Vintage Volkswagen Vw Hubcap 6"-restore/collect on 2040-parts.com

Czech Car Maker Offers A Vision Of Its Future

SKODA has long since cast off its budget car image, but just in case you remain on the fence regarding the Czech firm’s premium market aspirations, it’s revealed a smart new concept car ahead of the Geneva Motor Show, called the VisionC. The five-door ‘coupe’ is said to be positioned in-between existing Octavia and Superb models, and has clearly been influenced by cars such as Audi’s A7 – another large, premium coupe-like model. As Skoda continues to grab a larger share of the market it’s also keen to steal buyers from existing firms selling ‘affordable premium’ models.

One Lap of the Web: Rolls-Royce in Thailand, 130-mph lawn mowers and Formula One in Canada

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Check out some factoids about Formula One in Canada and how drivers have faired at Canadian tracks over time.

VW reveals plug-in diesel hybrid concept, claims 261 mpg

Volkswagen has used a car show in the Middle East nation of Qatar to unveil a two-seat plug-in hybrid concept car that the automaker says will deliver 261 mpg. The VW XL1 uses a lithium-ion battery pack, an electric motor and a two-cylinder, 0.8-liter diesel engine for the powertrain. We're still digesting the press release, but here are some highlights: -- VW says the XL1 can travel about 22 miles on electricity from the battery pack.