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Volkswagen E-Co-Motion Concept brings electric mobility to the commercial set

Volkswagen sees a future where the bulk of the world's freight is moved into city centers by train, then offloaded onto a fleet of smaller, light-duty commercial vehicles for final delivery. Those vehicles could wind up looking something like the company's E-Co-Motion Concept that debuted at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The EV features a modular underfloor drive unit comprised of a battery, motor and gearbox that can be paired with any number of cab and body configurations to suit a buyer's needs, from a refrigerated box to a standard flat bed.
The E-Co-Motion Concept features a rear-mounted electric motor with 113 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. A standard 20 kWh battery pack provides a driving range of up to 62 miles, while 30 kWh and 40 kWh packs could deliver 93 and 124 miles of travel, respectively. Check out the press release below for more information.

VW Super Bowl teaser with Jimmy Cliff is like a less-mean Tosh.0 Web Redemption

Reggae super-duper-star and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jimmy Cliff has been using music to send positive vibes out into the universe for decades now, so its no surprise that his message on behalf of Volkswagen is one of redemption.
Dubbed Sunny Side, this web-spot is VW's warmup of sorts for what promises to be another blockbuster year in the world of Super Bowl commercials. Without giving away the game, the euphonious commercial sees Cliff opening his arms and his heart to some YouTube 'celebrities' that might see courser treatment from the likes of Tosh.0, for instance. We can't help but be reminded of Coca-Cola's legendary 1971 Hilltop spot with the "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" lyric, too.
Enjoy the pre-Super Bowl VW spot below, and don't forget to pay it forward... your karma will thank you. For those of you that just can't get enough of commercial-making magic, we've included a "making-of" video, as well.

Audi CVT suit settlement given green light, 64,000 cars covered

Audi drivers, listen up. If you bought or leased a 2002-06 model-year A4 or A6 with a factory-installed Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that failed, you may be entitled to reimbursement under a recently settled class-action lawsuit with corporate parent Volkswagen.
According to Automotive News, the settlement covers about 64,000 vehicles and alleges that "manufacturing and design problems caused the transmissions to fail and left owners stuck with repair costs." While the suit also argues Audi was aware of these issues (going so far as to hide that knowledge from consumers), the settlement stops short of acknowledging any wrongdoing by the German automaker.
Audi drivers are eligible for a cash reimbursement if their CVT repairs occurred within 10 years or 100,000 miles of the date they bought or leased the vehicle before June 19, 2013. To be eligible for compensation, drivers must submit a claim form (found here) with supporting documents by November 18.