VW – Page 3530 – I wish I had more to offer

UPDATE 4-Ford to close oldest Brazil plant, exit South America truck biz

SAO PAULO/DETROIT (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co said on Tuesday it will close its oldest factory in Brazil and exit its heavy commercial truck business in South America, a move that could cost more than 2,700 jobs as part of a restructuring meant to end losses around the world. FILE PHOTO: New Ford trucks are… Continue reading UPDATE 4-Ford to close oldest Brazil plant, exit South America truck biz

Audi’s new V2I feature helps drivers hit every green light

Audi has added a new feature to the vehicle-to-infrastructure technology embedded in its newer models that’s designed to help drivers catch every green light. The tech, called GLOSA, or Green Light Optimized Speed Advisory, is part of the automaker’s built-in traffic light-reading technology. And Audi says it’s the first automaker to include this GLOSA feature in its… Continue reading Audi’s new V2I feature helps drivers hit every green light

Volkswagen officials expected in Dearborn for Ford talks

Original Article

German Design Awards: The third generation of the Volkswagen Touareg is a combination of majestic solidity with finely tuned sophistication

WOLFSBURG/FRANKFURT, 8-Feb-2019 — /EuropaWire/ — German brand and design authority Rat für Formgebung presented the top gold award in the “Passenger Vehicles” category for the Volkswagen Touareg at the German Design Awards on a ceremony held in Frankfurt am Main.

The prestigious prize was accepted by Klaus Bischoff, Head of Volkswagen Design.

At the ceremony the expert jury praised the SUV model, especially for the technology, the high quality and the fun factor.

The expert jury on their decision to give the award to the Volkswagen Touareg:

“With the now third generation of the Touareg, Volkswagen offers a timelessly elegant all-rounder that leaves nothing to be desired in terms of form and technology and also perfectly embodies the classic Volkswagen virtues. A fantastic SUV, harmoniously designed down to the very last detail, with a compact design that is pleasantly solid yet of impressive quality. A perfect family car that is impressive and also fun on all occasions.”

The third generation of the Touareg is Volkswagen’s technology leader, well-engineered, dynamic and elegant SUV. Volkswagen’s top model simply combines majestic solidity with finely tuned sophistication.

Klaus Bischoff, Head of Volkswagen Design:

“The Touareg is a friendly character that doesn’t have to prove itself. Its sovereignty is based on steadfast composure – it knows it can do it. We have perfected this character with the new generation.”

Volkswagen was one of the winners at the 2017 German Design Award in the “Transportation” category with the Tiguan.

SOURCE: Volkswagen

MORE ON RAT FÜR FORMGEBUNG, GERMAN DESIGN AWARDS, SUVS, VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG:

Evonik’s “Black & Bright” advertising campaign wins the German Brand Award – For more than a year now, the Black & Bright advertising campaign of the Molding Compounds Product Line of Evonik’s Performance Materials Segment has been forcefully illustrating how the PLEXIGLAS® brand stands for both tradition and inspiration…

Cargotec’s Hiab a nominee in the prestigious 2017 German Brand Award competition – Hiab, part of Cargotec, has been selected as a nominee in the prestigious 2017 German Brand Award competition. Hiab has entered this year’s competition in the Industry Excellence in Branding category, in the Logistics and Infrastructure section…

All-new Bentley Continental GT wins exterior and interior design categories at the German Design Awards – The all-new Bentley Continental GT has won Gold in two key categories of the prestigious German Design Awards – one of the most highly respected design competitions in the world…

Volkswagen Touareg is the 30 millionth Volkswagen brand delivery milestone in China – Volkswagen is speeding up its activities in China, re-energizing the brand under its Move Forward initiative. The brand’s product portfolio was strengthened with no less than 9 new models in 2018…

Russian Book of Records: Volkswagen Touareg demonstrated the greatest average speed on the ice over the 1000 km distance on Lake Baikal – On April 21 the Russian Book of Records officially confirmed the result of the Volkswagen Touareg drive “The greatest average speed developed by a stock car over the 1000 km distance”…

Volkswagen: World premiere of the new Touareg on 23 March 2018 in Beijing – Standing at the top of the model range, the Touareg shows all of the brand’s power with its expressive design, innovative technologies and dynamic handling properties…

Volkswagen presents the first trailer showcasing its new unveiled SUV T-Cross – The T-Cross will be launched with the slogan “I am more” – positioning and pledge at the same time. This message is split into four focus areas “I am practical”, “I am cool”, “I am intuitive” and “I am safe”. A trailer has been created for each of these areas. The fourth clip, “I am safe”, can now be seen here…

SEAT marks its entry into the large SUV market with the launch of Tarraco – The SEAT Tarraco is here. Named after the Mediterranean city of Tarragona, a historic, cultural centre with awe-inspiring architecture but a spirit that is young and adventurous…

Borealis Daplen™ polypropylene compound grades with post-consumer recycled content used in specially-built hybrid Volvo SUV – Borealis and Borouge, leading providers of innovative, value-creating plastics solutions, announce another promising result of value chain cooperation involving the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics, in this instance to improve the environmental footprint of automotive vehicles…

Volkswagen to launch its new seven-seater SUV Teramont in the Middle East – Volkswagen will launch its new Teramont SUV in the Middle East. As a seven-seater, it is the first Volkswagen of its kind in this region. Its American counterpart – named Volkswagen Atlas – has already won several awards…

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Porsche Taycan testing, Ford electric SUV: Today’s Car News

Porsche Taycan prototype
New spy shots reveal quite a bit about the new Porsche Taycan. And on an abbreviated holiday schedule today, we run down what we know about Ford's upcoming 300-mile SUV. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

Spy photographers caught a Porsche Taycan undergoing winter testing with a bare minimum of camouflage—beyond some dummy tailpipes on the rear bumper. The shots show a tidier more lithe car than it has appeared before and give a good view of the Taycan's sophisticated charge ports.

We take a look at everything we know so far about Ford's upcoming Mustang-inspired 300-mile SUV that is expected to debut by the end of the year. Ford executives say it will “emotional,” and bring electric performance to the masses.

Chevrolet's ballyhooed eCOPO Camaro electric drag race car achieved its goal of breaking into the 9-second bracket in an exhibition run at Pomona dragway earlier this month.

Finally, don't dig your phone out of your pocket while driving in Virginia. The state passed a law to ban all handheld phone use while driving.

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As Trump ponders auto tariffs, free-trade Republicans push back

Patrik Stollarz | AFP | Getty Images
Volkswagen cars at the harbor of Bremerhaven, Germany.

The Commerce Department is expected to deliver its long-awaited report on auto tariffs to the president by a Feb. 17 deadline, according to two sources familiar with the matter. But as President Trump deliberates his next moves – by law, he has 90 days to decide –he will face an uphill battle from companies, foreign allies and Republican lawmakers if he decides to impose duties.

The report was crafted under section 232 of a 1962 trade law, a provision that allows tariffs on items that threaten national security that was scantly used before the Trump Administration. In March 2018, the president used the provision to slap duties on foreign steel and aluminum, and called for an investigation into automobiles several months later, tweeting before the research was conducted that he'd be interested in a 25 percent rate.

Trade war will bring debt crisis within two years, Emergent Asset CEO says
9:03 AM ET Fri, 15 Feb 2019 | 02:24

Whether the Commerce Department took the president's lead in recommending tariffs on all imported automobiles is unclear. But such a move would face resistance in the West Wing. “There's not a whole lot of support for auto tariffs,” a senior administration official told CNBC. “But only one person's opinion matters.”

In July 2018, President Trump called on Twitter for tariffs of 20 percent on foreign automobiles, and in November upped the suggestion to 25 percent following news of layoffs at General Motors.

Business groups are already warning of the economic impacts. A new study by the Center for Automotive Research found a 25 percent tariff on autos and parts would increase the price of a car by an average of $2,750 and as many as 366,900 U.S. jobs would be lost. Its analysis factors in exclusions for South Korea and assumes Canada and Mexico would also be exempt under the yet-to-be-passed U.S. Mexico Canada trade agreement.

Pro-free-trade Republicans are building new tools to push back, in case the president implements new tariffs in the name of national security.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) introduced a bill last month that would give Congress sixty days to approve any proposed tariffs under section 232. It would also apply retroactively to steel and aluminium tariffs, giving Congress 75 days to pass a resolution to approve those tariffs.

Sen. Toomey says he has heard from dozens of Pennsylvania companies who use steel and aluminium products who have been hurt by the increased cost of materials. “We have seen this administration use this tool in a way that was never intended,” said Toomey.

Sen. Robert Portman (R-OH) also has a proposal to address what he sees as the misuse of national security in trade fights. Under his proposal, the Pentagon would make the primary determination that a tariff is needed, not the Commerce Department. And Congress would have the right to disapprove of those measures.

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Sen. Portman said his measure is timely because of the widespread opposition among Republicans to placing tariffs on auto imports, most of which come from allied countries. Any action taken out of spite, and not because of a true security concern, will backfire.

“If it's not based on fairness, it comes back to haunt us,” Portman said. “If you are going to say minivans from Canada are a national security threat, Canada is going to react, knowing that's not legitimate.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee, is working to come up with a compromise between Toomey and Portman's proposals that can get broad bipartisan support. But he brushed off any association between that effort and the Trump Administration's recent actions.

“Our moving on 232 has nothing to do with autos or aluminium or steel, it's comes from the proposition that Congress in 1962 delegated too much Constitutional authority to the president,” Sen. Grassley told reporters on Wednesday.

Two new V6 engines for the Audi Q8

Audi is expanding the engine line-up for its luxury SUV, the Q8, by adding two V6 engine versions. Beginning now, customers can also order the Q family’s top model with a powerful 3.0 TFSI and an additional variant of the 3.0 TDI. The Audi Q8 brings together the best of both worlds – the elegance… Continue reading Two new V6 engines for the Audi Q8

Second Environmental Audit successfully closed

The EMS Audit Report 2018 is a report on a special audit of the Environmental Management System that was conducted in 2018. This audit is a requirement arising from Volkswagen’s agreements with the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which came into force in 2017. The auditors did not find… Continue reading Second Environmental Audit successfully closed

How VW converts the Zwickau plant to electromobility: The most important project of the German automotive industry

Motionless, hundreds of orange robot arms rise into the air. Some are still wrapped in plastic, instructions stick to it. In hall 2 of the Zwickau Volkswagen plant there is a standstill. Only from the back it shrieks and roars, a worker flexes there a steel beam. Hall 2, the “Karohalle”, is the world of… Continue reading How VW converts the Zwickau plant to electromobility: The most important project of the German automotive industry

America classifies European cars as a security hazard

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