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European car sales up 8% in February

Three weeks ago an analyst increased projections for European car sales this year, expecting them to climb three percent compared to last year instead of 2.7 percent. That number is a postive sign after years of hard times but it turns out February was especially good, overall European sales climbing eight percent on a wave of southern European recovery and discounts - and this comes after five months of gains including January's 7.2-percent jump over the year before.
The only country of Europe's five largest markets to post a decline was France, just as it did in January, Germany, the UK and Italy posting solid double-digit numbers, Spain rocking the charts with an 18-percent increase because of a government program to encourage trade-ins.
The only brand to miss the wave was Volkswagen, dropping 0.8 percent as it watched the double-digit growth at sister brands Audi, Seat and Skoda lift the Volkswagen Group sales up by seven-percent. Peugeot overcame flat sales at Citroën to improve the group by 3.5 percent, BMW and the Mercedes-Benz/Smart combo rose by four percent, the Fiat group jumped 5.8 percent, Ford was up 11 percent, the Renault Group 11.5 percent, General Motors 12 percent and the Toyota clan by 14 percent.

Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe is a green fun-machine we want to drive

Think back to January's Detroit Auto Show. Those of you that are fans of the Volkswagen brand, impressed with green technology or simply fall into the "diesel geek" category, will almost certainly remember VW's CrossBlue concept with its diesel/electric hybrid powertrain, seating for seven, and somewhat awkward crossover styling. It was an impressive piece of future tech, to be sure, though it left something to be desired in the, well, desirability department.
Here in Shanghai, VW has brought along a CrossBlue Coupe concept that would seem to include most of the goodness of the original, but flavored with more sport and style this time around.
The CrossBlue Coupe makes use of the same electric drive components as the larger three-row concept: two electric motors (front and rear) powered by a 9.8-kWh lithium-ion battery. However, where the original concept made use of a TDI four-cylinder, the Coupe substitutes a 295-horsepower, direct-injection, gasoline-burning V6.

Volkswagen Beetle Special Edition Concepts consider some colorful possibilities

Volkswagen is using the 2015 New York Auto Show as an opportunity to check consumer reactions to possible special editions of the Beetle. The company's concepts are each aimed at different market niches, and they play up the idea of the car as a fashion accessory as much as a mode of transportation. VW does the most work to the Beetle R-Line concept for performance-minded buyers. Covered in Oryx White Pearl, the model is 0.6-inches wider than stock and wears a more aggressive front bumper with larger intakes. There's even a vent at the tip of the hood sort of like a Porsche 911 GT3. The pearlescent paint really pops thanks to some gloss black trim that covers a rear diffuser and the edges of the spoiler. For the other three concepts, VW tests out some new colors and trim for the Beetle. For example, the company thinks there's demand in the US and China for pink to be added to the palette, and the Pink Color Edition tries that out with a metallic shade. The Convertible Wave is painted in Habanero Orange Metallic but also has retro touches like chrome mirror caps, houndstooth fabric for the seats and a wood dashboard. Finally, the Convertible Denim takes inspiration from a pair of jeans. For a closer look at the colorful members of this quartet check out the gallery from the floor of the New York show. Featured Gallery Volkswagen Beetle Special Edition Concepts: New York 2015 View 15 Photos Related Gallery Volkswagen Beetle Concepts View 12 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style New York Auto Show Volkswagen Convertible Hatchback Concept Cars Videos 2015 ny auto show