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Skoda Octavia vRS is just the thing for your pumped-up neighborhood

Skoda, oh Skoda. You're just so cool. Maybe it's the fact that it's a brand that we don't get in these United States, but Skoda's rebadged Volkswagens, in particular the new Octavia vRS shown here, are just different enough from the hum-drum VWs on our shores that the Czech brand seems strangely desirable. Maybe we're just craving forbidden fruit.
This short, minute-long spot covers the new vRS in a world of excess, where strollers ride on 26-inch wheels, lawnmowers feature V8 engines and ice cream cones are the size of toddlers. As things often go in these ads, the Octavia vRS draws the eyes of passerby that are seemingly use to things far more ridiculous than a reasonably priced Czech sedan. In reality, the Octavia should be fairly familiar to American buyers. It uses the same 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-pot found in the Volkswagen GTI and Jetta GLI, with 217 horsepower, and sits on the same platform as the Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf. Take a look at the full spot, below.

Suspended VW exec Hackenberg resigns in wake of scandal

Ulrich Hackenberg, father of the innovative modular architecture that underpins many modern Volkswagen and Audi products and a 30 year veteran of the giant company, has resigned his position as the lead engineer for the entire Volkswagen Group as well as his seat on Audi's management board, reports Automotive News. The resignation closes out a two-month suspension while the investigation into VW's deceptive emissions practices continues.The resignation follows the admission by Audi that the 3.0-liter TDI V6 engine was also fitted with emissions-control defeating software, like some of its four-cylinder TDI counterparts. In turn, this lead to changes in Audi's management structure. AN reports that Matthias Muller, who has already taken over Martin Winterkorn's position as VW Group CEO, will also be named chairman of the Audi brand.Hackenberg's successor was named as part of this announcement. Stephan Knirsch, who has lead engine development at the Audi division, will assume Hackenberg's roles as both board member for Audi in charge of technical development, and as the head for technical development across the whole group.Related Video:

Volkswagen bringing new Tiguan to Frankfurt

As expected, Volkswagen will introduce the new Tiguan crossover at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. While the brand hasn't quite gotten on the endless teaser train, VW's German Facebook page has released a simple shot of the new crossover covered up on the Wolfsburg factory line. We're not able to learn much from the single image released by VW Deutschland, as the sheet being used hides virtually all the body's details. The caption for the image is no help either, simply saying that the first Tiguan for Frankfurt has rolled off the Wolfsburg line. So yeah, that's about it. But while this image isn't terribly informative, we already know quite a bit about the new Tiguan. Its looks will likely be inspired by the Cross Coupe GTE and CrossBlue Concepts, while additional body styles could be offered later in the CUV's life. For performance fans, there will likely be a 300-horsepower R model, in addition to the standard array of gas and diesel engines. Check out the image from VW Germany's Facebook page, and then be sure to head back in a few weeks for the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.