2dr Conv Aut Convertible 2.0l 4 Cylinder Engine 4-speed A/t 4-wheel Abs A/c on 2040-cars

Auto blog

France may still ban diesel vehicle sales

Legislators in France are not afraid to bring out the ban hammer when it comes to dirty vehicles. The city of Paris has implemented bans on old clunkers, and the French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, said in 2014 that diesel cars were a "mistake" and that the government would "progressively undo" the error. Now the national government has said it will not rule out banning sales of new diesel vehicles by Renault and Volkswagen if those companies don't answer more questions about their vehicles' emissions. Environment Minister Segolene Royal said last week that France wants more information about the VW diesel defeat device and Renault's engine software. "We will be asking the consumer fraud investigators and prosecutors to communicate any findings that will enable us to establish whether it's necessary to withdraw sales authorizations," Royal said. Royal has been making waves recently at the COP22 meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco and said that Donald Trump's environmental policies will be " absolutely catastrophic" and weaken the US' standing in the world. If the US doesn't want to lead on climate change efforts, she said, "China can take the place of the United States." She has also been involved in a controversy at home over votes that her staff made to allow higher emissions level from vehicles. Related Video: News Source: SpeedluxImage Credit: Fred Tanneau/AFP/Getty Images Government/Legal Green Volkswagen Renault Emissions Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal segolene royal

VW GTI Clubsport Concept celebrates model's 40th birthday with 261 hp

Volkswagen is celebrating the four-decade milestone for the GTI with the world debut of the GTI Clubsport concept at the annual Worthersee festival in Austria. While the version in these sketches is just a prototype, European buyers at least are set to get a production model in early 2016. The Clubsport is essentially a way for VW to split the difference between the already well-liked GTI and the hotter Golf R. In concept form, it packs 261 horsepower, compared to 220 hp from the standard version in the US with the Performance Package or 292 hp from the R. A temporary overboost function even lets the Clubsport make about 10 percent more power for short periods. Beyond just the mechanical upgrades, the concept in these sketches also wears a revised lower air dam at the front with a mesh grille and big strakes at the corners, and there's a new roof spoiler and rear diffuser at the back. VW also promises a more "individualized" interior. Unfortunately, the North America might not be getting this more powerful GTI. "There are no plans to bring the car to the US currently," VW spokesperson Mark Gillies told Autoblog. At this time, VW only has info about the Clubsport in German, which you can take a look at below. Related Video: Weltpremiere des Golf GTI Clubsport am Worthersee Exklusives Jubilaumsmodell zum 40. Geburtstag des GTI Golf GTI Clubsport debutiert mit 265 PS und Boost-Funktion Im kommenden Jahr feiert der Golf GTI seinen 40. Geburtstag. Volkswagen wird dieses historische Ereignis mit einem progressiven Jubilaumsmodell adeln: dem neuen Golf GTI Clubsport. In Form einer seriennahen Studie wird Volkswagen den Golf GTI Clubsport bereits am 14. Mai 2015 als Weltpremiere im Rahmen des legendaren GTI-Treffens am Worthersee prasentieren. Mit einer Leistung von 195 kW / 265 PS (plus 35 PS gegenuber dem Golf GTI Performance*) sowie einer temporar dank Boost-Funktion nochmals um rund 10 Prozent hoheren Spitzenleistung soll der Golf GTI Clubsport Anfang 2016 als der bis dato starkste jemals in Serie gebaute „GTI" durchstarten. Das Jubilaumsmodell wird nicht nur mit einem extrem leistungsstarken Motor, sondern mit einem individualisierten Interieur und exklusiven Karosseriedetails auf den Markt kommen. Zu den Design-Modifikationen gehoren ein komplett neuer Frontstoss-fanger, neue Seitenschweller, ein ebenfalls neuer und aerodynamisch hoch innovativer Dachkantenspoiler sowie ein eigens entwickelter Heckdiffusor.

Everybody's doing flying cars, so why aren't we soaring over traffic already?

"Where's my flying car?" has been the meme for impending technology that never materializes since before there were memes. And the trough of disillusionment for vehicles that can take to sky continues to nosedive, despite a nonstop fascination with flying cars and a recent rash of announcements about the technology, particularly from traditional automakers. Earlier this month, Toyota applied for an eye-popping patent for a flying car that has wheels with spring-loaded pop-out helicopter rotors. The patent filing says the wheels/rotors would be electrically powered, while in on-land mode the vehicle would have differential steering like tracked vehicles such as tanks and bulldozers. At an airshow in July, Aston Martin unveiled its Volante Vision Concept, an autonomous hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle it developed with Rolls-Royce. Aston says the Volante can fly at top speeds of around 200 mph and bills it as a luxury car for the skies. Audi used the Geneva Motor Show in March to unveil a flying car concept called the Pop.Up Next it developed with Airbus and Italdesign. If the Pop.Up Next, an electric and autonomous quadcopter/city car combo, gets stuck in traffic, an app can be used to summon an Airbus-developed drone to pick up the passenger compartment pod, leaving the chassis behind. Audi said that the Pop.Up Next is a "flexible on-demand concept that could open up mobility in the third dimension to people in cities." But Audi also acknowledged that at this point it has no plans to develop it. The cash-stoked, skies-the-limit Silicon Valley tech crowd is also bullish on flying cars. The startup Kitty Hawk that's backed by Google co-founder Larry Page announced in June that it's taking pre-orders for its single-seat electric Flyer that's powered by 10 propellers and is capable of vertical takeoffs and landings. The current version can only fly up to 20 mph and 10 feet in the air and has a flight time of just 12 to 20 minutes on a full charge. The Flyer is considered a recreational vehicle, so doesn't require a pilot's license. Uber says it plans to launch its more ambitious Elevate program and UberAIR service in 2023. "Uber customers will be able to push a button and get a flight on-demand with uberAIR in Dallas, Los Angeles and a third international market," Uber Elevate promises on its website.