Magic wands don’t exist, at least not outside Hogwarts. Progress has to be fought for and won. This is especially true in the field of automotive engineering. But what if there was one thing you could do that just made everything better for cars – one act that instantly conferred superior acceleration, higher cornering speeds, better handling, improved braking, lower fuel consumption and fewer emissions of every single kind? And what if, as it did so, it also used far less of the world’s finite natural resources? Would that not be as close to a wand fit for a wizard as can exist? Well, it does exist and it has been known about for as long as people have been making cars. It can be defined in three simple words: make it lighter. Lotus founder Colin Chapman was by no means the first to understand the concept, but he pursued it with greater vigour than anyone up until that time. His maxims such as ‘Simplify, then add lightness’ and ‘Adding power … [Read more...]

Autoweek in review is where we bring you the biggest stories in the car world that you might have missed this week. Whether you were actually getting some work done or you stepped away from your computer for a moment, here's your chance to catch up and have something cool to talk about over the weekend. 2017 BMW 530i review: Redesign or big refresh? After spending the weekend tooling around in the new, seventh-gen BMW 5-Series, I really don’t know if I like it. I need to think about it more. According to BMW, compared to the outgoing model, ... Here's the first 'Top Gear America' trailer "Top Gear America" is just a month away from airing, no small feat given the demise of "Top Gear USA" exactly a year ago, and the BBC has just released the first brief teaser ... … [Read more...]

Munich prosecutors arrested an Audi employee on suspicion of fraud and false advertising in connection with the carmaker's emissions scandal, the first arrest in Germany related to Volkswagen's diesel scandal. The Audi employee was arrested on Monday, at the behest of Munich prosecutors, a spokeswoman for the Munich prosecutors office said on Friday. When asked if the arrest was at the request of US authorities, the spokeswoman said it was not. She did not give the name of the person. Munich prosecutors declined to comment on whether the arrested person is a current or former Audi employee. Audi and parent Volkswagen both declined to comment. On Thursday, the US Justice Department said it charged former manager Giovanni Pamio with directing Audi employees to design software to cheat US emissions tests in thousands of Audi diesel cars. Audi is a division of Volkswagen Group. The Munich prosecutor's office said the Audi employee was brought before a judge on Tuesday and was now … [Read more...]

Those of you who read our 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack review, and who are in possession of a very sharp memory, might recall another VW wagon review we did a little while back. No, we’re not talking about the Golf Sportwagen we drove in 2016 -- we mean the Quantum Syncro we wrote about, oh, 31 years ago this week.Now, the wagon that appeared in the July 7, 1986 issue of Autoweek isn’t the direct predecessor of the longroof Golfs we know today; the Quantum was the U.S.-market name for the Passat. But model bloat being a very real phenomenon, the old Quantum probably maps more closely to today’s Golfs than it does to the upsized modern Passat.Even when we wrote our drive review, we knew the Quantum Syncro was going to be a rare sight on American roads. The Syncro, in this case, referred to its all-wheel-drive system (pinched from Audi), and that alone made it something of a specialist offering. There were a few non-truck vehicles built AWD back … [Read more...]

Every Volvo car launched from 2019 will have an electric motor, the company has announced, describing the move as “placing electrification at the core of its future business”. The bold move – the first of its kind in the automotive industry – will mark the end of cars that only have an internal combustion engine. Volvo’s range of electrified cars will include all-electric, plug-in hybrid and 48-volt mild hybrid models. While Volvo has pipped its rivals to the post with this announcement, it's expected that all new, large vehicles with internal combustion engines will need electrical assistance - most likely in the form of a 48-volt mild hybrid - to pass future emissions legislation after 2019, meaning that other car makers will need to quickly follow suit. An industry insider commented: "Brands that only have large vehicles in their portfolio will have no choice but to standardise [48-volt] - but we should be in no doubt that the vast majority of their … [Read more...]

