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Volkswagen Group previews its wares on eve of Geneva show

The Volkswagen Group is comprised of 11 brands producing 240 vehicles across 49 factories throughout the world. So the best way to show off the range of the VW family is to cram a few thousand journalists and VIPs into a massive makeshift stand to outline the Group's goals, what's in the pipeline and what you'll be able to buy later this year.
To that end, VW pulled out all the stops on the eve of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, bringing along 10 vehicles from across the range. We'll be delving into the details of each over the next two days of show coverage, but before that happens, you can read all about what we saw tonight from the cheap seats after the break.

Audi adding 11 new models, focus on CUVs and fullsize luxury

A press release celebrating Audi's delivery of 1.5 million vehicles this year contains almost a passing reference to the future of its lineup: Audi will add 11 models, expanding from 49 models to 60. The news was delivered at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt during the handover of an A3 Sportback to its German buyer, as execs noted that the brand has hit its target of 1.5 million in annual sales two years earlier than planned.
CEO Rupert Stadler said Audi will "expand our product range from the current 49 to 60 models. We see a great deal of potential, particularly in the SUV segment and in the especially prestigious fullsize category." We have little idea of what kinds of cars that could entail right now, other than the Q1, but we'd like to think it could include an RS8, a production version of the Sport Quattro concept and even the Nanuk.
The model aggrandizement will be part of Audi's push to reach two million annual sales by 2020. You can get a few more details on it in the press release below.

Ward's Automotive Ten Best Engines of 2014 dominated by diesels, turbos

With the Car and Driver Ten Best decided, the North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists announced and Cadillac, Ram and Subaru chalking up wins with Motor Trend, it's fair to say that the automotive awards season is in full swing. The next set of trophies to be handed out will be from Ward's Automotive, which has announced the winners of its 2014 10 Best Engines.
The latest contest was marked by the widespread emergence of diesel power and the continued success of turbocharged engines. There was even an electric motor on this year's list. In fact, only three of the ten winners were naturally aspirated and only two winners returned from last year.
"We weren't looking to throw the bums out, as they might say about an election. We were just really impressed with the flood of new powertrains," said Ward's Automotive Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter. Those new powertrains include the 83-kilowatt electric motor from the Fiat 500e, the 1.0-liter, EcoBoost three-cylinder from the Ford Fiesta and the 2.0-liter turbodiesel from the Chevrolet Cruze.