Auto Meter 6107 Cobalt; Mechanical Boost/vacuum Gauge on 2040-parts.com

VW may add small car or SUV to U.S. plant

Volkswagen may build a small car or an SUV at its new U.S. plant in Tennessee, in addition to the mid-sized sedan that goes into production there next year. VW is considering options for the plant's second product even before it has begun building its first, Tom Loafman, the company's purchasing director, said here last week at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars.

Car makers to be forced to disclaim ‘Official’ economy figures

We’ve banged on for a long time about the futility of official economy figures, especially as car makers get better and better at ‘gaming’ the official economy tests to produce the results they want. Much of the impetus to create the best headline economy figure for a car is driven by taxation, with car makers well aware that the better the official economy results are, the lower their CO2 will be (CO2 isn’t tested for – it’s just extrapolated from the official mpg) and the more appealing the car will be to buyers, particularly fleet buyers. But a ruling by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) against Audi could at least see car makers having to admit in their adverts that the ‘official’ economy figure bears no relation to what owners can expect to achieve in the real world.

Porsche Panamera GTS arrives at LA Show

Porsche Panamera GTS Now that we’re a couple of years in from the launch of the Porsche Panamera, Porsche think it’s about time we got to know the hard-edge side of the Panamera, so the LA Auto Show has seen the arrival of the Porsche Panamera GTS. Just like other GTS Porsches – particularly the Cayenne GTS – it’s probably best to think of the GTS as a Turbo without a Turbo and a bit of attitude thrown in to the mix.# Despite its harder-edged stance and sporting pretensions the 2012 Panamera GTS is atill a bit of a lump, coming in at 1920kg thanks, in part, to the standard 4WD setup. But even with the lard and drive to all four wheels, the 425bhp V8 can still pick up its skirts and hustle to 62mph in a very respectable 4.5 secondsa and on to a top speed of 179mph.