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Dyno run hints VW GTI power might be significantly underrated

Are you one of the lucky owners of the 2015 Volkswagen GTI? If yes, you should be happy, because your 210- or 220-horsepower hot hatchback might actually have more like 260 ponies under its hood. That's according to a dyno test from a vendor on, of all places, a Ford Focus ST enthusiast forum. The company is estimating a 15-percent drivetrain loss with the GTI's best result a whopping 263 horsepower and 314 pound-feet of torque at the crank. That's a tremendous difference from the 210 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque that Volkswagen claims. Of course, this is merely one dyno session on one car. We'll have to wait until more 2015 GTI owners get on the rolling road to see if Volkswagen really was as conservative about its hot hatch's output as FocusST.org claims. Featured Gallery 2015 Volkswagen GTI: First Drive View 32 Photos News Source: FocusST.orgImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL Volkswagen Hatchback Economy Cars Performance vw gti dyno

Volkswagen and Porsche recall Touareg and Cayenne

The Basics: Volkswagen and Porsche will recall about 800,000 units worldwide of the 2011-2016 Touareg and Cayenne, according to Reuters. Of these, there are 88,300 Cayennes and 46,700 Touaregs in the US. The Problem: A securing clip on the brake pedal hinge could be missing. This can cause the pedal pivot pin to move, and "the pedal could lose guidance," according to Volkswagen's statement. Over time, the problem might cause the pedal hinge to fracture, which could make it impossible to activate the brakes. Injuries/Deaths: Porsche's statement says, "this is a purely precautionary measure, as there have been no reports of accidents or injuries as a result of this concern." Volkswagen's statement reports, "no incidents have occurred in the US to date. However, single events have been reported overseas." The Fix: Dealers will inspect the clip and reinstall it if necessary. If you own one: Porsche says it discovered the problem during internal inspections. Related Video: PORSCHE EXAMINES CAYENNE MODELS AS A PREVENTATIVE MEASURE Inspection of pedal hinge clip Atlanta, Georgia. Voluntary safety recall: Porsche is conducting an examination of 409,477 Cayenne models worldwide from model years 2011 to 2016 for a precautionary inspection, of which 88,300 are in the United States and 10,370 are in Canada. The reason for this is a clip may have become dislodged from the pedal bracket. We are implementing a voluntary recall to inspect all Cayenne vehicles built during that period to ensure the clip is present and to re-install it if necessary. The problem was identified during internal inspections and remedied in production. This is a purely precautionary measure, as there have been no reports of accidents or injuries as a result of this concern. ### Volkswagen Statement Volkswagen has notified NHTSA of an upcoming voluntary safety recall affecting approximately 46,700 Volkswagen Touareg vehicles from the 2011-2016 model years. In rare cases, a securing clip at the brake pedal hinge may be missing. If the clip is missing, the pedal pivot pin could start to move and the pedal could lose guidance. If this remains undiscovered, the pedal hinge could fracture after continued operation, allowing the pedal to dislodge. A customer may not be able to properly actuate the brakes with a dislodged brake pedal. A non-functional brake or reduced braking power could result in a crash. No incidents have occurred in the U.S. to date.

China sticking to its guns on EVs for the future

Automakers are obviously free to develop whatever next-gen, zero-emissions tech that they want. However, if a company wants to get on the good side of the Chinese government, that strategy better include some plug-in vehicles. The authorities there are lending major support to plug-ins at the moment, and its forcing the auto industry to play along. According to Bloomberg, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and BMW are all launching dedicated EV brands with their joint venture partners, and as many as 40 electric models could hit the Chinese market this year alone. However, analysts don't think the vehicles are going to sell well. Instead, the launches are essentially a way for companies to play nice with the government and help get the approval to build factories in the country. Take Toyota as an example. The company is pushing the future of hydrogen hard with promotional films for the Mirai and engineers talking down fast-charging EVs. Still, the Japanese automaker is getting ready to launch two EV brands in China with its joint venture partners, according to Bloomberg. China's push for alternative fuels has been happening for a while, but it really kicked into high gear last year. The government has set a goal to improve fleet-wide economy by 40 percent by the end of the decade in order to spend less importing oil and for the population's health. The plan has shown some success so far with hybrid and EV sales growing early in 2015. Related Video: News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Kin Cheung / AP Photo Government/Legal Green BMW Hyundai Toyota Volkswagen Green Culture Technology Electric tax incentives chinese government