Car FYI

Photo Credit: Volkswagen Motorsport  The notion that motorsports improve the development of road cars is supported by an endless pile of case studies. While also progressing the course of technology, racing can provide a venue to promote a new image or ideology. Happening appropriately on Earth Day, Volkswagen unveiled a hill climb race vehicle the auto company intends to represent the spirit for their already-committed I.D. electric production car future. First announced last October and previewed with sketches that emerged last month, the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak competition machine has now debuted in its real-world form as a fully-electric super sports car. The introduction comes just two months ahead of the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb where the vehicle will be driven by former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Romain Dumas. Slated to be propelled with 680 horsepower of electrically channeled force, the I.D. R Pikes Peak is not merely focused on completing t...

Photo Credit: Volkswagen AG During the late 1960s, the classic Volkswagen Microbus was recognized as a staple with the Flower Power culture and the early figures leading to the current environmental-minded motions. Driven or ridden in by individuals of vision almost fifty years ago, Volkswagen Group has heeded calls towards greener motoring. Intent to have one million of their vehicles per year sold powered by an electric powertrain by 2025, Volkswagen had already pledged to construct a production version of last year’s I.D. Electric concept car for 2020. Coming shortly after the unveiling of the compact all-electric vehicle, the German auto giant wildly imagined one of their most celebrated shapes adhering to their vision for the fast-approaching future. Premiering at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Volkswagen I.D. BUZZ concept car explored the versatility afforded through an electrified powertrain. Styling of the electric concept car  wise...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy All the pretty motorized horses are rolling into the City of Toronto this weekend. Drawing what should be guaranteed to be another stellar collection of new and collectible automobiles, the 2017 edition of the Canadian International AutoShow has opened with a new sense of new while what was new in 2016 begins an unfortunate transition to being outdated. Although one year is not a drastic distance back in time, consider the fact the generational life of an automobile is roughly 6-10 years. As the 2017 Canadian International AutoShow is now underway, let's take some time to reflect what transpired at the 2016 gathering of motoring excellence in Toronto Civic Responsibilities: 2016 Honda Civic Wins Big Photo Credit: Chris Nagy The 9th generation version of the Honda Civic released in 2011 was an example where a devotion to a proven formula almost proved poisonous. Although the 9th generation Civic did not deviate from its solid build qualit...

Photo Credit: Volkswagen AG Automakers around for a long time are often presented with the opportunity to relive some proud moments. Production milestones, anniversaries of key dates or the continuation of a popular vehicle model name are moments to cerebrate past achievements often in a manner meant to connect a brand’s past and present. Using one of their more culturally significant designs, Volkswagen’s presence at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit is anchored by a vintage Microbus charm loaded with their latest smart vehicle technology. Photo Credit: Volkswagen AG The latest glimpse at Volkswagen’s post-diesel focus on electrification as a manner of cleaner motoring, the I.D. BUZZ concept re-imagines the utility and personality belonging to the 1960s Volkswagen vans for a 21st century climate. Exterior design cues from the original Volkswagen Microbus is translated into modern times on a 194.6-inch (4.943-meter) long platform that is an ext...

Photo Credit: Volkswagen of America 1935 was defined by two milestone events in automotive history. In Germany, the first two prototypes of the 'People's Car" were  constructed with guidance of Ferdinand Porsche. These vehicles quickly emerged as the precursor of the Volkswagen Beetle serving as an influential design ranked alongside the Ford Model T in significance. In the United States on a massive bed of salt in Utah, British speed record setter Sir Malcolm Campbell bettered an effort from a previous outing on Daytona Beach. On September 3rd of 1935, Campbell piloting his Rolls-Royce engined Blue Bird sailed to a 301.129-mile per hour land speed that stood for two years. 80 years after both moments, Volkswagen and the Bonneville Salt Flats combine for a new historic achievement. The stage for land speed records since the early part of the 20th century, the Bonneville Salt Flats, the sight of a yellow compact car exceeding the performance threshold defining most s...

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images Keselowski Overcomes Penalty to Win Windy Las Vegas Cup Race Competing within the desert locale of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the third race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season provided an interesting challenger in the form of wacky weather. Extremely strong winds at the beginning of the race resulted in gusts that would have blown car covers off the Sprint Cup racing machine if not for some astute crew members. A very brief rain shower accompanied the wind minutes before the Kobalt Tools was scheduled to start. The momentary mist dissipated and Sunday’s race started with Kurt Busch’s #14 Chevrolet leading the 39-car field. Slowed six times due to yellow flags including a lap 30 competition caution caused by the previous rainfall on the track, the Kobalt 400's most serious melee came on lap 225 shortly after a restart. Matt Kenseth’s #20 Toyota slid loose leading to an incident that would also collect Chase Elliott and Car...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy On Monday night, Volkswagen was in New York City wanting focus to be on the premiere of their new 2016 model year Passat sedan. Instead, the German-based auto company was seen largely as the perpetrators of one of the most sinister new-car emission law breaches in current automotive history. Announced on Friday, September 18th, the United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) issued a notice of violation to Volkswagen in regards to members of their diesel engine family sold in North America. Diesel versions of the Volkswagen Beetle, Golf, Jetta, Passat as well as the Audi A3 (a premium vehicle based on the same platform as the Golf) produced in model years between 2009 and 2015 are all embroiled in a wild controversy. Altogether, the total vehicles affected amounts to around 500,000 cars in the United States and Canada. Championed by Volkswagen by a "TDI Clean Diesel", these vehicles powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine hav...

Photo Credit: FCA US In a matter of hours, a host of new, elaborate commercials will air during one of the most-watched annual events on the globe. For Super Bowl XLIX (the 2015 edition of the football classic), 30-second spots selling for 4.5-million dollars will be competing for our attention with snappy visuals and celebrities. The following are some past automotive advertisements illustrating to how companies attempted to lure motorists in the past: 1969: Chrysler Scuba Diver In 1969, the Super Bowl was being held for only its third time. The big game was beginning to attract the attention needed to elevate American professional football to a thriving enterprise. However, it would wouldn't be until the mid-1980s when a 30-second spot in the Super Bowl would start selling for over a million dollars. Understandably, most ads televised during the game were not massive productions. 15 years before Apple reinvented the...

Can a vehicle travel at a top speed of 168 miles per hour, achieve 0 to 100 kilometer per hour acceleration times in just 5.7 seconds from the momentum of two cylinders? The Volkswagen XL Sport concept car presenting itself to the world for the first time in Paris this month boasts those exact impressive performance numbers from a high-revving motorcycle engine. Think of the Volkswagen XL Sport as a motorcycle with four wheels and a full car body. The concept vehicle was derived from the limited production Volkswagen XL1 plug-in hybrid. On the surface, the XL Sport fits all the criteria to be called a supercar. Radical exterior sculpting of the Volkswagen XL Sport concept results in a 0.258 drag coefficient. Lamborghini's active aerodynamic features including an extendable rear spoiler and adaptive air vents augments the vehicle to achieve an optimum level of downforce. Extensive carbon fiber construction, LED lighting and 18-inch forged magnesium wheels are also character...