Bbb Industries 11326 Alternator on 2040-parts.com

Future products: U.S. model is VW's big news

An ambitious plan to increase Volkswagen brand sales in the United States to 800,000 by 2018--up from 213,454 last year--begins with a mid-sized sedan to be built starting early next year in Chattanooga, Tenn. Later, the new factory will add the Polo small car or a mid-sized SUV--possibly both. Here is a rundown of VW's product plans through 2013.

Renault teases extra hot Megane RS

Renault has teased a new, more hardcore version of its Megane Renaultsport coupe on its Facebook page, hinting that the French firm is developing an even more focused version of the sporty hatch to rival the SEAT Leon Cupra 280. The picture appeared with the hastag “#Under8”, meaning the SEAT is a logical target. The Cupra 280 model recently set the front-wheel drive Nurburgring production car lap record with a time of 7 minutes 58.4 seconds.

Kia preparing a range of sporting models

Kia is quietly readying a string of sportier models to pep up its humdrum image, CAR has learned. The burgeoning sports car plan is likely to sire everything from hot hatches to standalone sports cars. On our trip to Korea this week, sources at Kia HQ confirmed a range of performance models, designed to mix some excitement into a brand that now commands respect from mainstream buyers after its crawl upmarket to the volume market alongside Europe's mass-market brands.