Atlanta Won't Rename Henry Ford II Avenue to Ferdinand Porsche Avenue Due to his Nazi Past

There’s no denying that the crimes committed during World War II (WWII) by Nazi Germany are among the darkest pages of mankind’s history.

It’s also no secret that Germany’s industries were providing its army with airplanes, tanks, vehicles and ammunition, and that the use of forced labor in the plants was a common practice.

Even though war ended in 1945 and the world has become a very different place now, with Germany being an ally of its former enemies, history occasionally comes back to haunt the modern Germans’ descendants.

Porsche Cars North America has invested US$100 million in building its new headquarters and a test track in a 26-acre estate close to Atlanta’s International airport.

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Spied: Volkswagen Filmed Trying Out XL1 Diesel-Electric Hybrid

The XL1 is Volkswagen's vision of a plug-in hybrid car that returns an amazingly low combined fuel consumption of 0.9lt/100km, equal to 261 mpg US and 313 mpg UK, or to be precise, MPGe (Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent) since this figure includes the use of both the internal combustion engine and the battery.

The two-seater model was presented as a concept last year and is now heading for very limited run production starting from next year - if all goes according to plan. VW's engineers were filmed in Spain completing new tests with the car as they prepare for its introduction.

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Volkswagen Marks Touareg's 10th Birthday with Special Edition X

It has been 10 years since Volkswagen entered the mid-size crossover segment for the very first with the Touareg Mk1 that was displayed for the world to see at the 2002 Paris Motor Show.

To commemorate the Touareg's 10th anniversary, the German carmaker has prepared a limited edition version of the second-generation model, appropriately named "X" (the Roman symbol for 10), which sports a number of special features.

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Euro Debt Crisis Reaches VW's Front Door, Cuts 2012 W. European Sales Target by 140,000 Vehicles

It was bound to happen sooner rather than later. The European sovereign debt crisis that started in Greece and spread to other countries including Cyprus, Portugal, Ireland and Spain, is beginning to have a deeper effect on companies like Volkswagen.

The continent's largest carmaker has cut its internal 2012 sales target for Western Europe by up to 140,000 vehicles, the German news daily Handelsblatt reported on Friday.

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!Two Greenhorn Drivers Learn a New Lesson in Russia!

One of our tipsters tells us that in Russia, a yellow sign with an exclamation mark represents the same thing that the British "L-plate" does: a newly licensed driver.

In this case, we have not one, but allegedly two future Russian driving stars in the making, the first sitting behind the wheel of a Chinese Lifan hatchback and the other a previous iteration of the Volkswagen Golf.

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VW Favoring Mexico Plant for North American Golf Mk7, Expected to go on Sale at the End of 2014

One of the reasons why Volkswagen hasn't officially mentioned anything about the North American availability of the new, seventh generation Golf that was presented at the Paris Motor Show last week, is because it hasn't reached a final decision on where it will produce the compact hatchback for the local market.

Nevertheless, that may change soon as VW CEO Martin Winterkorn told German magazine Automobilwoche, a sister publication of Autonews, that the company is leaning towards its factory in Puebla, Mexico, for the North American production of the new Golf. The same plant also builds the Jetta saloon.

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This is the All-New 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible [14 Photos]

We still have a long way to go before the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show kicks off on November 30, but Volkswagen couldn't wait to reveal the convertible version of its latest Beetle model.

Not that we're surprised in any way as the new Beetle Convertible follows the same formula with its predecessor combining the hatchback's retro-style body with a traditional soft top that lies exposed behind the rear seats when folded down.

We do not get any images of the car with the top in its place, but the German automaker claims that the combination of a "flatter roofline and the more upright windshield" gives the car a shape that’s "more closely aligned with the first generation Beetle Cabriolet".

The top is automatic on all models, regardless of trim, and takes a little over 10 seconds to open or close at a touch of a button, which can be used up to a speed of 30mph (48 km/h).

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U.S. Car Sales Increase by 13 Percent in September, Market is on its Way to Reach 15 Million Units

September auto sales were up 13 percent compared to the same month in 2011, according to sales tracker Autodata. This is the best result in the last four years and exceeds even the most optimist analysts’ expectations.

