Sometimes I really love car technology.  Sure, it’s given us its share of preposterous car gadgets but one shining day it will give us the car that drives itself.  And that will be a happy day for me.

Until that day comes, however, you’ll be happy to know that they HAVE managed to create the automated navigator in the form of AIDA.

The Affective Intelligent Agent Driving–AIDA–will tell you the best route to your destination by keeping track of traffic reports.  But not only will it tell you how to get where you want to go, it will also tell you when you should get gas, and even suggest places you may want to go that you didn’t know about based on your earlier visits.

Moreover, this joint project of MIT and Volkswagen is slated to include a “display” to communicate with the driver, allowing it to “smile when the driver seems angry”.

A pretty clever idea, though release dates and pricing are still wildly up in the air.  If you were considering buying a GPS, you may want to hold off and keep track of AIDA instead.

Tags: Affective Intelligent Agent Driving, AIDA, MIT, volkswagen

The Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition racing car will finally be made available come January, a concept race car that was initially shown at the SEMA 2008 in Las Vegas. It comes equipped with the TDI Cup Edition Kit which includes a front bumper, side skirts and rear valance. The Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition will also feature a 2.0-liter clean diesel engine loaded with 140HP paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. Other notable enhancements include an 18” Charleston wheels with performance all-season tires, sports seats and a multi-function steering wheel that features paddle shifters when equipped with the DSG transmission.

(Source) Press

Tags: clean diesel, diesel engine, dsg transmission, enhancements, front bumper, Jetta, jetta tdi, manual transmission, paddle shifters, race car, racing car, rear valance, season tires, SEMA, side skirts, sports seats, steering wheel, wheels

There is a trend that involves ecology and auto racing. For example, Volkswagen has a green racing with the Polo Cup in Europe. In 2010, Volkswagen will also use natural gas-powered Scirocco for the Scirocco Cup.

This car has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine fueled by Bio-CNG, a naturally organic fuel that uses grass, corn, or biological waste. The Scirocco Cup is signing on to become a partner with DTM series, so it will be interesting to see what develops.

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As if the Audi TT-S driving up Pike’s Peak by itself wasn’t exciting enough, Volkswagen and Stanford University to create a robotic Passat.

They are investing $5.75 million dollars for this endeavor, and so far, this Passat finished second in the 2007 DARPA urban challenge, where robot cars can automatically avoid obstacles and drive through busy intersections. By the way, the Passat can also automatically parallel park.

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In one of the most odd marketing schemes that I have seen, VW is planning to market their 2010 GTI with an iPhone game. Real Racing GTI is a free download that allows iPhone users to race this car. By the way, six registered players from this game will be chosen in the next six weeks to win a numbered, limited edition GTI. If you want to check it out, this game is available for free at the App Store.

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We’ve all heard of biodiesel and we’ve all heard of hybrid vehicles but how about a hybrid biodiesel burning 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle? No? Me neither. Neither did students at the University of Kansas until they built one, that is.

What you see above is their creation which gets close to 50mpg  running on both biodiesel and 10 lead acid batteries.Professor Chris Depcik, leader of the team, comments on the project:

“We have driven it around and reached approximately 30 mph, but this was more of a proof of concept drive without pushing the boundaries. We are currently getting the vehicle into road-ready shape to be driven safely in order to determine these values.”

via autopia

Tags: Beetle, biodiesel, hybrid, university of kansas, volkswagen

The Motor Show held in Frankfurt this September brought a new R version of the MK VI Golf from Volkswagen. I am talking about the R20, a car that’s now rumored to be sent to U.S. customers too. No decision has been made in that matter but we might see VW officials announce both the two- and four-door R20 versions be announced for the U.S. market soon. It remains to be seen whether the R20 will be available with a choice of manual or DSG transmission, but the R20 seems certain to arrive with all-wheel drive. If it makes it the the States! What do you say? Anxious? Excited? Bored?

via autoblog

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Audi has recently announced that they will be issuing a recall for over 10,000 of their A3 and TT vehicles of the 2006-2010 model years.

The recall is over a potentially massive problem; a spring that keeps the fuel tank ventilation valve shut. If, under whatever conditions, this spring were to come loose gasoline could leak into the engine causing a massive fire or worse.

If you have one of these vehicles in question you most likely have nothing to worry about unless you get a call from VW of America but if you want to be on the safe side head over to your local dealership and have them check it out.

via autoblog

Tags: A3, Audi, fuel tank, Recall, safety hazard, spring, TT, ventilation valve

Earlier this week Volkswagen took center stage at the Frankfurt Motor Show to show us their extremely futuristic looking diesel-powered L1 concept. They then followed suit and showed us the E-Up! concept, an all electric vehicle which we now know is expected to go into production by 2013.

