2012 Volkswagen Passat Owner's Manual on 2040-parts.com

Concept Car of the Week: Renault Vel Satis (1998)

The approach to the design of top end models varies greatly depending on the manufacturer's heritage and the cultural differences of each country. It might be a conventional combination of wood and leather for some, power and technology for others, but it is generally packaged into a three-box four-door sedan or two-door fastback. Renault on the other hand had a much more cutting edge vision of what a luxury automobile could be.

European car sales down 5.2%

EUROPEAN UNION car sales are still sagging despite the return of modest economic growth. For the first eight months of the year, passenger car sales were down 5.2% to 7.84 million compared with the same period last year, the European Auto Manufacturers' Association said - the lowest January-August figure since the group started keeping records in 1990. New car registrations in August fell five per cent from a year ago to 653,872.

Audi denies high price hits sales of new A1

Audi denied suggestions that its new A1 entry-premium car is losing sales because it is priced too high. Audi dealers and industry observers believe the A1 is failing to attract an expected rush of customers because it costs too much for its target group of young people, according to Automobilwoche. The A1's starting price is 15,800 euros ($20,873) in Germany.