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Volkswagen Golf, Ford F-150 named 2015 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year

Congratulations, Volkswagen Golf/GTI and Ford F-150. You've just been named the 2015 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year, kicking off the first press day of the Detroit Auto Show. The Golf faced some seriously stiff competition from its runners-up, the Ford Mustang and Hyundai Genesis. But the Golf has been a highly awarded vehicle since its launch, including recently being named Motor Trend's Car of the Year. As for the Truck/Utility award, it wasn't immediately clear that the aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 would win the North American honor, topping the Chevrolet Colorado and Lincoln MKC. The Chevy, after all, has been widely praised since arriving this fall, including taking home MT's Truck of the Year award. In 2014, Chevrolet had a sweep of the NACTOY awards, with the Corvette Stingray and Silverado taking top honors. Here's a look at the 2015 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year voting breakdown. As you can see, it wasn't exactly neck and neck. Car of the Year Volkswagen Golf/GTI – 256 points Ford Mustang – 204 points Hyundai Genesis – 110 points Truck/Utility of the Year Ford F-150 – 297 points Chevrolet Colorado – 205 points Lincoln MKC – 68 points The winners were determined by the votes of 57 North American jurors who work in all forms of media – magazine, newspaper, television, online and radio, and their ballots were tabulated in secret by accounting firm Deloitte & Touche. Autoblog editors Sharon Carty and Chris Paukert are members of the North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year jury. Featured Gallery 2015 Volkswagen Golf TSI View 16 Photos Related Gallery 2015 Ford F-150 View 36 Photos Detroit Auto Show Ford Volkswagen Truck Hatchback 2015 Detroit Auto Show NACTOY

Recharge Wrap-up: VW exec predicts EVs with 375-mile range

Volkswagen says EV ranges over 300 miles aren't too far in the future. Plug-in hybrids are merely a bridge to all-electric mobility becoming more practical for people who need to travel longer distances, according to Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neusser, Volkswagen's head of powertrain development. Energy density is increasing rapidly in new batteries. Speaking about the e-Golf, Neusser says, "I expect the next generation in 2015-17 will increase to around 300 km [186 miles] and the following step will be around 500-600 km [310-372 miles]." Neusser also says he believes that charging infrastructure will improve to catch up with these more advanced batteries. Read more at Motoring. BMW is offering higher incentives for the all-electric i3 than the range-extended version. More buyers are opting for the i3 REx, with its 78 extra miles of range. So, to move the standard i3 (which is already cheaper), BMW is offering $2,000 in incentives for October - double what is offered for the i3 REx. The added incentives help close the price gap between the BMW and other EVs with similar ranges. The deals won't last long, though. According to New Jersey BMW salesman Manny Antunes, BMW's current incentives are "as aggressive as they're going to get" for a while. Read more at Green Car Reports. Honda is changing its research and development process for all cars after a series of Fit Hybrid recalls. The hybrid version, which makes up more than half of all Fit sales in Japan, was the subject of four recalls within nine months. In response, Honda will change the way it develops cars worldwide, with one extra "gate" to pass in the process. Honda will do prototype testing earlier in the research process to see how separately developed components work together before moving onto the car's development phase. It will add time and cost to making cars, but Honda hopes it will help prevent problems - like those that come with a flurry of recalls - down the road. Read more at Automotive News. Featured Gallery 2015 Honda Fit Hybrid View 16 Photos Related Gallery 2014 Volkswagen e-Golf: Frankfurt 2013 View 15 Photos Related Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos News Source: Motoring, Green Car Reports, Automotive NewsImage Credit: Honda Green Plants/Manufacturing BMW Honda Volkswagen Electric Hybrid recharge wrapup

Volkswagen Group launches Truck and Bus GmbH

Volkswagen is not only one of the largest automakers in the world – it's also one of the biggest producers of commercial vehicles. Not just vans like the Caddy and Crafter, but proper trucks and buses. And now it's reorganizing them all under the newly incorporated Truck & Bus GmbH. The new division brings VW's two truck manufacturers MAN and Scania under one roof. MAN is, after all, wholly owned by Volkswagen, and in turn holds over 75 percent of the shares in Scania (as well as MAN Latin America). Along with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, they make the Volkswagen Group one of the largest truck manufacturers in the world, behind Daimler and Volvo (the truck manufacturer is separate from the automaker). Although VW Commercial Vehicles will apparently not form part of Truck & Bus GmbH (since it makes smaller vans more than trucks and buses), it will also report to Andreas Renschler, the Volkswagen board member in charge of the company's work vehicle operations. Renschler previously served in a similar role at Daimler. In a bit of a reversal – or a sign of things to come – Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn (who just survived a failed overthrow attempt by ousted chairman Ferdinand Piech) will sit as chair of the supervisory board of Truck & Bus GmbH. Wolfsburg, 05 May 2015 Volkswagen creates integrated commercial vehicles group • Truck & Bus GmbH to become holding for commercial vehicle brands • Prof. Martin Winterkorn: "MAN and Scania will together become global champion" • Board Member for Commercial Vehicles Andreas Renschler: "MAN and Scania brands retain their independence" • Works Council Chairman Bernd Osterloh: "The holding strengthens employees' participation rights" Volkswagen is creating the integrated commercial vehicles group and thus putting in place a structured framework for business with mid-sized and heavy trucks and buses. Truck & Bus GmbH is to become the new Volkswagen Group holding for the MAN und Scania commercial vehicle brands. This was decided yesterday (Monday) by the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG. To this end, the shares in Scania AB held by Volkswagen AG will be transferred to Truck & Bus GmbH. The wholly-owned Volkswagen subsidiary already holds 75.28 percent of the voting rights in MAN SE. Truck & Bus GmbH will establish processes specific to the commercial vehicles business, thus leveraging the full synergy potential between the brands.