Engine Oil Filter Magneti Marelli 1amfl00026 on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen Phaeton will return to U.S. market

The Phaeton large sedan is coming back to Volkswagen's lineup in the United States, according to the head of the German plant that builds the car. VW pulled the $85,000 Phaeton from the U.S. market in 2006 after four years of falling short of sales expectations.

Contest: Volkswagen Slipstream wins 2007 LA Design Challenge

Volkswagen's Slipstream concept has won the fourth annual Design Challenge competition, part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designer's conference. The award was presented during the second press day of the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show.  The theme of this year's competition, RoboCar of 2057, asked eight automotive design studios in California to form their vision of the future by depicting a vehicle that incorporates artificial intelligence engineered to make life easier and more attractive to consumers 50 years from now. Designers entered two-dimensional renderings and concept descriptions predicting how the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence will integrate into the automobile to make life safer, more practical and attractive, and the entries were judged by multi-discipline design professionals who selected the winner based on its originality of creative concept, integration of robotics and level of adaptation to a variety of environmental conditions and consumer needs.

Le Mans 2010: a picture gallery by Alex Tapley

Last month I returned from my second consecutive Nurburgring 24hr race, so I was excited to be getting my first taste of Le Mans last weekend. Two very similar concepts, yet the endurance races at the Ring and Le Mans differ hugely, and both excite for very different reasons. I just hope they stay that way. Here are some of my favourite pictures from the weekend: 1.