1954 Volkswagen Sedan Deluxe on 2040-cars

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Volkswagen e-Co-Motion concept poised for delivery to Geneva

With Nissan getting ready to launch the e-NV200, it appears Volkswagen is looking to go after the same zero-emission commercial vehicle market with the all-electric 2013 e-Co-Motion Concept. Debuting next week at the Geneva Motor Show, the e-Co-Motion Concept might be small in size, but VW says it has cargo and payload capacities that should be perfect for small businesses.
Measuring 179 inches long, 75 inches wide and 77 inches tall, the e-Co-Motion Concept has about the same footprint as the current Golf, and it has a cargo capacity of 162 cubic feet and a maximum payload of more than 1,700 pounds. There isn't too much information on the e-Co-Motion just yet - such as what electric components and platform are used - but the press release posted below states while the concept is shown as a cargo van, future body styles could include a passenger wagon or a refrigerated box van.

Volkswagen Group names Paefgen head of classics program

You may remember the name Franz-Josef Paefgen. Until recently, the German engineer and executive was head of both Bentley and Bugatti. Before that he was chief executive of Audi, after working for several years at Ford. He technically "retired" earlier this year, but like the cars he helped create, an executive like Paefgen could never really retire. So it should come as little surprise that the Volkswagen Group has named Dr. Paefgen head of its Classic program.
In his new capacity, Paefgen will oversee the historic automobile activities of the entire VW Group, including those of Volkswagen, Seat, Skoda, Audi, Lamborghini, and of course Bentley and Bugatti. It strikes us as a suitable semi-retirement for the man responsible in no small part for the Bugatti Veyron and Bentley Mulsanne, to name just two, and who was decorated in 2006 by the ACO as the "Spirit of Le Mans" for his contribution to endurance racing. Read the official announcement after the break.

Watch the VW E-Golf get made

If you've ever been on a tour of an automotive factory, you know how mesmerizing it can be to see humans and robots work together to build our four-wheeled friends. The swift automation, the cleanliness, the trained hands deftly fitting pieces together and watchful eyes inspecting every piece of the car, it's all quite impressive, especially if the vehicle is one you, as an observer, are fond of. Even just seeing a fresh, gleaming badge being applied to immaculately painted sheet metal is enough to curl ones toes. Such is the case with this video from of the E-Golf being pieced together in the Volkswagen's Wolfsburg plant. There's no narration or music - just the sounds of production - so it's easy to follow the singular motions that go into the process without distraction, with a slight sense of actually being on the floor. This solo video is only seven minutes long, so it's not quite the epic that was the BMW i3 production series. Therefore, we miss a lot of the initial build, such as pressing the sheet metal, painting, and putting together a lot of the inner workings. What is refreshing to see is how much of the final touches of the electric Golf are done by hand using actual hand tools (and with typical German efficiency). There's even a person riding a bicycle through the factory at one point, which is common at Wolfsburg and also rather quaint. Enjoy the video below, and if you have a suggestion for a good soundtrack to go along with it, sound off in the comments. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.