Technology s r l

Volkswagen is looking to exceed its previously strong foothold in the American diesel car market in 10 years time and is hoping its upcomingroll outof clean diesel technology engines will help it get there. At a recent a press conference in Turin, Italy, Volkswagen director of powertrain research Wolfgang Steiger stated that roughly 30 percent of VW‘s total U.S. sales will likely be derived from its diesel models by 2018. Last year VW, whichhas traditionally been a major player on the U.S. diesel scene, pulled its diesel-powered models from the U.S. market in 2007 in orderto retool them to better accomodate the new low sulphur diesel fuel and meet more stringent American fuel emissions standards. That same year, diesels made up 15 percent of VW’s U.S. sales. Steiger told Automotive News that increasing fuel prices and the generally improved fuel economy from diesels are major factors that will attract American consumers. "Returning this year with clean diesels in 50 U.S. … [Read more...] about Volkswagen: 30 percent of U.S. sales to be diesel by 2018

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.Bentley’s new boss, former Porsche R&D chief Wolfgang Dürheimer, is beginning to put his stamp on the luxury brand. His predecessor, German executive Franz-Josef Paefgen, was said to be “more British than the Brits themselves”—the former Audi chief loves classic cars and was largely responsible for Bentley’s rise since the early past decade. Dürheimer, who arrived from Porsche this February, is now poised to create a far more contemporary image for the brand.One example of this approach is a promotional video for the new Continental GTC, which does not feature long gravel driveways and the expected country manor, but instead a young couple breezing along coastal highways. Clearly, Bentley wishes to be … [Read more...] about The Continental’s L.A. Notebook: Bentley’s New Direction, a Lambo SUV, BMW’s i8 Saves Weight with a Three-Cylinder, and Some Designer Talk

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn was a busy man today in Yokohama, Japan. Not only did Ghosn confirm that Nissan’s high-performance arm, NISMO, will produce a GT-R for next year, but he also dropped a bombshell in revealing that Nissan will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The automaker already is a big force in the French classic. The 2013 entry list shows 17 LMP2 machines powered by Nissan’s 4.5-liter VK45DE V-8 engine that has historically dominated that class against a handful of Honda-, Judd-, and Lotus-powered entries. And we all know about the DeltaWing. The next step will be a “return to Le Mans with a vehicle that will act as a high-speed test bed in the harshest of environments for both our road-car and race-car electric-vehicle technology,” said Ghosn.Feature: Camp Le Mans—A Night with Audi’s New R8 GTComparison Test: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 vs. 2013 Nissan GT-R vs. 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera SComparison Test: 2011 Ferrari … [Read more...] about Nissan Will Return to Le Mans in 2014 Emphasizing Electric Technology