1969 Vw Poptop Westy on 2040-cars

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TRANSLOGIC 150: Volkswagen XL1

How do you build the world's most fuel-efficient production car? Start with the world's most aerodynamic design. The Volkswagen XL1 is capable of 261 miles per gallon thanks to its sleek shape and ultra efficient plug-in diesel hybrid powertrain. The downside is that only 250 will be made and none will be sold stateside. That didn't stop us from taking our turn behind the wheel of this truly revolutionary ride.

NA auto output to reach 11-year peak

According to Automotive News, automakers are expected to manufacture 16 million light vehicles in North America in 2013. That's up 500,000 units from last year and marks the largest number since 2002. The prediction comes courtesy of LMC Automotive and IHS Automotive, which point to the improving US economy as a bellwether for total production. LMC Automotive says North America will produce 16 million vehicles while IHS has a slightly more optimistic forecast of 16.1 million units. A total of seven automakers are slated to increase production on the continent this year. Nissan is set to see the largest jump at 20 percent over last year.
Volkswagen, meanwhile, is one of the only manufacturers predicted to scale back production. Analysts expect the German company's output to fall by 23 percent to 170,000 units, thanks in part to slow demand for the Volkswagen Passat and Jetta.

VW stops diesel sales in Europe

You can't buy a 2016 VW TDI with "cheater software" in the US right now, since the German automaker needs to revamp its diesel cars to legitimately pass emissions tests. That could take months. Sales of affected new VW diesels throughout Europe have now been put on hold as well. Exactly how many cars are affected is unclear, but Reuters says it is a "limited number." In the US, roughly 20 percent of the cars VW sold this year were diesels (until last month, when the diesel share dropped to 11.7 percent. Expect a further drop in October's numbers). In Europe, though, diesels make up about half of the overall vehicle fleet, so stopping sales there will have a much bigger impact. The good news for VW and its related brands is that the only diesels that will no longer be sold are the ones on dealer lots that use the EA 189/Euro 5 engine. The bad news is that that engine is used in a lot of VW products, mostly small and midsize cars. This includes popular vehicles like the Audi A3 and the VW Golf. Larger diesel vehicles use engines that reduce emissions using a urea solution called AdBlue. The smaller EA 189 engine was not built with an AdBlue process, and instead used software to make it seem like the cars were cleaner than they really were. Reuters says the currently not-for-sale vehicles with the EA 189 powerplant will be "upgraded" and then - hopefully - sold. A description of this fix should be made in Europe in November.