Volkswagen has announced it will recall 510 New Beetle due to the use of an incorrect adhesive that may have been used to attach the roof spoiler to the rear glass of the car.
The concerned New Beetle are model year 2008. If the incorrect adhesive was used, the spoiler could fly off and possible strike either pedestrians or other cars.
The recall will officially began on February the 29th.
Fourtitude provides a few details about the engines of the upcoming TTRS and RS5 models. The TTRS will be unveiled at the next Paris Motor Show while the RS5 will arrive in 2009.
The TTRS will be powered by a turbocharged 2.5-litre engine which will have an output of 350bhp. However some insiders talk about a 2.3-litre unit. The RS5’s powertrain remains unknown and is still prone to speculation. According to Fourtitude, the RS5 might be powered by a V10 engine taken from the RS6. However this choice might confuse customers as the RS6 is bigger than the RS5 and the price would likely be more expensive than an equivalent M3.
So, a normally aspirated might be the second option for Audi. Detuned, the V10 would still be powerful enough to competed with the german clique. Mercedes did it with the C63 AMG and performances are still at the top. The third option might be to reuse the 4.2-litre V8 seen in the RS4 and add a turbocharger to boost the power output to 450bhp. The last option would be to use the normally aspirated V8 found in the RS4. With its 414bhp, it’s powerful enough enough to fight the M3 and C63 AMG.
Volkswagen is seriously considering fitting diesel engines in future Bentley models as marketing director Adrian Hallmark revealed in an interview with AutoTelegraaf.
He said customers enjoy the high torque and low rev of Bentley’s engines which is perfectly matched a diesel engine. The company has the choice inside the engine range of Volkswagen group. There is the 5.0-litre unit powering the Phaeton and the Touareg while a V12 is featured in the Audi Q7.
Using diesel engine would help the brand to lower the CO2 emission fleet average and would also lower the fleet average consumption. Rolls Royce is also considering adopting the same solution as BMW is currently working on a twin-turbocharged V8 unit.
Volkswagen has released some information about the engine range of the Scirocco coupé due to be launched at Geneva.
The future Volkswagen will be available with a petrol engine and two diesel units. The petrol engine will be the 122bhp 1.4-litre unit which is also used by the Eos model. Along this unit, there will be two TDI 2.0-litre engines in either 143bhp or 170bhp. No V6 engines have been confirmed although it is certain that the Scirocco will offer a powerful engine at the top of the range. The 300bhp 3.6-litre V6 from the Passat R36 mustn’t be excluded from the list.
The company officials also confirmed the list of basic equipments: power steering, ABS, EBD, ESP and 17” wheels.
What a better way to increase the pressure than a spy video two weeks before the official launch of the Panamera?
Porsche has released on the Internet a vide of the upcoming super saloon in which we can see the car being filmed in cities and on the roads. The Panamera will be 200” long and will weigh from 1.8 tonne for the entry level to 2 tonnes fro the topping version.
The entry level will be powered by a 304bhp 3.6-litre V6, followed by a normally aspirated V8 that will have an output of 410bhp. The topping engine will be the same V8 but turbocharged. The output will be 527bhp. There will aslo be a hybrid version which will feature the V6 engine associated to a 111bhp electric motor. The Panamera will feature a dual clutch seven-speed transmission. The entry price will cost £60,000 and the top version will cost £94,000. Porsche plans to build 30,000 Panamera per year.
The Prague Post has reported that an agency used by Skoda to supply workers discriminated against temporary workers it had hired from Poland.
The staff agency, Zetka Auto gave Polish employees lower salaries than the lowest wages given to Skoda workers. The company waited two months to give them their first pay cheques, then deducted non-existent debts from their wages. Unlike their Czech colleagues, the Polish employees were not given work clothing or protective equipment, and were encouraged to work 16-hour shifts.
Due to a shortage of local workforce, the carmaker has been obliged to use staff agencies. Agency workers account for around 4,000 of Skoda’s 27,700-strong workforce. The carmaker will remove the discrimination towards Polish workers.
This umpteenth round of spy photos shows the only element of the Alfa Romeo Junior remained hidden until now: the interior.
From the picture, it is possible to guess the overall shape of the dashboard. The central console features a wide screen with buttons located below it while the climate controls are located at the bottom. There are also the corporate instruments with big dialers. The cockpit taken here still features equipments from the Fiat Grande Punto whose the Junior derives. The handbrake and the gear knob are similar to the Fiat’s.
The Alfa Romeo Junior will be unveiled at the next Paris Motor Show in October of this year.
As previously reported, the Swedish carmaker will unveil the long-awaited 9-1X set to compete with the Audi A3 and Volvo C30. The company has released a teaser on an official website.
As expected, the concept car will be close to the production model. Like the recent 9-4X, the the 9-1X will take its styling cues from the Aero-X concept car.
The 9-1 will be based on the Vauxhall’s Astra platform. At this stage it is unknown wether 9-1 will have its chassis being tuned or not. Added to the 9-4X crossover which will be launched this year, the 9-1X will likely help the company to break the 200,000 milestone.
Cadillac will display the Escalade Hybrid SUV at the next Geneva Motor Show as the company is seriously considering importing hybrid models in Europe to expand its lineup.
Cadillac sales suffers from a few problems in Europe. The lineup is to small to cover all segment of the market a bit like Lexus. Except for the BLS, the company doesn’t offer any diesel engines and the Cadillac brand itself is still considered new in most parts of Europe.
Cadillac executives think that a taking a similar path to Lexus in the US might help the brand to increase its sales on European markets. Unfortunately for Cadillac, European customers aren’t fond of hybrid vehicles which doesn’t offer much more than the ubiquitous diesel powered vehicles on the paper. They cherish their diesel cars and launching a SUV, unfitted for European roads, won’t help increase the sales even with a hybrid system.
If the company wants to increase its sales in Europe, it has to show the CTS V6 diesel at Geneva and then European customers will notice the brand.
Motor Authority has published a rendering of the eagerly-awaited next-generation Ford Ka which will likely go o sale next year.
The future Ford Ka will share its underpinnings with the iconic Fiat 500 and the small car will be built in the Fiat plant located in Poland where the 500 is currently built. Few details emerge about the small Ford.
Secrecy surrounds the exac spec of the future Ka and its design hasn’t been really revealed by the few spyshots available on Internet.
On the market, Ford won’t follow Fiat to move the car upmarket. The Ka will remain an affordable car with an estimated entry price of about £6,000. The company expect to sell between 100,000 and 120,000 units per year.
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