Audi is considering the launch of another electric supercar to follow its previous limited-run R8 e-tron. “You can very well imagine that at some point in time we will have an electric supercar,” said Peter Mertens, Audi’s new R&D boss, at the Formula E race in Berlin earlier this month. First mooted as far back as 2009, the R8 e-tron had a tortuous development, one that became mired in Audi’s internal politics. It was cancelled by Audi’s then development boss Wolfgang Dürheimer back in 2013 on the basis that battery technology was insufficient to deliver the targeted performance. Then Dürheimer’s replacement, Volkswagen’s engineering supremo, Ulrich Hackenberg, ordered that the e-tron be put into very limited production, with sales lasting just 19 months until the death of the first-generation R8 last year. Audi E-tron electric SUV to arrive in 2018 with 310-mile range Hackenberg has since departed, following the Dieselgate … [Read more...]

What is it: The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack wagon uses a 1.8-liter turbo-four for power and comes with VW's 4Motion all-wheel drive using a Haldex-5 coupling and an electro-hydraulic oil pump.Key Competitors: Audi Allroad, Subaru Outback/Crosstrek, BMW 3-Series Sports WagonBase Price: $33,710 As Tested: $35,705Highlights: VW's four-wheel-drive system powers the front wheels, saving fuel, until a loss of traction is detected, after which it can send 50 percent of the power rearward. The Alltrack gets an extra inch of ground clearance over the Golf SportWagen and looks more rugged, too.Opinion: People are probably sick of me saying this, but I love Golfs. It’s their near-perfect ride/handling balance, exceptional body control, the interior quality and the logical way everything is arranged, the way the doors thunk shut, the excellent seats, the practicality (especially these wagons) … all good as far as I’m concerned. This car is no exception. … [Read more...]

As much fun as supercars and 6-by-6 G Wagens are, cars that are accessible to the rest of us are what most folks are looking for. Our list of the top-10 most-read reviews of 2017 so far includes a little bit of everything. Without further ado, here's what moved the needle in the first six months of the year:  2018 Toyota C-HR first drive: When does a car become a crossover? It’s no secret that we live in a world where everything from hate groups to Fruit Loops can be rebranded to become more or less appealing to a particular audience, and the auto industry is no ... 2017 Mercedes Benz C300 Coupe review notes: Another sexy C I hadn't driven one of the C-Class coupes yet, and damn if this car didn’t impress me right from the get-go. I’ve always said BMW tacks more … [Read more...]

During the Future Mobility Days event in Germany, Volkswagen unveiled the Gen.E research vehicle, which serves as a testbed for the brand’s electrification plans. In terms of styling, the Gen.E certainly looks like a futuristic three-door Golf, with a sculpted body, raked rear window, cameras replacing side mirrors, and slim headlights. The prototype also features C-shaped light signature and a low-mounted camera, the latter likely to support any autonomous driving functions. Other interesting details are the gullwing doors and flushed door handles, which should make the car more aerodynamically efficient. However, despite its flashy exterior, the interior appears to be rather conventional based on what we can see. In any case, could this possibly be a preview for the next generation Golf? We’ll have to wait and see. Volkswagen revealed the Gen.E “provides an insight into the next generation of automobiles for efficient long-distance mobility with a range of more … [Read more...]

During the Future Mobility Days event in Germany, Volkswagen unveiled the Gen.E research vehicle, which serves as a testbed for the brand’s electrification plans. In terms of styling, the Gen.E certainly looks like a futuristic three-door Golf, with a sculpted body, raked rear window, cameras replacing side mirrors, and slim headlights. The prototype also features C-shaped light signature and a low-mounted camera, the latter likely to support any autonomous driving functions. Other interesting details are the gullwing doors and flushed door handles, which should make the car more aerodynamically efficient. However, despite its flashy exterior, the interior appears to be rather conventional based on what we can see. In any case, could this possibly be a preview for the next generation Golf? We’ll have to wait and see. Volkswagen revealed the Gen.E “provides an insight into the next generation of automobiles for efficient long-distance mobility with a range of more … [Read more...]

