1965 Volkswagen Beetle Base 1.2l on 2040-cars

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Autoblog Minute: Porsche goes after Tesla

Volkswagen Group Night kicks off the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Autoblog's Adam Morath reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute with commentary from Autoblog's Editor-in-Chief, Michael Austin. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] Volkswagen Group Night kicks off the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. I'm Adam Morath and this is your Autoblog Minute. In keeping with tradition Volkswagen Group Night will take place before the first press day of the Frankfurt Motor Show. It's here that VW will unveil all the latest innovations for each of the brands in the group's extensive portfolio. For more we go to Autoblog's Mike Austin: [00:00:30] [Michael Austin Interview] Autoblog staff is on site in Germany [00:01:00] for comprehensive coverage of the events. To check out all of our short cut videos of Volkswagen Group Night head over to Autoblog dot com slash short dash cuts. For Autoblog, I'm Adam Morath. Autoblog Minute is a short-form video news series reporting on all things automotive. Each segment offers a quick and clear picture of what's happening in the automotive industry from the perspective of Autoblog's expert editorial staff, auto executives, and industry professionals.

Help a couple drive their 1984 Vanagon around the world

Meet Brad, Sheena and Nacho
Driving through China is a pricey proposition. The couple will need to pony up a staggering $19,514 just to cover the fees.
Brad and Sheena Van Orden are in the midst of a life-defining campaign to travel around the world, and they're doing it in a 1984 Volkswagen Vanagon custom built for the occasion. The past 15 months have seen the couple quit their jobs with Gore-Tex and drive from Arizona to the very southern tip of Argentina after spending a full two years saving and preparing for the trek. Now they're in southern Asia gearing up for the next leg of their journey.

Volkswagen could build plug-in hybrids in China

When you're Europe's largest automaker and your largest global market happens to be the one most notorious for its pollution (China), some solutions just present themselves. Volkswagen may be heeding that call. During the upcoming Beijing Motor Show, the company is expected to announce plans to produce plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in China, Reuters says, citing sources within the company. Few details have emerged, though the plug-ins will likely be produced at VW's Foshan factory in South China, which currently makes the Golf and Audi A3 and has plans to eventually make 600,000 vehicles annually. News has been percolating for a while, as Oliver Schmidt, general manager engineering and environmental office for Volkswagen Group of America, said last March that the company was planning at least two plug-in hybrid lines under the VW badge (and another three with its Audi and Porsche affiliates), including possibly a Touareg and Jetta PHEV. VW said late last month that it was looking to speed up development of "particularly eco-friendly models" made by Shanghai Volkswagen as well as developing a "new, very eco-friendly vehicle" with First Automotive Works (FAW). Earlier this year, VW unveiled its Golf GTE plug-in hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show. That model has a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an electric motor to provide 201 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The car can travel as many as 81 miles on electric power alone.