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VW pulls Lamborghini and Bentley from the Paris Motor Show

It's been slightly more than a year since the news that Volkswagen had intentionally cheated on diesel emissions testing broke. Since then, the company's reputation and image have suffered and it has struggled to regain its footing and composure. The automaker is shelling out billions in fines, so cost cutting is inevitable. Today, Reuters reports that Volkswagen subsidiaries Lamborghini and Bentley won't bring their elaborate displays to the Paris Motor Show next week. Auto shows can cost automakers millions of dollars, especially for supercar and luxury car brands that constantly try to compete and one-up with each other. Much of the money and fanfare goes to catering the media, and if an automaker has nothing new to reveal it can be difficult to justify the expense. The company told Reuters that it plans to attend smaller events that focus more on potential buyers. The Volkswagen group as a whole has shifted it's focus, both when it comes to products and auto shows like Paris. Next week, the automaker will be focusing on electric vehicles and electromobility. The company plans to reveal a new EV with 373 miles of range, eclipsing both the Tesla Model 3 and Chevy Bolt. Volkswagen has plans for 30 new electric vehicles by 2025. Lamborghini and Bentley aren't the only major automakers skipping Paris. Ford, Volvo, and Aston Martin have all decided to save money and focus their efforts elsewhere. Related Video:

New VW Beetle Convertible ad needs no disguise

Convertibles make you do funny things. Ask someone if they'd drive a hardtop in near freezing temperatures with all the windows down and they might not even answer, thinking the question so ridiculous. Give that same person a convertible they love and you might just have to ask them to please put the top up even when snow is on the ground.
That guy has to take precautions to enjoy his proclivities, and as this new ad for the Volkswagen Beetle Convertible shows, not everyone understands. Have a watch below, and note that there's just one woman in the minute-long spot, and she's nowhere near the car. Seriously, why didn't VW run this commercial during the Super Bowl?

The best cars we drove this year

Six hundred and fifty. That's roughly how many cars pass through the hands of Autoblog editors every year, from the vehicles we test here at home, to the cars we drive on new product launches, testing roundups, long-term cars, and so on. Of course, our individual numbers vary due to several reasons, but at the end of the day, our team's repertoire of automotive experience is indeed vast. But let's be honest, some cars certainly stand out more than others. So as the year's about to turn, and as we're readying brand-new daily cat calendars for our cubicles, our editors are all taking time to reflect on the machinery that made this year so special, with one simple, open-ended question as the guide – a question that we're asked quite frequently, from friends, family, colleagues, and more. "What's the best car you drove this year?" Lamborghini Huracan When I review the list of everything I drove in 2014, picking an absolute favorite becomes almost impossible. I mean, how does one delineate between the joy offered by cars as different as the Alfa Romeo 4C, Volkswagen Golf R, Mercedes-AMG GT S and even the humble-yet-wonderful Chevy Colorado? Okay fine, I'll just pick the Lamborghini. I drove the Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 on a racetrack, in the mountains, and along southern coast of Spain. It felt like the king of the car jungle in all of those places, sucking the eyeballs of observers nearly out of their heads as it drove by, and almost melting my brain with its cocktail of speed and grip and intense communication. It feels a little easy to say that the one new supercar I drove this year was also my favorite, but the fact is that the Huracan is one of the finest cars I've driven during my career, let alone 2014. Judge me if you must. – Seyth Miersma Senior Editor Rolls-Royce Wraith There are a couple of ways to look at the question, "What's the best car you drove this year?" In terms of what was so good I'd go out and buy one tomorrow, that'd be my all-time sweetheart, the Volkswagen GTI. Or if I'm just talking about sheer cool-factor, maybe something like the Galpin GTR1, BMW i8, or Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. But instead, I'm going to write about the sheer opulence of being the best of the best. The hand-crafted, holier-than-thou, shut-your-mouth-when-I'm-talking-to-you supremacy. I'm picking the Rolls-Royce Wraith. I drove the Wraith for a week in April, and was really, really impressed. This car does everything, perfectly.