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Top Gear names BMW i8 Car of the Year, Corvette, Ferrari, Mercedes also win big

The lads at Top Gear have released their listing of the finest cars of the past year, handing the ultimate honor to BMW's revolutionary i8 plug-in-hybrid supercar. "The i8 is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers - and then some," the British mag wrote. The i8, though, was far from the only hybridized car to take victories. James May and Richard Hammond both highlighted hybrids as their personal cars of the year, with May saluting the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Hamster, unsurprisingly, heaping praise on the Porsche 918 Spyder. Jeremy Clarkson, meanwhile, opted to shock many by selecting not only an American car as his best of 2014, but giving the honor to of all things, a Corvette. Clarkson wasn't the only person to honor the USA's iconic sports car, with the new, 650-horsepower Z06 variant being named TG's Muscle Car of the Year. Other big winners include Mercedes-Benz, which TG honored for S-Class Coupe (Luxury Car of the Year), the new AMG GT (Sports Car of the Year) and the not-for-US C-Class Estate (Family Car of the Year). The 458 Italia Speciale A snagged a second win for Ferrari. The best of the rest include the Citroen C4 Cactus, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen Golf R, Lamborghini Huracan and Audi TT. Take a look below for the celebratory press blast from BMW. The BMW i8 wins Top Gear Car of the Year The BMW i8 has been named as Top Gear magazine's global Car of the Year 2014. The plug-in hybrid performance vehicle beat off some stiff competition from a host of other premium and luxury manufacturers to win the overall award. The editorial team of Top Gear commended the BMW i8 for its breadth of abilities. Its 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine combined with an electric motor gives searing acceleration and driver enjoyment but all wrapped in a package that takes BMW's EfficientDynamics philosophy to the extreme courtesy of CO2 emissions less than 49g/km and a 135mpg combined cycle figure. Charlie Turner, Editor in Chief at Top Gear magazine, said: "The BMW is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers – and then some. It's the kind of car we should celebrate, a beautiful vision of the future, delivered now.

Final Volkswagen Eos to leave the plant in May

Volkswagen has made no secret of its plans to wind down production of the Eos hardtop convertible, and the automaker has already celebrated the model's retirement in the US with the Final Edition (pictured above). However, the company now has an actual time for that end to come. The final Eos rolls off the line from the VW factory in Portugal in May, according to Germany's Automobilwoche, and European customers have until March 27 to get any final orders in. The company has no plans to offer a successor, it previously indicated. After about nine years of production and some 230,000 made, the Eos proved to be a success, at least in its home market of Germany. A VW spokesperson told Automobilwoche it was the country's bestselling hardtop convertible at one point, but customer preferences have changed toward preferring soft-top models. That switch spelled doom for the Eos. Drivers who want some wind in their hair still have some choices in the VW lineup. The Beetle Convertible remains on sale in the US, and Europeans also get the droptop Golf. Featured Gallery 2015 Volkswagen Eos Final Edition: Quick Spin View 18 Photos News Source: AutomobilwocheImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Jonathon Ramsey / AOL Plants/Manufacturing Volkswagen Convertible portugal

West Virginia sues VW for fraud, asks for major financial penalty

It took just four researchers, including two students, at West Virginia University doing some emissions tests eventually to engulf Volkswagen in an international scandal that has been raging for weeks. Now, the state's attorney general Patrick Morrisey has filed a formal complaint against the automaker's US branch for violating the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act. His argument alleges that VW "fraudulently manufactured, advertised, and sold" these polluting diesel vehicles as being good for the environment. If the West Virginia case is successful, VW could be on the hook for serious monetary punishment. Morrisey asks that any consumers in the state get refunds totaling the premium paid over a gasoline model, the loss in resale value, and the expected costs of lost performance from the upcoming recall repair. On top of that, the automaker would pay the state $5,000 for each violating vehicle and all of the related costs for preparing for the trial. According to the complaint's legal documents (here, as a PDF), the state's DMV currently shows 2,684, diesel 2009-2015 VW vehicles registered there. Morrisey isn't the only state attorney general to take a stern look at VW's actions, and his counterparts in at least 29 other states are investigation similar courses of action, as well. In addition, the Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency have their own probes underway. The final result could be very expensive for the automaker. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey Files Complaint Against Volkswagen of America, LLC 10/5/2015 CHARLESTON — Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced today that his Office filed a complaint against Volkswagen of America, Inc. (Volkswagen), alleging the business violated the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act. The complaint alleges that Volkswagen fraudulently manufactured, advertised and sold a line of "clean diesel" vehicles with Turbo-charged Direct Injection (TDI) engines. "Volkswagen allegedly knowingly engineered certain vehicles to cheat U.S. emissions tests," Attorney General Morrisey said. "That is one reason why we have filed this complaint." A May 2014 study conducted by the Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines & Emissions at West Virginia University found elevated levels of emissions on several Volkswagen cars. Their data was then turned over to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board.