VW Group to Display Up to Seven Concepts at the Geneva Show

It seems that the VW Group will do just about anything to become the world’s biggest automaker by 2018. After announcing a €51.6 billion (US $70.3 billion) investment plan last November, the Germans also want to showcase their future intentions at the Geneva Motor Show in March, by displaying up to seven concepts.

Walter de Silva, head of the group’s design department, told ANE that the concept lineup will include Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen models, plus “one – if not two” Audis.

Furthermore, the Italdesign Giugiaro design studio, acquired by the automaker last spring, will also present two Volkswagen concept cars.

Seeing this kind of commitment, one has to wonder what exactly has Volkswagen is store for us. With the Golf Mk7 said debut in late 2012 or early 2013, we're inclined to say that it’s too early for a design study and the same goes for the next generation Audi A3, due for a release in the summer of 2012. While the manufacturer did say that it wants to expand its North American SUV lineup, information on the subject is scarce, so we wouldn’t bet on an SUV concept either.

In any case, if you have an opinion on the matter, now is the time to share it with us in the comments section below.

*Note: Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept featured in the gallery

By Csaba Daradics

Source: ANE [Subscription required]

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VW XL1 Hybrid Coupe Study: Videos and Photos from Qatar

The highlight of Volkswagen's presentation at this week's Qatar motor show is the new XL1, a futuristic looking diesel-electric plug-in hybrid study for an everyday-use coupe vehicle with a combined fuel economy of just 0.9 liters per 100 kilometers or an amazing 261 mpg US.

The extremely low fuel consumption is achieved through the use of a lightweight construction, carefully honed aerodynamics and of course, the hybrid powertrain that combines a 0.8-liter twin-cylinder diesel producing 48-horses with a 27HP electric motor. If you follow the jump, you can check out live photos as well as on the road videos of the XL1. For more details on the study, read our previous post here.

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Mysterious Air Force Project Car Surfaces on eBay [with Video]

One of the most memorable movies quotes of all time is from the 1994 comedy-drama Forrest Gump, in which Tom Hanks’ character said: “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get”. Fast-forward to today, and eBay seems to be the proverbial box of chocolates with some truly sweet surprises, like this VW Beetle-based 1973 Air Force project car, named Talon.

According to plaques bolted to the dashboard and driver door, the fiberglass Talon was built by cadets at the United States Air Force Academy over a 5-month period, between January and June 1973. Other than that, there’s no information about the purpose of this car and the seller got nowhere after an investigation of his own. He claims to have called an aviation museum, researched the names of the cadets on Facebook and posted pictures on multiple Volkswagen websites, but to no avail.

The Talon was once motivated by a variant of the Beetle’s flat-four gasoline engine (the owner doesn’t know which one exactly), mated to a manual gearbox. Currently, the powerplant doesn’t run and, judging by the pictures, the chassis is also in a pretty poor condition. Luckily, the fiberglass body aged well and the potential buyer will surely find enough Beetle parts to be able to restore this oddball creation.

The current bid at eBay stands at just US $1,300, making the Talon an offer worth considering. We know it’s a long-shot, but if anyone can offer us some information on this seemingly one-off project car, we would be much obliged.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: eBay

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