2003 Volkswagen Passat Glx Wagon 4-door 2.8l on 2040-cars

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Volkswagen Beetle Special Edition Concepts consider some colorful possibilities

Volkswagen is using the 2015 New York Auto Show as an opportunity to check consumer reactions to possible special editions of the Beetle. The company's concepts are each aimed at different market niches, and they play up the idea of the car as a fashion accessory as much as a mode of transportation. VW does the most work to the Beetle R-Line concept for performance-minded buyers. Covered in Oryx White Pearl, the model is 0.6-inches wider than stock and wears a more aggressive front bumper with larger intakes. There's even a vent at the tip of the hood sort of like a Porsche 911 GT3. The pearlescent paint really pops thanks to some gloss black trim that covers a rear diffuser and the edges of the spoiler. For the other three concepts, VW tests out some new colors and trim for the Beetle. For example, the company thinks there's demand in the US and China for pink to be added to the palette, and the Pink Color Edition tries that out with a metallic shade. The Convertible Wave is painted in Habanero Orange Metallic but also has retro touches like chrome mirror caps, houndstooth fabric for the seats and a wood dashboard. Finally, the Convertible Denim takes inspiration from a pair of jeans. For a closer look at the colorful members of this quartet check out the gallery from the floor of the New York show. Featured Gallery Volkswagen Beetle Special Edition Concepts: New York 2015 View 15 Photos Related Gallery Volkswagen Beetle Concepts View 12 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style New York Auto Show Volkswagen Convertible Hatchback Concept Cars Videos 2015 ny auto show

Volkswagen Group Chairman Ferdinand Piech resigns

Ferdinand Piech, Volkswagen Group's chairman of the supervisory board, has resigned from the company. His wife, Ursula, has also left her position on the board. A statement put out by VW in German said the move was due to the fact that "mutual trust is no longer present," and the board's deputy chairman, Berthold Huber, will be interim chairman. It's been just two weeks since Ferdinand Piech told Germany's Der Spiegel magazine that he didn't want Group CEO Martin Winterkorn to become the next chairman and that he was keeping the CEO at a distance. That public comment surprised just about everyone, and led to a meeting in Piech's office in Austria. The leadership committee supported Winterkorn, and that was backed up by official, pro-Winterkorn messages from VW labor leaders and the German state of Lower Saxony. After that meeting, Piech agreed to support Winterkorn in public, but it was widely suspected that the fight wasn't over. Now it might be. This is not a changing, but rather an explosion of the guard. Piech lived for VW, and he and his Porsche kin still have a 51-percent stake in the Volkswagen Group. Frankly, we have a feeling that this still isn't over. The official statement from VW in English is below. Statement of the Executive Committee of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG Wolfsburg, 25 April 2015 -- The Executive Committee of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG discussed again today in detail the situation of the Volkswagen Group. 1.: The members of the Executive Committee have unanimously determined that in view of the background of the last weeks the mutual trust necessary for successful cooperation no longer exists. 2.: For this reason Professor Dr. Ferdinand K. Piech has resigned with immediate effect from his position as Chairman of the Supervisory Board and from all his mandates as a Supervisory Board member within the Volkswagen Group. In addition, Ms. Ursula Piech has resigned with immediate effect from all her Supervisory Board mandates within the Volkswagen Group. 3.: The position of Chairman of the Supervisory Board will be temporarily assumed by the Deputy Chairman Berthold Huber. Mr. Berthold Huber will chair both the Supervisory Board meeting on May 4 as well as the Annual General Meeting on May 5, 2015. 4.: Under the chair of Mr. Berthold Huber the representatives of shareholders and employees will in close cooperation determine the candidate for the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

MindDrive cruises California with 1972 Karmann Ghia EV

If you need a bit of inspirational EV goodness, spend some time watching the collection of videos we've got for you from Minddrive. Minddrive, as you might remember, is the education mentorship program that "uses real-world issues of our times to teach urban students critical thinking, creativity, entrepreneurship and how to improve their future by expanding their vision for themselves." The focus was on a fully restored 1972 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. Well, restored and converted to electric power. The students previously worked on the Lola EV but this year the focus was on a fully restored 1972 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. Well, restored and then converted to electric power. In early June, almost 50 Minddrive students and mentors flew from Kansas City to California to visit the epicenter of electric vehicles in the US on something called the "Raise Your Hand Tour." Filmmakers Mark Honer and Kelly Creech from DHTV Digital were along for the ride. The videos below show the students flying from to Oakland, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, presenting the Karmann Ghia at the California Academy of Sciences and then visiting the Monterey Bay EV Club, Google, Twitter and Telsa. All of this EV engagement apparently worked. One of the students, identified only as Xavier, wrote a poem and essay about what the electric vehicle project meant to him. Here's a tease: "Minddrive has honestly opened my eyes to sights and things I would have never thought possible. I have finally found the right path to follow." Read the whole thing below, after the videos. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. I used to think that I would never be able to achieve to a greater rank. Always thought that power was given to people with a big bank. Never could imagine that my life would be amazing. Felt that my whole existence was around the weed blazing.