It also raises the automotive industry sales’ Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) projection to 14.9 million. SAAR is determined by dividing the unadjusted annual rate for the month by its seasonality factor, resulting in an adjusted annual rate for the month.

September was the fourth consecutive month, and the seventh month this year, that the SAAR has exceeded 14 million.

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Volkswagen Prices New 45MPG 2013 Jetta Hybrid from $24,995* in the States

While on one side of the Atlantic, Volkswagen's local arm was releasing prices for the UK market 2013 Golf Mk7, on the other side, the German automaker announced U.S. pricing for the 2013 Jetta Hybrid.

The turbocharged gasoline-electric hybrid will go on sale in the States in the last quarter of 2012 with a base MSRP of $24,995 (€19,350 at today's rates), excluding a destination charge of $795 (*).

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All-New 2013 VW Golf Mk7 Priced from £16,330 in the UK, Lower than its Predecessor

The seventh generation of the Volkswagen Golf, which just received its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show last week, will cost from £16,330 OTR (US$26,250 or €20,350 at the current rates) when it goes on sale in the United Kingdom on October 18, with first deliveries due in January.

This means that, even though better equipped, the new entry-level Golf S 3-door with the 1.2-litre TSI 84HP (85PS) petrol unit starts from a price lower point than the respective outgoing model with the same engine (£16,425).

In Britain, the Golf will launch in two body styles, three- and five-door hatchbacks, both available in three trim levels named S, SE and GT, plus a choice of four petrol engines and two diesels.

In 2013, the range will be enhanced with the production variants of the 217bhp (220PS) GTI and the frugal (88.3mpg UK / 73.5mpg US / 3.2lt per 100km) diesel-powered BlueMotion.

The petrol engine lineup at launch starts with a four-cylinder 1.2-litre TSI unit producing 84hp (85PS), rising via a 1.2-litre TSI 104hp (105PS) and a 1.4-litre TSI 120hp (122PS) motor to the all-new 1.4-litre TSI 138hp (140PS) engine with Active Cylinder Technology.

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Volkswagen Adds R-Line Trim to Tiguan Lineup in the UK

It took Volkswagen almost a year after the company launched the R-Line trims for its Tiguan crossover in the rest of Europe, but the interior and exterior packages have finally made it to the United Kingdom where they will be offered together as a new grade level. Read more »

Mega Gallery with 107 Photos of the All-New 2013 Volkswagen Golf Mk7

Having completed the media and motor show presentations of the new 2013 Golf, Volkswagen is now gearing up for the market launch of its bread-and-butter model, with the first country to get the car being, of course, Germany.

The first examples of the seventh generation Golf in both 3- and 5-door body styles will arrive at VW's German showrooms on November 10, with more European markets to follow in the coming weeks.

Volkswagen continues to keep us in the dark about when the new Golf will make its North American motor show debut and sales launch as well as with what engines it will be offered.

In Europe, VW's C-segment competitor will offer customers a wide choice of new turbocharged diesel and petrol engines, all of which are fitted with a stop/start system and battery regeneration as standard, with outputs ranging from 84hp (85PS) to 148hp (150PS).

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Luxury Carmakers Lower 2013 Projections due to the Eurozone Debt Crisis

Premium brands continue to roll out one model after another as fast as they can. In the past year alone, Porsche has revealed its brand-new 911 in four versions (with more still to follow), Bentley the Continental GTC open-top and Ferrari, its fastest model ever, to name but a few.

Moreover, the battle at the hypercar segment is heating up as Ferrari is readying its all-new Enzo replacement, Porsche the 918 Spyder and McLaren just a few days ago revealed its own weapon, the P1.

Surely then, with the rich of this world getting richer, those nameplates should be not affected by the economic crisis that rages in Europe and has hit mainstream car sales, seriously hurting companies like Fiat and Peugeot.

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2013 VW Golf GTI Study Officially Revealed in Paris, European Sales Begin Next Summer

Who are we kidding; it may be billed as a concept, but even VW doesn’t make much effort into hiding the fact that the "design study" that made its debut alongside the rest of the seventh-generation Golf models at the 2012 Paris Auto Show is actually the production version of the Mk7 Golf GTI .