This week's gossip from the automotive industry brings news of Citroen's future line-up, the Kia Venga's fate and future tech to feature in Volkswagen's 2019 Golf. Citroen's future line-up Citroen is to cut the range of models it offers worldwide, says boss Linda Jackson. “There will be eight silhouettes,” – her term for model ranges – “excluding vans and the C1. Every silhouette will be multi-regional. The aim is to be selling 45% of our cars outside Europe by 2021, up from 35%. The new C3 Aircross will be sold in six regions. We’ve currently got 14 silhouettes because of regional variations. We’ll reduce that.” Read more: Citroen C3 Aircross to take on Nissan Juke in compact SUV class, PSA Group semi-autonomous cars arrive this year; full autonomy in 2020 The Stonic's effect on the Venga's future The arrival of the Kia Stonic will spell the end for the Venga mini MPV. The Stonic is not a replacement for the Venga, but … [Read more...]

Volkswagen is in the midst of developing its own 48 volt mild hybrid powertrain for its cars, which is set to make its debut on a Golf-sized vehicle, according to Automotive News. The publication stated that the system could see the light of day on the T-Roc B-segment crossover, which is expected to be unveiled later this year, slotting under the larger Tiguan. Wolfsburg’s head of development Frank Welsch said that once the technology is ready, it can be quickly rolled out across the model range. “Once we have it in an MQB-based model it’s more or less plug and play,” he said. “We can put it on other models because we have a modular platform.” Asked about whether the Golf itself would be the first to come with the 48-volt mild hybrid system, Welsch said, “When I do development of these technologies it is not important which car gets it first. We have to have the technology ready and then we decide which car will get it first and in which … [Read more...]

Volkswagen is in the midst of developing its own 48 volt mild hybrid powertrain for its cars, which is set to make its debut on a Golf-sized vehicle, according to Automotive News. The publication stated that the system could see the light of day on the T-Roc B-segment crossover, which is expected to be unveiled later this year, slotting under the larger Tiguan. Wolfsburg’s head of development Frank Welsch said that once the technology is ready, it can be quickly rolled out across the model range. “Once we have it in an MQB-based model it’s more or less plug and play,” he said. “We can put it on other models because we have a modular platform.” Asked about whether the Golf itself would be the first to come with the 48-volt mild hybrid system, Welsch said, “When I do development of these technologies it is not important which car gets it first. We have to have the technology ready and then we decide which car will get it first and in which … [Read more...]

Volkswagen's French division reported inaccurate delivery figures to German headquarters for years to make its performance look better, Der Spiegel said on Friday, citing a report by the carmaker's internal auditors. The auditors found a number of cars were registered by their owners "several months or even years" after the deliveries were recorded by the French business - a process that normally takes weeks - and that some of the vehicles classed as delivered didn't even have purchase contracts, the magazine said. It said inaccurate information was provided on almost 800,000 vehicles in total. A spokesman at Volkswagen's Wolfsburg-based headquarters declined to discuss the article, saying the company "doesn't comment on internal documents." The French division's actions started in 2010 and affected cars from VW's namesake brand, luxury division Audi, Czech unit Skoda and the Spanish Seat brand, Der Spiegel said. VW group chief executive Matthias Mueller was given the auditors' … [Read more...]

Project Cars 2 is part of an incredible second half of 2017 for racing gamers, with the Slightly Mad Studios title set to be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on 22 September. We’ve already had a glimpse of the vast variety of vehicle types in PC2, from Rallycross machines to IndyCar, supercars and iconic classics from the motorsport world. Porsche and Ford cars, including street and racing versions of the new GT, have recently been confirmed but now a full car list has been revealed – featuring 182 cars and 38 manufacturers, a huge improvement from the first game. … [Read more...]

