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Volkswagen C Coupe GTE bows in Shanghai

Following the debut of the slick, semi-aggressive Sport Coupe GTE concept in Geneva, Volkswagen is bringing something a bit more grandiose to the Shanghai Motor Show. It's called the C Coupe GTE, and it points the way forward for Volkswagen's large sedans – in China, at least. The C Coupe GTE is low and long, and rides on the same Volkswagen MLB platform that underpins vehicles like the Audi A6. Volkswagen's head of design, Klaus Bischoff, says "the C Coupe GTE very clearly shows the new 'face' of top Volkswagen sedans for the first time," so get used to this design. We think it's pretty attractive, and a car like this could easily work as an upper-tier CC replacement. But don't get your hopes up too much – VW USA says this concept was "designed chiefly for the Chinese market." That's evident inside, where the C Coupe boasts a four-passenger seating configuration with luxurious accommodations for folks in back. In fact, backseat riders can share data with the driver via the car's infotainment system. "Information about the manager's appointments can be transferred via a smartphone to the infotainment system," says Volkswagen. "Parallel to this, the appointment list also serves to plan the navigation route for the day. However, the chauffeur only has specifically filtered information for the infotainment system to facilitate punctual arrival at the destination." Like other GTE-badged models, the C Coupe uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain. That means it's got a four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine, an electric motor, and a 14.1-kWh lithium-ion battery, all mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Total system output is 242 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and Volkswagen says the C Coupe can travel up to 31 miles in electric mode (at speeds up to 81 miles per hour). Hitting 62 mph takes 8.6 seconds, but when driven economically, Volkswagen says the sedan can achieve up to 102 miles per gallon (on the Euro cycle) and cruising range is a whopping 684 miles. See the C Coupe GTE for yourself in the slideshow above, and scroll down for a huge helping of information in VW's press blast. VOLKSWAGEN DEBUTS C COUPE GTE IN SHANGHAI New plug-in hybrid concept car points the way to the future of large Volkswagen sedans Wolfsburg/Shanghai, April 2015 - Volkswagen is expanding its model range at high speed and the latest show of this intent is on display at Auto Shanghai-the C Coupe GTE.

Golf tees up new sales for VW

If you consider the Passat and the CC two different lines, Volkswagen USA lists nine different models on its website, and they have sold a total of 238,074 units in the US this year through the end of August. The Golf, which was voted North American car of the year in 2015, and its variants account for 44,416 sales, an increase of nearly 150 percent compared to the same period last year. That's also the most Golfs ever sold in that time in the US, and almost 19 percent of this year's entire brand sales. This is compared to a compact car segment that has gained just 1.1 percent compared to 2014. A number of factors are responsible, according to a report in Automotive News: the MQB platform allows different powertrains to roll down the same assembly line; VW USA product planners can now configure vehicles to suit our market and they work with a selection of dealers to refine the retail offering; and the Golf maintains its proper European driving experience. The expanse of the Golf range has meant not only increased profits and new buyers, but more breadth in the buying demographic - expanding outward from the standard Golf to five different extremes, from the e-Golf to the Golf R. Room will be made for a new kind of consumer next year when the current Sportwagen model goes all-wheel drive with an Alltrack designation. Unsurprisingly, VW USA says, "Golf is a role model for the US for us. We want to learn from our success and implement those lessons in our future model planning." After decades of uneven effort, perhaps that formula plus a long-awaited range of crossovers can finally deliver on the promise of the US market. Related Video:

VW offers to buy back new diesels if bans introduced

By Maria Sheahan FRANKFURT, Germany — Volkswagen will buy back new diesel cars if German cities ban them, it said on Thursday, seeking to reassure potential buyers and stem a plunge in sales of diesel vehicles. Europe's biggest automaker also said it would extend incentives for buyers of new diesel cars. The moves come after a German court ruled last month that cities in the country could ban the most polluting diesel vehicles from their streets. Many German cities exceed European Union limits on atmospheric nitrogen oxide, known to cause respiratory diseases. Fears of bans have led to a plunge in demand for diesel vehicles, which are also key to carmakers' attempts to meet new EU rules on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. While diesel cars are heavily criticized for emitting nitrogen oxide, they spew out less CO2 than gasoline equivalents. Diesel car sales plunged 19 percent in Germany last month. At its core VW brand, Volkswagen said its buyback offer applied to new diesels bought between April 1 and the end of 2018 and would kick in if the city in which the buyer lived or worked banned diesels within three years of the purchase. It said its dealerships would buy back diesel vehicles affected by bans at their current value if their owners at the same time bought a new vehicle that was not affected by cities' driving restrictions. At Czech brand Skoda, the guarantee applies to cars bought between April 1 and the end of June, but will cover bans introduced within four years of the purchase date. At premium brand Audi, the offer only covers leased vehicles. Volkswagen also said it was extending to the end of June incentives for customers trading in older diesels for new ones. Fellow German carmaker BMW said earlier this month it would offer to take back leased vehicles if diesels were banned within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the operator's home or place of work. There has been a global backlash against diesel-engine cars since Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to cheating U.S. exhaust tests. But Germany's government is seeking to avoid widespread bans on heavily polluting diesel vehicles, which companies say could cut the resale value of up to 15 million vehicles in Europe's biggest car market. In Germany, where motorists expect to drive powerful cars on motorways with no speed limits, any restrictions will be unpopular.