Super Clean One Owner Non-smoker Carfax Certified 5 Speed Manual 50+pictures on 2040-cars

Auto blog

VW Passat GTE plug-in hybrid starts at ˆ44,250 in Germany

Want to know how much to put away for a new Volkswagen Passat GTE? Well, first you'll have to move to Germany, or another market where the model will be sold – because it's not being offered in the US. In fact, it's based on a Passat that's altogether different from the one we get in America. But, once you've arrived at a place where the Passat GTE is available, you'll need to shell out about ˆ45,000. That's equivalent to $50,000 US at current exchange rates, which is more than the starting MSRP on any VW currently available Stateside. VW just announced domestic pricing for the new plug-in hybrid, which starts at ˆ44,250 for the sedan and ˆ45,250 for the wagon. For that much scratch, you get a Passat with a 1.4-liter turbo four good for 154 horsepower paired with an electric motor good for another 113 hp. Working in unison, the hybrid powertrain produces as much as 216 horses, and will drive up to 31 miles on electric power alone. Combined with the 50-liter (13.2-gallon) gas tank, the Passat GTE will travel over 680 miles before needing to stop. Along with the GTE, the German automaker is also launching the new Alltrack version of the Passat. Based on the Variant wagon, the new Passat Alltrack packs all-wheel drive and more rugged styling inside and out for a treatment similar to what Audi does for its Allroad models, Volvo its Cross Country line, and Subaru its Outback range. In Passat form, the Alltrack will set German buyers back ˆ38,550. Launch of the new Passat GTE and Passat Alltrack Two new models added to the Passat range Volkswagen is extending its Passat range, adding the GTE and Alltrack. These models are available immediately at German Volkswagen dealers. For a year now, the three distinctive letters GTE have stood for plug-in hybrid models from Volkswagen. Following the Golf, the second GTE standard model is now going on sale, the new Passat. The Passat GTE is powered by a 1.4-litre TSI engine delivering 115 kW / 156 PS and an electric motor producing 85 kW / 115 PS. The two are perfectly coordinated and pool their resources to generate system output of 160 kW / 219 PS. The combination of turbocharged direct-injection engine (TSI) and electric motor brings together efficiency and sustainability. The lithium-ion battery that provides the e-motor with electricity is charged as the car drives along, including via regenerative braking.

KBB: VW diesel prices have dropped 16%

There are a lot of post-scandal theories and metrics concerning Volkswagen's performance during the diesel emissions scandal, although none of them has created a clear picture of where things are headed. Kelley Blue Book has a few more to add to the spreadsheet, though, finding that average auction prices for VW diesels and Internet shoppers perusing them have both gone down in the past four weeks on KBB.com. Auction prices on the site are down an average of 16 percent for VW oil burners, which compares to a decline of 2.9 percent for gas-powered VWs. Shoppers are still on the lookout, though, even if the numbers are slightly reduced. Overall, "new-car shopping activity" for the small-capacity VW diesel offerings is down 2.4 percent, a number held partly in check by searches for the Jetta SportWagen being up by 3.7 percent. Shoppers are looking harder at the Audi A3 diesel, too, its activity up 1.6 percent. The Golf, though, is down 3.7 percent and the Golf SportWagen down 6.2 percent. Shoppers leaving the diesel fold aren't necessarily going for high-mileage options, either, KBB saying that the Ford Fusion and Honda Civic are quick alternatives to the Jetta TDI, while the Mercedes CLA and BMW 2 Series are getting new looks from those interested in the Audi A3 diesel. You can read the full release from KBB below. VOLKSWAGEN DIESEL VEHICLE PRICES DECLINE NEARLY 16 PERCENT, ACCORDING TO KELLEY BLUE BOOK DATA New-Car Shopping Activity Also Impacted by Recent Emissions Issue IRVINE, Calif., October 21, 2015 – Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry, today reports that average auction prices, along with new-car shopping activity on KBB.com, for Volkswagen diesel vehicles have declined four weeks after the diesel emissions issue was announced. The average auction price for Volkswagen diesel models dropped by nearly 16 percent since the news broke of the emissions crisis.[1] The average auction price for the brand's gasoline-powered vehicles declined by 2.9 percent.1 On KBB.com, Volkswagen new-car shopping activity for affected TDI models has decreased on average by 2.4 percent. "According to Kelley Blue Book Field Analysts, some auctions are still holding off on selling the affected Volkswagen inventory," said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

Volkswagen Group's Vision 2030 strategy could bring revolution to the brands

One would expect a corporate plan called "Vision 2030," looking 11 years ahead through wildly tumultuous times, to involve great change and numerous forks in numerous roads. According to Automobile's breakdown of Volkswagen's path forward, though, the plans contain some lurid potential surprises. The ultimate aim is return on investment, and that means ruthless reorganization of a conglomerate with eight primary car brands, two car sub-brands, and Ducati motorcycles. The first two Vision 2030 cornerstones Automobile mentions are near boilerplate: Production network restructuring, and "streamlining of key technologies." The latter two are the ones that could upend what we know as the Volkswagen Group: focusing on the Group's core brands — meaning Audi, Porsche, and VW — and transitioning to EVs, autonomy, and other mobility solutions. Based on the report, a quote from Audi's CTO referring to the Audi brand could cover how the Group plans to handle all of its brands: "We need to find a sustainable solution for the indefinite transition period until EVs eventually take over." The boutique divisions adjacent to carmaking, Ducati and Italdesign, look likely to be spun off. For the halo car brands — Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini — apparently shareholders want double-digit returns on investment, and the trio doesn't have long to hit the target. One eyebrow raiser is when the report states, "Bugatti is tipped to be gifted to [ex-VW Group Chairman] Ferdinand Piech." Piech fathered the Veyron during his tenure at VW, and it was thought he commissioned the La Voiture Noire, but he's lately stepped so far back from VW that he sold all his shares in the Group. Automobile quoted a senior strategist as saying of money-losing Bentley, "Why invest on a backward-looking enterprise when you can support a trendsetter? A proud history and excellent craftmanship alone don't cut it anymore." We guess no one at Ferrari, McLaren, or even Porsche got that memo. Bentley is reportedly close to being put in time out, and if brand CEO Adrian Hallmark can't right the Crewe ship, the hush-hush Plan B is to prop the Flying B up enough to lure a buyer. As for Lamborghini, caught between two masters at Audi and Porsche, even record-breaking numbers at the Italian supercar maker barely staved off sacrilege. It's said that VW brand CEO Herbert Diess considered putting a 5.0-liter Porsche V8 into the Aventador successor.