This week, we're debuting our latest feature, Drivers' Notes. A variety of cars, trucks, and SUVs roll through our office, but we don't always have an opportunity to showcase them. Consider this a weekly logbook of sorts, with quick-hit contributions from a variety of staff members. We get seat time in all sorts of vehicles, and we want to share our thoughts, opinions, and general musings. The goal is to obsessively cover cars in ways we can't in First Drive or Quick Spin reviews. For the past few days, we've passed around the key fob to the all-new 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. This big three-row crossover is the replacement for the Touareg, slotting above that all-new Tiguan. Like the current Passat and Jetta, the Atlas is designed with American tastes and sensibilities in mind. Some Volkswagen enthusiasts may lament the loss of European flair, but a big, handsome, and refined crossover is exactly what shoppers today are looking for. This may be the model that helps repair Volkswagen's … [Read more...]

The Volkswagen GTI is one of those cars that's a near-perfect fit for so many people. Few cars on the market combine the GTI's refinement, versatility, and fun-to-drive nature. There's a reason why it's one of our go-to choices when someone asks us what car to buy. It's a fantastic machine in any guise, but in 2017 Volkswagen added a new trim level that makes it nearly perfect. The 2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI Sport starts at $28,815 and sits just above the base S model. The base model is fine, but it lacks a few modern conveniences that really set it apart from the competition. Moving up to the Sport trim adds bi-xenon headlights, keyless entry with push-button start with both transmissions, and, most important, the GTI Performance Package. There's no moonroof, no 12-way adjustable leather seats, and no outdated navigation system. It's just simple and pure. Ditching the moonroof saves weight, complexity, and increases the headroom. The heated tartan-patterned seats are arguably better … [Read more...]

Volkswagen plans to have most of its cars with the pWLAN (IEEE 802.11p) wireless connectivity standard by 2019. The system, which has been adopted by the automotive industry for non-proprietary, inter-vehicle communication as well as between vehicles and transport infrastructure will be supported by some of its models as standard, in addition to mobile phone connectivity. “We want to increase road safety with the aid of networked vehicles, and the most efficient way of achieving this is through the rapid roll-out of a common technology. What matters most is that the technology is used consistently, and by as many manufacturers and partners as possible,” said Johannes Neft, head of vehicle body development for Volkswagen. Scheduled for launch in 2019, the technology aims to help detect hazards such as a nearby car making an emergency stop, or black ice on the road. This information can be shared instantly with surrounding vehicles and transport infrastructure (car-to-car … [Read more...]

Volkswagen plans to have most of its cars with the pWLAN (IEEE 802.11p) wireless connectivity standard by 2019. The system, which has been adopted by the automotive industry for non-proprietary, inter-vehicle communication as well as between vehicles and transport infrastructure will be supported by some of its models as standard, in addition to mobile phone connectivity. “We want to increase road safety with the aid of networked vehicles, and the most efficient way of achieving this is through the rapid roll-out of a common technology. What matters most is that the technology is used consistently, and by as many manufacturers and partners as possible,” said Johannes Neft, head of vehicle body development for Volkswagen. Scheduled for launch in 2019, the technology aims to help detect hazards such as a nearby car making an emergency stop, or black ice on the road. This information can be shared instantly with surrounding vehicles and transport infrastructure (car-to-car … [Read more...]

From the July 2017 issue Throwing money at problems is how corporations make them go away. Pay for more lawyers, pay for more public relations, and certainly pay for more marketing in the hopes that the world will believe your new promises. For Volkswagen, those invoices have recently been supersized, befitting the scope of the diesel cheating scandal that has engulfed the company and prompted the recall of approximately 590,000 vehicles in the United States. Yet, its attorney bills and the costs of hiring extra PR staff must seem like little more than a few padded expense reports to the accountants in Wolfsburg. Since a group of West Virginia University scientists announced in May 2014 that they had found unexpectedly high emissions from VW’s TDI vehicles—which led to the uncovering of the company’s conspiracy to cheat government regulators and defraud consumers—Volks­wagen has committed to spend at least $25 billion in the U.S. in legal settlements … [Read more...]