Well, it seems that VW wasn’t done talking about the L1 concept as they have recently let us know that they expect it to enter production right around the same time as the E-Up! (sometime around 2013) and that it will get 170MPG. This goes along with the previous statement that the L1 will travel 100 kilometers using just 1.38 liters of diesel fuel.

While there’s no telling if the L1 concept will every actually hit the streets, if/when it does it’s sure to look nothing like what is pictured above.

via engadget

Tags: 170mpg, diesel, frankfurt motor show, fuel efficient, l1

If Opel’s really planning to take market share away from Volkswagen, then they’d better pack a lunch because it’ll be a LONG day.  Volkswagen has plans on the board to introduce TWO new models, the former chief executive of Volkswagen said while at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

This is already significant enough news in the face of a badly contracted economy–introducing new models is a cash-intensive process that requires loads of money and plenty of time and advertising, as well as focus groups, design and redesign and all like that.

But the new designs themselves may be the newest part, as they’re going to come out of the upcoming acquisition of Porsche.

Now that’s got my motor running–what if we get a car that looks like a Porsche with the gas mileage of a Volkswagen?  That’d be a dream car right there, and one everybody else would be scrambling to imitate.

Tags: Frankfurt Auto Show, Opel, Porsche, volkswagen

We’ve already seen Volkswagen showcase their L1 Concept at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show and already they have again taken center stage to show us their E-Up! Concept.

This concept measures just 10.5 feet long and is big enough to hold 4 passengers including the driver. Despite being small, the E-Up! is said to be able to reach speeds of up to 85mph while being able to sprint from 0-60mph in 11 seconds or from 0-30 in 3.5 seconds. The vehicle is to be powered by a 18kWh lithium ion battery that gives the E-Up! a range of about 80 miles. Even better, the battery pack will be able to reach an 80% charge in under an hour.

No word on when the E-Up! Concept will go into production, if ever.

via autoblog

Tags: all electric, Concept, e-up, frankfurt motor show, VW

Volkswagen has been presenting different versions of their L1 concept since 7 years ago, and this time they’ve got another round by calling it the “world’s most fuel-efficient automobile”. Maybe it is a claim too big to be true, or not…

Anyway, the L1 name comes from the fact that the car only spends 1.38l of diesel per 100Km which is pretty good. One of the reasons for the low consumption is probably related to the total weight – 380kg – of carbon fiber. In terms of CO2 emissions, the L1 only puts out 36 grams per Km which is also awesome.

Other details: it uses a 10kW electric motor powerplant, a 0.8-liter TDI, the top speed is 100 mph and there are 2 driving modes: eco or sport.

Tags: l1, volkswagen

Originally intended to make its debut at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Volkswagen has decided to unveil their 2010 Golf R. This vehicle is falls into the same lineup as the Scirocco R that we saw back in May.

VW’s 2010 Golf R features a 2.0 liter turbocharged engine capable of 265hp, 320Nm of torque with the ability to sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds when coupled with a 6 speed manual transmission or 6.4 seconds with the DSG model. Aesthetically the Golf R features an updated grill, LED daytime running lights and R badges out the ying yang.

Unlike the Scirocco R the Golf R is actually destined for a North American release but exactly when, we don’t know.

via wcf

Tags: golf r, Scirocco, volkswagen, VW

Volkswagen has recently been kind enough to let us know that their brand new 2010 VW Golf TDI will start at $21,990. Furthermore, the automaker also let us know that the car is rated at 29mpg for the city and 40mpg on the highway.

Under the hood of the 2010 VW Golf TDI, consumers can expect to find a 2.0-liter diesel burning engine couples with a 6-speed manual transmission. Anyone takers?

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Tags: 6 speed transmission, diesel, gas mileage, Golf, pricing, TDI

The VW/Porsche merger is no small move, and that’s no secret. But it seems that VW CEO, Martin Winterkorn, has a very strong feeling that Porsche will be coming out better than they went in. In fact, in a recent interview with German magazine Manager Magazin, Winterkorn has said that he could see Porsche sales increasing 200% to 150,00 vehicles sold a year by 2013.

The only way to actually see how Porsche will do once the deal goes down is to wait however, Mr. Winterkorn seems pretty confident. Let the speculation begin!

via wcf

Tags: martin winterkorn, merge, Porsche, Sales, VW