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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.

VW recognizes second union at Chattanooga plant

The ongoing story of organizing workers at Volkswagen's factory in Chattanooga, TN, continues to get more complicated. Following an independent audit, the automaker has now recognized a second union at the plant called the American Council of Employees. The group was founded there last year to offer an alternative to the United Auto Workers. "I'm not anti-union. I understand that a properly run union can benefit people. We will be that union," Sean Moss, president of the ACE, said to Reuters, according to Automotive News. The group claims to represent at least 15 percent of the workers at the plant. Acceptance of the ACE has led to an interesting situation in Chattanooga because VW also recognized the UAW at the factory in December 2014, and the group has claimed to represent at least 45 percent of workers there. According to Automotive News, each union has access to management, but the UAW has more because of its larger contingent of supporters. However, neither organization has a collective bargaining agreement with the automaker. Moss may have a rough time increasing support among employees at the factory. According to Automotive News, many anti-UAW workers there are completely against unions in general. Getting these folks to join his group isn't an easy task. The UAW has been working to fully represent the VW factory for years. However, the group lost a vote to do so in 2014. It eventually created a union local there to try to build support. All of the effort comes ahead of a $900 million plant expansion to add about 2,000 jobs and build a new crossover in Tennessee. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Erik Schelzig / AP Photo Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Volkswagen chattanooga vw chattanooga chattanooga tennessee ace

Germany says nein to EU ban on new fossil-fuel cars from 2035

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's government will not agree to European Union plans to effectively ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Tuesday. In its bid to cut planet-warming emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels, the European Commission has proposed a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035. That means it would be impossible to sell combustion engine cars from then. European Parliament lawmakers backed the proposals this month, before negotiations with EU countries on the final law take place. Speaking at an event hosted by Germany's BDI industry association, Lindner said there would continue to be niches for combustion engines so a ban was wrong and said the government would not agree to this European legislation. Lindner, a member of the pro-business Free Democrats, which shares power with the Social Democrats and Greens, said Germany would still be a leading market for electric vehicles. (Reporting by Christian Kraemer; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Miranda Murray and Edmund Blair) Green Government/Legal Green Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Opel SEAT Skoda