Next-gen Passat to offer hybrid and twin-turbo power

VOLKSWAGEN is going even more upmarket with the all-new version of the Passat, which is due to hit showrooms later this year. Soon buyers will be able to include a plug-in hybrid and an all-new 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel among their forecourt options, as VW goes chasing after its sister company Audi. Weight-saving measures have chopped up to 85kg from the new kid on a like-for-like basis, which helps achieve VW's stated efficiency boosts of 20% versus equivalent outgoing Passats.

Chrysler, VW lead February sales gains

U.S. auto sales led by Chrysler Group surged 16 percent in February, giving the industry its strongest showing in four years in a fresh sign that the recovery is gaining more traction. Total light vehicle sales rose to 1.15 million units as the seasonally adjusted sales annual rate hit 15.1 million.

McLaren F1 Video: Flemke’s Mac’s been fixed

Flemke's McLaren F1 on video Perhaps the best-know McLaren F1 in the UK – well, perhaps the best known apart from Rowan Atkinson’s recently bent F1 – is the F1 owned by regular online commenter ‘Flemke’. Flemke is, as you would expect, worth a few bob and lives in the UK. But unlike the vast majority of McLaren F1 owners he loves to share the joy of his Mac with online enthusiasts.