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VW Sport Coupe Concept GTE 'marks beginning of a new design era' [w/video]

You didn't think that Volkswagen was going to come to Geneva armed only with a bunch of European-market minivans and wagons, did you? Of course not. Last week VW gave us our first glimpse at a new show car for the Swiss auto expo, and here it is in full: the Volkswagen Sport Coupe Concept GTE. Set to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this week, the Sport Coupe is envisioned as a successor to the current CC, but beyond previewing a specific model, this concept showcases a new design language that's set to characterize all new VWs to come. And judging by how good it looks from the images in the slideshow above, that could prove to be a very good thing indeed. The concept strikes us as the sleekest iteration yet of the company's flexible MQB architecture that already underpins vehicles as small as the Golf and as large as the new Skoda Superb. It's larger than the current CC in every dimension but height, and pushes the wheels further out on a longer wheelbase. And with a liftgate at the back instead of a trunk, it strikes a form more similar to the Audi A7 than the Passat-based CC. As with recent past concepts, VW has taken the opportunity to showcase its hybrid powertrain technologies, fitting the Sport Coupe with a plug-in hybrid system that couples a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 to a pair of electric motors and a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. The internal combustion engine drives 295 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels, while an electric motor integrated into the gearbox contributes another 54 hp and a second one kicks in 114 hp at the rear. Juiced by a lithium-ion battery housed in the center tunnel and offering all-wheel traction, the combined output of 374 hp is said to be capable of propelling the concept to 62 miles per hour in five seconds flat and on to a top speed of 155 mph. It can travel for 32 miles on electric power alone and on to an overall range of 745 miles, netting the equivalent of 118 miles per gallon on the European cycle. Inside, the four-seat cabin is laden with digital displays: there's a 12.3-inch unit – dominated by the speedo and power meter – in place of a conventional instrument cluster. The center stack incorporates a 10.1-inch infotainment display, and the rear-seat passengers have access to another 12.3-inch display at the back of the center console and another pair of 10.1-inch displays in the seatbacks.

Recharge Wrap-up: Elio TV ads, Waivecar free EV carsharing

Waivecar is a new carsharing service that allows users two free hours of EV driving. The rentals are paid for with advertising, and each Chevrolet Spark EV in the fleet has an ad board affixed to its roof. So, while the driver enjoys free use of the car, the organizations buying the ads get exposure wherever the user goes. Drivers pay $5.99 per hour past the first two free hours of use. The company is undergoing a three-month trial in Venice Beach and Santa Monica before considering possible expansion. "We're giving to the lower-income people that need cars," says Waivecar CEO Isaac Deutsch. Read more at Green Car Reports. Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller is calling for a reworking of European emissions testing. He feels it is time to adapt the tests so that lab results more closely reflect those of real-world driving. "The industrywide discrepancies between official test results and actual usage is no longer tolerable," says Mueller. "We, the industry, need to take a new path." He also says he will make VW more environmentally friendly, and that the automaker plans to roll out 20 new electric vehicles by 2020. Additionally, Mueller is urging politicians to support the building of charging infrastructure. Read more at Bloomberg Business. Elio Motors has launched its first television ad campaign. The 30- and 60-second spots for the three-wheeled EV are titled "Own The Future," and will air on a variety of cable networks including ESPN, Fox News and National Geographic. "Our grassroots and digital efforts have helped create a strong – almost rabid – enthusiasm for our vehicle," says Elio Motors Founder and CEO Paul Elio. "As our funding situation continues to make progress, we are now in a position to share our message and create more fans through this national advertising campaign." Read more in the press release below. Elio Motors Continues Momentum with Launch of First National Television Advertising Campaign PHOENIX, Jan. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Elio Motors (www.eliomotors.com) today announced it has launched its first national television advertising campaign to continue building consumer awareness for the company's three-wheeled vehicle that is expected to get up to 84 MPG and sell for a targeted base price of $6,800. The company, which anticipates production to launch in late 2016, has already gained an enthusiastic following through grass-roots events and digital marketing.

Brand new cars are being sold with defective Takata airbags

If you just bought a 2016 Audi TT, 2017 Audi R8, 2016–17 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, or 2016 Volkswagen CC, we have some unsettling news for you. A report provided to a US Senate committee that oversees the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reported on by Automotive News claims these vehicles were sold with defective Takata airbags. And it gets worse. Toyota and FCA are called out in the report for continuing to build vehicles that will need to be recalled down the line for the same issue. That's not all. The report also states that of the airbags that have been replaced already in the Takata recall campaign, 2.1 million will need to eventually be replaced again. They don't have the drying agent that prevents the degradation of the ammonium nitrate, which can lead to explosions that can destroy the airbag housing and propel metal fragments at occupants. So these airbags are out there already. We're not done yet. There's also a stockpile of about 580,000 airbags waiting to be installed in cars coming in to have their defective airbags replaced. These 580k airbags also don't have the drying agent. They'll need to be replaced down the road, too. A new vehicle with a defective Takata airbag should be safe to drive, but that margin of safety decreases with time. If all this has you spinning around in a frustrated, agitated mess, there's a silver lining that is better than it sounds. So take a breath, run your fingers through your hair, and read on. Our best evidence right now demonstrates that defective Takata airbags – those without the drying agent that prevents humidity from degrading the ammonium nitrate propellant – aren't dangerous yet. It takes a long period of time combined with high humidity for them to reach the point where they can rupture their housing and cause serious injury. It's a matter of years, not days. So a new vehicle with a defective Takata airbag should be safe to drive, but that margin of safety decreases with time – and six years seems to be about as early as the degradation happens in the worst possible scenario. All this is small comfort for the millions of people who just realized their brand-new car has a time bomb installed in the wheel or dashboard, or the owners who waited patiently to have their airbags replaced only to discover that the new airbag is probably defective in the same way (although newer and safer!) as the old one.