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The Volkswagen Group switches official language to English

The Volkswagen Group can't be fairly thought of as entirely German anymore, so the news that the company is switching its official language to English to help attract managers and executives is a rational, if surprising, decision. While many VW Group companies are still staidly German in character and culture, consider the other companies that it controls: Bentley (British), Bugatti (French), Ducati and Lamborghini (Italian), Skoda (Czech), Scania trucks (Swedish), and SEAT (Spanish). Not to mention the large Volkswagen Group of America operation, which constructs cars in Chattanooga, TN. Volkswagen's explicit motivation is to improve management recruitment – making sure the company isn't losing out on candidates for important positions because they can't speak German – and that's inherently sensible in a globalized economy. Particularly considering, like it or lump it, that English is the lingua franca of said global economy. It also should make it inherently easier to communicate between its world-wide subsidiaries and coordinate operations. It's hard to say for sure if this will have any impact on the consumer, although it's easy to see the benefits if, say, VW Group hires some American product planners or engineers and they push for features and designs that more closely suit American needs. After all, the US is a hugely important market for any manufacturer, and so the switch to English almost certainly has something to do with the outsized influence of the US in the global economy. And there doesn't seem to be a downside from a purely rational perspective, although it could mean that the Group's corporate culture becomes less German. Whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on your perspective. Related Video: Image Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Audi Bentley Bugatti Porsche Volkswagen SEAT Skoda

1937 Bugatti 57SC sells for record $9.7 million at Amelia

See this car right here? It may very well be the most valuable Bugatti ever sold at auction. Any 57 would stand among the most sought-after Bugattis among collectors. But this particular 1937 Bugatti 57SC Sports Tourer features unique bodywork from British coachbuilder Vanden Plas. That may make it look more like a Jaguar or Morgan than a Bugatti, but that signature grille tells you otherwise. Chassis number 57541 was showcased at the London Motor Show and featured in some of the company's own literature, then went on to race before and after the War on our side of the Atlantic. In superlative condition, the Vanden Plas Bugatti was valued at $11-13 million heading into the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance where it was auctioned off by Bonhams this weekend. It didn't quite get there, but at $9,735,000, the auctioneer lauds this as "the most valuable Bugatti ever sold at auction and the most valuable car ever sold at Amelia Island." That may not actually be accurate, though. Sports Car Market logs a '31 Royale that Christie's apparently sold for slightly more at $9.8 million way back in 1987, and Gooding & Company sold a '61 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider for $17 million over the same weekend. One way or another, it's a lot of money, and a beautiful car that one very fortunate owner will be taking home with him (or her) from Florida this week. Check it out in the extensive image gallery above and the video clip below. Show full PR text BONHAMS' SECOND ANNUAL AMELIA ISLAND AUCTION A SMASHING SUCCESS – WORLD RECORDS MADE, SALES NEARLY DOUBLED OVER LAST YEAR, AND THE BUGATTI 57SC BECOMES THE MOST VALUABLE BUGATTI EVER SOLD AT AUCTION For immediate release – 11 March 2016 – Amelia Island, Florida – Held Thursday, March 10th at the spacious and conveniently accessible Fernandina Beach Golf Club, Bonhams' second annual Amelia Island auction was a resounding success with nearly $27.5-million achieved. With an impressively diverse and curated selection of 95 automobiles ranging from 19th century motor carriages to 21st century supercars, the handpicked assembly offered something for every taste and interest. Leading the sale was the singular 1937 Bugatti 57SC Sports Tourer by Vanden Plas. Armed with a generous amount of international buzz from the preceding weeks, this very special pre-war car had the auction tent packed to capacity with bidders and spectators. With a starting bid of $6-million, the bidding quickly rose to $8-million.

Bugatti teases Chiron again, shows and tells us nothing

The television spots Infiniti released in the eighties for the original Q45 still carry the torch for arcane teaser commercials, but Bugatti might try to steal some of that light this year. The Franco-German automaker released a 41-second teaser video for the Chiron with quick-cut shots of just about everything except the supercar. The fighter jet, the volcano, even the guy running on top of the sideways skyscraper we get, since the tagline is "Breaking new dimensions." But the elevator and the drummer? We already know the rumor that it's going to break the Veyron Super Sport's terminal velocity, hitting something above 290 miles per hour. Continuing the theme of tweaks that advance the entire package, it's been reported that an analog speedometer will keep track of that vitesse with hash marks running all the way to 500 kilometers per hour, taking the place of the centrally-placed tachometer. Cabin ergonomics should take a step up, while a larger windshield will improve visibility, and the seating position moves outward to become more conventional. Oh, and since the car is named after French auto racer Louis Chiron and not the mythological Greek centaur, it is pronounced Shir-on, not Kai-ron. You can check out the latest teaser in the video above - at 41 seconds, the spot is about a second less than the time it took the standard Veyron to hit its top speed. Related Video: