1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertible 2-door on 2040-cars

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Autoblog Podcast #406

Episode #406 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Brandon Turkus, and Chris Bruce talk about the Mustang Shelby GT 350, the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the Volkswagen Golf winning Motor Trend Car of the Year honors. We start with what's in the Autoblog Garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #406: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: Ford Shelby GT350 LA Auto Show Volkswagen Golf wins Motor Trend COTY In The Autoblog Garage: 2015 Ford Fiesta SFE 2015 Honda CR-V 2015 Audi Q3 Hosts: Dan Roth, Brandon Turkus, Chris Bruce Runtime: 01:26:07 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 - 29:21 LA Auto Show - 40:36 Golf is Motor Trend COTY - 53:50 Q&A - 01:00:42 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes

Volkswagen bringing driver assistance systems to its 2016 lineup

Chevrolet isn't the only manufacturer rolling out luxury safety technologies on a 2016 mass-market lineup. Volkswagen has just announced that next year it will begin adding driver assistance systems to its lineup here in the States – stuff that was previously only available on Audi and Porsche models here, or Volkswagens in Europe. Adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, and autonomous braking will be standard on the CC V6 4Motion, optional on certain trims of the Golf and Jetta. Blind spot monitoring will be standard on the Beetle, and top CC and Jetta trims, but optional on the Golf and lower Jetta variants. Automated parking will be available on Golf models, including the e-Golf. Blind spot assistance with rear traffic alert, lane departure warning, park distance control, and an automatic post-collision braking system also come in the technology kitty, all of which will be packaged at prices between $695 and $1,495. Infotainment options take a bit step up, too, with every VW model but the Touareg being fitted with touchscreens. The new MIB II head unit comes in four sizes, the Beetle, Jetta, and Tiguan getting the smallest, five-inch screen as standard but upgradeable to a 6.5-inch screen. Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and MirrorLink are integrated into that larger screen. The interface is improved by a faster processor, higher resolution, and better graphics, and some will come with swiping and pinch-to-zoom functionality. The two press releases below lay it all out in detail. VOLKSWAGEN DEMOCRATIZES HIGH-END DRIVER ASSISTANCE FEATURES FOR THE 2016 MODEL YEAR Many models in the 2016 Volkswagen lineup offer new driver assistance systems that used to be the sole preserve of premium and luxury vehicles Herndon, VA Jul 29, 2015 — For the 2016 model year, Volkswagen is offering a host of driver assistance features that were only previously available on the premium Touareg SUV—and adding some new ones that truly democratize driver assistance for the compact sedan and compact hatchback classes. These available features include: Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Front Assist); Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); the Parking Steering Assistant (Park Assist); and an active Lane Departure Warning (Lane Assist) system. The Beetle, CC, e-Golf, Golf, Golf GTI, Golf R, Golf SportWagen, and Jetta offer these available features, depending on model and trim line.

Skoda launching two new CNG-powered vehicles in Europe in June

Skoda's second- and third-ever production compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles aren't exactly speed burners, but they are efficient. The Czech automaker, which is owned by Volkswagen, will introduce its Octavia G-TEC and Octavia Combi G-TEC models to most of Europe next month. Skoda's first CNG model was the Citigo, which debuted in 2012. The Octavia models will have a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine that will deliver about 109 horsepower. Quickness isn't these cars' virtue, as their 0-60 mile per hour acceleration time will be almost 11 seconds. But they can go as far as 826 miles on their tanks of gas and CNG, enough to go from Prague to Rome in one shot, in case anyone was curious. Or nuts. The move by Skoda makes sense, as the CNG market in Europe has long been far further along than it is on this side of the pond, where CNG has primarily been used to move delivery trucks, but it's now available in pickups form Chrysler, Ford and General Motors as well as passenger cars from Chevy and Honda. The Skoda Citigo has moved almost 2,000 units since its debut, with 1,300 vehicles sold last year alone. That car can go as far as 385 miles on CNG and gasoline combined, which is impressive but not quite as bladder busting as the Octavia models. Check out Skoda's press release below. SKODA continues its CNG offensive with the new SKODA Octavia G-TEC Launch of the new SKODA Octavia G-TEC and new Octavia Combi G-TEC in June First SKODA Octavia with natural gas drive as standard; 97 g CO2/km High-performance technology: bivalent turbo engine 1.4 TSI/81 kW The ultimate in fuel economy: up to 1,330 km with natural gas and petrol SKODA Citigo G-TEC has enjoyed market success since 2012; only 79 g CO2/km Natural gas is the environmentally-friendly, cost-effective alternative Mlada Boleslav, 19 May 2014 – Expanding its environmentally-friendly model range, SKODA is renewing its emphasis on compressed natural gas vehicles. The new SKODA Octavia G-TEC and the new SKODA Octavia Combi G-TEC will be given their market premiere in June. This will increase the brand's CNG range to three models. Since the end of 2012, the little natural gas-drive Citigo has been successfully touring the European markets. "With the new Octavia G-TEC and the Octavia Combi G-TEC, our model range is becoming even more environmentally-friendly," says Dr Frank Welsch, SKODA Board Member for Technical Development.