The German automaker even released a launch date: the new Golf GTI in both three- and five-door body styles will go on sale in mainland Europe in early 2013 and in the UK next summer (no word yet on when it will arrive in North America).

The new GTI stands out from lesser versions of the Golf thanks to its honeycomb grille (first introduced in the Mk5) with double red-stipe accents, the smoked LED rear lights and license plate illumination, the red brake calipers behind the five-spoke alloy wheels and the 80 mm diameter tailpipes with a chrome finish.

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New VW Golf BlueMotion Study is the Most Fuel Efficient Golf Ever, Returns 3.2lt/100km or 73.5mpg

Volkswagen first told us about the new Golf BlueMotion during the presentation of the Golf Mk7 earlier this month, and now the German carmaker has released photos and additional details on the car that will be introduced as a concept at the Paris Motor Show.

Much like the Golf GTI study that will join the rest of the range at VW's stand, there's nothing really conceptual about the Golf BlueMotion, sans the informational stickers on the side of the car, as it too will go on sale in Europe next summer.

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2014 Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk7 Design Study Breaks Cover Early

The first batch of photos of the new Volkswagen Golf GTI Concept were unloaded on the internet today, less than 24 hours ahead of the car's reveal at the 2012 edition of the Paris Motor Show.

Much like the previous model that was displayed in concept form at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the new Golf GTI is also going to be shown as a near-production study. What this means is that that the car's looks and mechanicals will remain virtually unchanged when it goes on sale next year starting with Europe in spring.

Volkswagen's new hot hatch incorporates all the traditional design cues of the series like the honeycomb upper and lower front grilles with red accents, which now extend to the angular headlamps, five spoke alloy wheels wrapped in beefy tires, and two large exhaust pipes split far.

The darkened tail lamps, rear diffuser in black, a discreet roof spoiler, the LED headlamps and the new black trim on the front bumper round out the visual changes on the outside.

Inside, you will find classic tartan upholstery covering the body-hugging sport seats along with black piano trim décor, and red stitching applied on the flat-bottom sports steering wheel and the transmission lever.

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Volkswagen Abandons Appeal Against Suzuki and the Use of the GTi Moniker

The Volkswagen Group has put to rest an appeal of a court ruling in a brand infringement case against Suzuki regarding its use of the GTi nameplate on the sportiest version of the Swift hatchback – not because it wanted to, but evidently, because it had no chance of winning the case.

The dispute began back in 2004 when the German automaker challenged an application granted to Suzuki to use the GTi moniker and took the Japanese brand to court.

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VW Group Design Boss Says “Flamboyant” is so Last Year, “Simple and Clean” is the Way to Go

Walter de Silva is a man who knows a thing or two about styling; after all, he is in the business for the last 40 years.

The Italian designer has worked at the I.DE.A institute under award-winning architect Renzo Piano, who designed the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the New York Times Building. In the automotive field, he has some pretty impressive designs in his long resume such as the Alfa Romeo 156, the Seat Tango concept, the Audi A5 and the VW Scirocco.

De Silva, who joined Audi in 2002 to become VW Group’s head of design overseeing all brands from Skoda to Bugatti in 2007, believes that the “overdesign” school, which began with BMW's Chris Bangle and his "flame surfacing" that has since been adopted by many automakers, is becoming obsolete.

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Volkswagen Plant Begins Partial Production of Porsche Boxster

Common perception has it that all Porsches are manufactured in Germany. Yet the first- and second-generation of the Boxster roadster were assembled in Finland by Valmet, as was the Boxster-based Cayman coupe.

In 2011, Porsche terminated this deal and transferred production to Germany. Initially, the Boxster was manufactured at the carmaker’s main plant in Zuffenhausen alongside the 911.

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Volkswagen Introduces Production Version of Amarok Canyon Edition at IAA

At the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March, Volkswagen's commercial vehicle division previewed a concept model of the Amarok named Canyon Edition, styled and configured for customers who enjoy outdoor sports and activities.

Volkswagen has now decided to offer a production version of the Amarok Canyon that was introduced at this week's IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hanover, Germany.

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