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Coronavirus prompts VW to stop production throughout Europe

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen Group, the world's biggest carmaker, is suspending production at factories across Europe as the coronavirus pandemic hits sales and disrupts supply chains, the company said on Tuesday. The German carmaker, which owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat and Skoda brands, also said that uncertainty about the fallout from coronavirus meant it was impossible to give forecasts for its performance this year. "Given the present significant deterioration in the sales situation and the heightened uncertainty regarding parts supplies to our plants, production is to be suspended in the near future at factories operated by group brands," Chief Executive Herbert Diess said on Tuesday. Volkswagen's powerful works council concluded it was not possible for workers to maintain a safe distance from each other to prevent contagion and recommended a suspension of production at its factories from Friday. Production will be halted at VW's Spanish plants, in Setubal in Portugal, Bratislava in Slovakia and at the Lamborghini and Ducati plants in Italy before the end of this week, Diess said. Most of its other German and European factories will prepare to suspend production, probably for two to three weeks, while Audi said separately it would halt output at its plants in Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Mexico. Volkswagen's vast factories in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Puebla, Mexico, and plants in Brazil were not affected, but that would depend on how the coronavirus spreads, VW said. Volkswagen has 124 production sites worldwide of which 72 are in Europe, with 28 in Germany alone. "2020 will be a very difficult year. The coronavirus pandemic presents us with unknown operational and financial challenges. At the same time, there are concerns about sustained economic impacts," Diess said.   Production in China resumes Volkswagen Group sold 10.96 million vehicles last year, putting it ahead of Toyota based on the latest figures from the Japanese carmaker. Globally, VW employs 671,000 people and it delivered 4.86 million vehicles to European customers in 2019. Only last month the car and truck maker based in Wolfsburg, Germany, predicted that vehicle deliveries this year would match 2019 sales and forecast an operating return on sales in the range of 6.5% to 7.5%. "The spread of coronavirus is currently impacting the global economy. It is uncertain how severely or for how long this will also affect the Volkswagen Group.

Porsche 911 Carrera gets turbocharged engine for under $90k

There's a new Porsche 911 Carrera blowing into dealerships in March of 2016, and it will be the first such model from the German automaker to boast a turbocharged engine. Making 370 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque from 3.0 liters of displacement, the new flat-six engine in the base Carrera is 20-hp stronger than it was in 2015. Carrera S models bump the power level to 420 ponies and 368 lb-ft thanks to tweaked tuning parameters. The added grunt makes these the fastest 911 Carrera models ever, with Porsche touting a 7:30 lap – a full 10 seconds faster than before – of the famed Nurburgring track in Germany as proof. Those who only care about going fast in a straight line will be delighted by the 4.0-second 0-60 time of the base Carrera and even more impressed by the S model's 3.7-second run. Top speeds are 183 and 191 miles per hour, respectively. A seven-speed manual transmission is standard, and Porsche's Doppelkupplung (PDK) automated manual gearbox is optional. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. When equipped with the Sport Chrono Package, the 911 Carrera features a new mode switch on the steering wheel with settings for Normal, Sport, Sport Plus, and Individual. Porsche Active Suspension Management is standard on all models, and, in another first for a Carrera, rear-wheel steering is optional. Efficiency hasn't been forgotten for 2016, either. Porsche says its new 911 Carrera models will be as much as 12-percent more fuel economy with their new turbocharged engines. Tech buffs will surely appreciate the new Porsche Communication Management infotainment system, which features multi-touch gesture capability and handwriting recognition right on the seven-inch display. Apple CarPlay is also supported, and Google Earth and Streetview are new to PCM for 2016. The 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera is slated to hit the States with an MSRP of $89,400 (we assume that won't include destination, which in 2015 equals $995), which is about $5,000 more expensive than the 2015 model that's currently available. The 2016 Carrera S will carry a sticker price of $103,400, which is a $4,500 increase. Cabriolet models will run from $101,700 to $115,700. Porsche will show its latest 911 Carrera off at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, but you can read all the details right now in the press release below.

Best new convertibles for 2024 and 2025

If you’re here, then youÂ’re already in the right mindset. Convertibles rule, and we have all the best convertibles listed for you further below. Driving around with the top off is an experience you need to live to fall in love with. When the weatherÂ’s right, youÂ’re on a proper bit of road, and the car youÂ’re in is a good one, few automotive experiences can top it. The experience is extra special when you have a musical exhaust note filtering directly into your ears and echoing off the landscape around you. And while rolling the windows down and opening a moonroof can get you part of the way there, it's nothing like feeling the wind wash over you with absolutely no roof overhead. The downsides can be just as harsh as the upsides when youÂ’re in the wrong conditions, though. Convertibles are typically worse to live with in cold climates, and driving around with the top up frequently means you might be subject to more road noise and worse visibility than an equivalent coupe. And when it comes to pure performance, convertibles are inherently compromised from a weight and structural rigidity perspective. All that said, we still think the upsides outweigh the compromises if your number one objective is to simply have fun. ItÂ’s a good thing then that there are a ton of great convertibles for sale these days. And no, the list of possibilities isnÂ’t as long as it used to be. Long-running standbys like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and C-Class Convertibles are gone (replaced by the one CLE-Class). And so are others like the Audi TT Roadster, Fiat 124 Spider and Nissan Z Roadster. Nevertheless, opportunities abound from the ultra-cheap and fun, to physics-defying supercars and everything else in between. WeÂ’ll give you options for which new convertibles we think are the best below, so read on to find out.   Mazda MX-5 Miata Pros: Lightweight and compact; great engine and transmission combo; one of the most raw and pure driving experiences out thereCons: Not great for tall people; infotainment is dated; tiny trunk Read our Mazda MX-5 Miata Review Miata is always the answer, right? In this case, that rings even more true than usual. In fact, you could stop reading this list right here and go buy a Miata and youÂ’d likely be just as happy driving it around as you would be in any of the more expensive offerings that follow. ThatÂ’s just the magic of the MX-5.