI is well under way, and that the car will launch in the U.S. at the same time as other new A4 models. That’s expected to be sometime in 2014, though to be honest we’d expect it to be late in the year.

Look for the A4 TDI to come to market with Audi’s 2.0-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine, and not the more expensive 3.0-liter V-6. Though specs are still a long way from being finalized, you can expect the A4 TDI to deliver at least 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, which is the rating for the same engine in the A3 TDI.

There are plenty of other diesel models in Audi’s short-term future, too. The A8 TDI will likely arrive first, in the second quarter of 2014, followed by the Q5 TDI, the A6 TDI and the A7 TDI.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts

Automobiles

Italdesign Giugiaro Parcour Concept: One Coupe / Crossover / Sports Car / Off-Roader to Rule Them All [2013 Geneva Auto Show]

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By Alexander Stoklosa

Italdesign Giugaro Parkour concept

Alongside the other wares rolled out by Volkswagen Group at the 2013 Geneva auto show, VW-owned Italdesign Giugiaro debuted this wondrously off-kilter design concept in both coupe and roadster forms. Fittingly, Italdesign went with the name Parcour for its low-slung/high-riding oddity. A cute misspelling of parkour, the “urban sport” in which people move unconventionally over public infrastructure, the Parcour is designed to tackle all terrains with equal aplomb. READ MORE ››

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver