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VW Golf Plus officially debuts in Bologna
Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Euro, Volkswagen, Misc. Auto Shows 
Click above for high-res image gallery of VW Golf Plus
The second generation of Volkswagen's Golf Plus has made its official debut (after an earlier blooper-style unveil) today at the Bologna Motor Show in Italy. Like the first edition that debuted back in 2004 and was based on the MK V Golf architecture, the new Plus is a raised-roof MPV version of the new sixth-gen Golf. We think it's quite fetching in a mini-minivanish sort of way, especially when equipped with the optional 18-inch alloys as seen above. Although the official powerplant options have yet to be revealed, the European market, which is where this new model will be sold, is sure to dictate that a range of diesel and petrol engines are on the menu.
VeeDub's cool ParkAssist system will also be optional on the new Golf Plus. The technology displays a real-time image of what's directly behind the car and can take control of the steering wheel to guide the car into a parking spot. Expect the official launch to take place next Spring in the UK.
[Source: Volkswagen]Continue reading VW Golf Plus officially debuts in Bologna VW Golf Plus officially debuts in Bologna originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Officially Official: Mazda3 five-door hatchback gets real
Filed under: Wagons/Estates, Euro, Hatchbacks, Mazda, Misc. Auto Shows 
Click above for high-res gallery of the Mazda3 five-door hatchback
Mazda has officially taken the wraps off its five-door hatchback version of the redesigned Mazda3 at the Bologna Motor Show today. As you can see in the gallery of new high-res pics below, the Mazda3 five-door gets the same swoopy sheetmetal as its four-door brethren, including the super happy smiley front end face. What's new is an extended roofline that drops down at a steep angle to create a wagon-esque profile. With a D-pillar that kinks up at a swept back angle, the look is very similar to that of a Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix that's been stepped on by a giant. The new cargo capacity will no doubt be appreciated by families who can put every extra cubic foot to good use, and if the current generation Mazda3 is any indication, this will also be the basis for the Mazdaspeed model.
At the moment, all the specs for the new Mazda3 five-door hatchback are for the European market, so don't expect its new 2.2L and carryover 1.6L turbo diesel engines to be available in the U.S. Europeans will also have a choice of 1.6L and 2.0L gas engines, though we expect the U.S.-spec model to offer the same 2.0L and new 2.5L four-cylinder engines as the sedan. Check out the official press release from Mazda after the jump for more details and the high-res image gallery below for more shots of the new Mazda3 five-door hatchback.
[Source: Mazda]Continue reading Officially Official: Mazda3 five-door hatchback gets real Officially Official: Mazda3 five-door hatchback gets real originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Ford battles for trademark of 'FUN' in Europe
Filed under: Euro, Ford  Ford has been in a losing battle for market share here in the States for over a decade, but in Europe the Blue Oval has turned things around. Popular models like the Fiesta and Focus have many Europeans thinking Ford first, and soon Ford can have a monopoly on the word 'FUN', too. Ford has been in a battle with the European Union Trademark office over the word 'FUN' since 2005, and the Detroit-based automaker has been denied exclusive rights to the happy word until yesterday. The European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg overturned an earlier decision against Ford, saying the word FUN is "too vague and subjective to give the word a descriptive character."
Unless the EU's highest court overturns this decision, Ford and fun will be exclusively intertwined across the pond. We're wondering what Ford could possibly do with the FUN designation. Will it be a super happy trim level with balloons and clown faces and a goofy-sounding horn? Will the designation stand for improved driving dynamics or increased power? So many possibilities.
[Source: Bloomberg via TTAC]Ford battles for trademark of 'FUN' in Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Porsche head predicts a hedge fund will swallow GM or Ford
Filed under: Etc., Euro, Chrysler, LLC., Ford, GM, Porsche  Little guy Porsche is taking huge swings, and not just at the giant that is Volkswagen. Porsche head Wendelin Wiedeking had fierce Teutonic words for General Motors and Ford, and banks. His Rindfleisch - beef, that is - with U.S. automakers is that, through unsound practices, they have thrown absolutely everything into turmoil. In the words of the Guardian, in fact, they have driven "the industry to the brink of ruin."
Those are big and perhaps hyperbolic words. But he then singles out GM for "openly threatening" the U.S. Government with bankruptcy, and predicts a hedge fund will take control of "one of the U.S. car manufacturers." Since Chrysler is already controlled by a hedge fund, that only leaves GM and Ford as the possible subjects of that comment. We can't imagine a hedge fund trying to swallow GM or Ford, especially after Cerberus has taken such a beating with Chrysler that seemingly all they can say is "Must... find... the exit."
Wiedeking is on more Earthly ground when he talks about the little guys, suppliers, who are quietly going under -- even though many of them ran their business correctly -- due to the banks' refusal to lend money while the clash of automotive titans continues. In a quote that people in many different industries can applaud, he says "We need banks to give credit, not just talk about credit ratings but start real actual lending to companies." Amen. Thanks for the tip, Sonny!
[Source: The Guardian]Porsche head predicts a hedge fund will swallow GM or Ford originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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VIDEO: VW Pickup concept to the rescue!
Filed under: Concept Cars, Trucks/Pickups, Euro, Videos, Volkswagen 
Click above for a hi-res gallery. Follow the jump for the vid.
If automaker-produced kitesurfer-in-distress videos are your thing, VW's got your back. While you wait for the production version of the Concept Pickup the automaker unveiled back in September, how about checking out VW's promo film starring the truck, a pair of lifeguards, and yes, a kitesurfer in distress. Will the guys use the in-dash GPS? Yes! Will we see the pickup drive semi-urgently through sand? Yes! Will she make it? Duh! Will we have a demonstration of how well a collapsed kite fits in the bed? Yes again! Am I alone in thinking it's weird that the lifeguards dive into the water wearing helmets? Anyone? In all, a serviceable vanity film for the pickup. Needs more yellow, though. And Hoff. The video's embedded after the jump.
[Source: VW via GlobalMotors.net]Continue reading VIDEO: VW Pickup concept to the rescue! VIDEO: VW Pickup concept to the rescue! originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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