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Move over Nissan Leaf, VW E-Golf is the new sales champ in Europe

Western European sales of the Volkswagen e-Golf electric vehicle got just extra charged up, and not just with electricity. For the first two months of the year, the VW EV overtook longstanding EV leader Nissan Leaf in terms of sales on the Continent, Aid Newsletter says. In fact, the e-Golf's 2,150 units sold in Western Europe through February was 400 more than what the Leaf managed. Norway was the key country here. With lots of EV incentives, the Leaf (not to mention the Tesla Model S) have always sold well there, but Volkswagen, through a big advertising push, moved more than three times as many e-Golfs in Norway as Nissan did the Leaf. It's sure a far cry from the US, where the Leaf remains the best-selling electric vehicle. Through February, Nissan moved 2,268 Leaf vehicles in the US, compared to 311 e-Golfs sold here. March sales didn't do much to change the balance, with 195 e-Golfs sold versus 1,817 Leafs. The e-Golf, which retails for about $36,000 in the States, gets an EPA-rated 116 miles per gallon equivalent, barely edging out the Leaf's 114 MPGe rating. The e-Golf can also go 83 miles on a single charge. Our review of the e-Golf is available here. Featured Gallery 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf: Review View 29 Photos News Source: Aid Newsletter Green Volkswagen ev sales e-golf

Volkswagen is not cool with a Fiat Chrysler merger

Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller shot down Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne's overtures for a merger in blunt fashion this week. Mueller told Reuters at the Geneva Motor Show, "We are not ready for talks about anything ... we have other problems. I haven't seen Marchionne for months." The unusually candid – and icy – response from one chief executive to another comes after Marchionne similarly pursued General Motors (again) this week. The FCA boss suggested GM might be looking for a new European partner as it prepares to unload its troubled Opel and Vauxhall divisions to PSA. A GM spokesman told USA Today that the company is not interested. Marchionne has been openly suggesting a GM merger since at least 2015, despite GM never reciprocating interest. VW's "other problems," as Mueller notes, include legal proceedings, fines, recalls, and other issues related to its long-running diesel scandal. Marchionne has long sought industry consolidation, arguing that automakers don't get a proper return on their investments in technologies, some of which are relatively similar. He's suggested sharing chassis and powertrain components could be a benefit to the collective auto sector. Skeptics argue FCA, which is smaller than GM, VW, Toyota, and others, needs a partner to survive, while its rivals already have the necessary scale to remain competitive. Related Video:

2023 New York Auto Show Live Updates: Hyundai's surprise, Nissan's super stand, '24 Wrangler

The 2023 New York International Auto Show shifts into high gear Wednesday, April 5, and our reporters are already in the city, with events unfolding even as we speak. We'll being seeing cars in person, interviewing automaker insiders and snapping photos of vehicles and all the other oddities that pop up at an event like this and we'll be giving you live updates and color from the show floor along the way.  Ram, Hyundai, Subaru, Kia, VW and Jeep are all expected to show something new this week, and other automakers are known to be hosting off-site events that may produce news — expected or otherwise. Genesis has already revealed its GV80 Coupe, for example, along with the fact that it has been confirmed as a production model. And we're just getting started.  Read on below for our observations from the show floor and points beyond: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.     Green New York Auto Show Genesis Hyundai Jeep Kia RAM Subaru Volkswagen Concept Cars Electric Future Vehicles