1990 Volkswagen Jetta Gl Sedan 2-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

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Audi CEO Rupert Stadler: Ducati is not for sale

"Ducati is not for sale." Those words, attributed to Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, are about as clear and definitive as can be, and they reiterate a previous statement about the potential sale of the premium Italian motorcycle brand that was made in March of this year. "[Ducati and Lamborghini] belong to Audi and, together with us, have an excellent future," said Stadler. Thing is, Audi, as well-off and established as it may be, still falls under the Volkswagen umbrella. And, as you're surely aware, things haven't exactly been smooth sailing for the VW Group over the last several months. The German automaker has squirreled away billions of dollars in anticipation of the legal fallout that's sure to come from the falsification of vehicle emissions data, and that's going to leave the company strapped for cash. All of that bad news led to speculation that VW could sell off some of its non-core businesses. What of the future of the Scania and Man heavy truck brands? Those don't currently appear to be on the auction block, either. VW's continued involvement in the HD truck segment was announced as part of the brand's TOGETHER - Strategy 2025 plan, in which Volkswagen outlined plans to push further into vehicle electrification and vehicle autonomy. Related Video: News Source: Asphalt & RubberImage Credit: Malte Christians/AFP/Getty Earnings/Financials Audi Lamborghini Volkswagen Motorcycle Performance Ducati Scania

Volkswagen Passat gets Wolfsburg Edition, priced from $23,495*

Volkswagen has just announced a new Passat Wolfsburg Edition, which slots between the base S and mid-grade SE trims in terms of content and price. The automaker has not released any official photos of the car as of this writing (aside from the badge shot you see here, of course), but the Wolfsburg Passat will be visually set apart from the rest by a unique set of 16-inch alloy wheels.
The big host of upgrades for the Wolfsburg Edition are found inside, where buyers will enjoy standard amenities like leatherette seats (with bun-warmers on the front chairs), a power driver's seat, satellite radio and a media interface with iPod connectivity. Of course, this comes on top of the already standard Passat features like Bluetooth and auto on/off headlamps. The Wolfsburg Passat will only be available with the 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Look for the 2013 Wolfsburg Edition Passat to hit dealerships in the very near future, priced from $23,495, *not including $795 for destination. Have a look below for Volkswagen's official press blast.

Leaked Audi product roadmap may confirm R8 with V6 engine

About a year ago, we reported that Audi was considering downsized engines for the new R8, which launched in V10 form. This is partially due to the Chinese market's desire for smaller displacement engines, and partially due to R8 technical lead Roland Schala's statement that a "V6 is a perfect engine for this car." This leaked upcoming product schedule, passed on by our friends at Autobahn.eu, seems to confirm these rumors. Based on the information in the image above, the R8 V6 is due in 2018. The rest of the product map seems to square with vehicles we know are in the pipeline. We spied the SQ7, A5, and R8 Spyder about a year ago, and the TT RS a few months ago. We told you in December a new Q5 is on the way, too. We just heard a credible rumor that the RS3 is on the way in 2017 as a 2018 model, and may even come to America, which squares with what we're seeing here. And we drove the Q7 E-Tron in 2015 – it's going on sale in Europe soon. This graphic puts the on-sale date as October 2017; that could be for the US market. Puzzlingly, this graphic doesn't discuss the Q2, which Audi just teased today. We're not sure what to make of that. Now onto the fun stuff. 2018 should be when Audi reveals a new A8 (featuring, most likely, a version of the futuristic Virtual Dashboard seen at CES) and A7, an RS 5 Coupe launching a few months after the A5/S5, a new A6, and the already-confirmed Q8 SUV. All expected or already confirmed. What about the cryptically-named "C-BEV?" If we extrapolate that to mean C-segment EV, if could be the Audi version of the stand-alone EV that VW is reportedly developing, and no, it's not the next E-Golf. We expected this MEB-based vehicle to debut in 2018, before the next-generation Golf, so again our rumors square nicely with what this roadmap tells us. Let's leave it at this: if you're an Audi fan, the next few years are going to be quite exciting. Expect some of these rumors to be confirmed in Geneva, so keep your eyes here for more Audi and VW info. Related Video: