11' Utility Bed Low 32813 Miles 1owner Local Trade 4x4 Power Locks/windows Cruze on 2040-cars

Auto blog

VW may move production because of Russia's cutoff of natural gas

Volkswagen AG is exploring ways to counter a shortage in natural gas, including shifting production around its network of global facilities, signaling how the energy crisis unleashed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens to upend EuropeÂ’s industrial landscape. Volkswagen, EuropeÂ’s biggest carmaker, said Thursday that reallocating some of its production was one of the options available in the medium term if gas shortages last much beyond this winter. The company has major factories in Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which are among European countries most reliant on Russian gas, as well as facilities in southern Europe that source energy from elsewhere. “As mid-term alternatives, we are focusing on greater localization, relocation of manufacturing capacity, or technical alternatives, similar to what is already common practice in the context of challenges related to semiconductor shortages and other recent supply chain disruptions,” Geng Wu, VolkswagenÂ’s head of purchasing, said in a statement.  RussiaÂ’s decision to throttle gas supplies to Europe has raised concerns that Germany might be forced to ration its fuel. Recent news that gas storage levels hit 90% ahead of schedule has soothed fears of acute shortages this winter, but Germany faces a challenge in replenishing depleted reserves next summer without contributions from Russia. Southwestern Europe or coastal zones of northern Europe, both of which have better access to seaborne liquefied natural gas cargoes, could be the beneficiaries of any production shift, a Volkswagen spokesman said by phone. The Volkswagen group already operates car factories in Portugal, Spain and Belgium, countries that host LNG terminals. Labor hurdles To be sure, any major production shift away from EuropeÂ’s biggest economy would face significant hurdles. VW has some 295,000 employees in Germany and worker representatives account for around half the companyÂ’s 20-member supervisory board. Any shift in production would likely involve a limited number of vehicles rather than wholesale factory shutdowns. While gas supplies for VWÂ’s plants are currently secured, the company has identified potential savings at its European sites to cut gas consumption by a “mid-double-digit percentage,” said Michael Heinemann, managing director of VWÂ’s power-plant unit. Still, the carmaker said it was concerned about the effect high gas prices could have on its suppliers.

Audi traffic light recognition could save 240 million gallons of fuel [UPDATE]

Any hypermiler will tell you that the way you drive your car has a huge impact on how much energy it uses. But these greenfoot drivers haven't had a car that's smart enough to tell them about the inner lives of traffic lights. That's what a prototype system in an Audi A6 Saloon that the German automaker recently tested in Las Vegas can do. Since the car can communicate with local traffic signals and is able to predict when lights will change, the car can help reduce CO2 emissions by up to 15 percent. Further, Audi says that the system could save some 238 million gallons of fuel (900 million liters), if deployed across Germany. We can only imagine what hypermilers could do with this. We got to drive the Audi Online traffic light information system prototype in January, but we focused more on how the system worked rather than the green aspect. Now that Audi has had a bit more time to crunch the numbers, it has released fuel economy information for the connected car. The key points for the eco-side of things are that the driver is told in the dashboard how fast/slow to go to hit the next green light. This can help prevent unnecessary speeding and or encourage drivers to go a bit faster in order to hit the green, thus preventing idling and wasted time. The system is too smart to let you idle for long. Except that Audi Online is too smart to let you idle for long. The Audi connect system can calculate how much longer the light will be red and can access the car's start-stop capabilities and will fire up the engine "five seconds before the green phase." That seems like an awful long time in a world where competitors have figured out ways to restart an engine in 0.35 seconds. We've asked Audi for an explanation on why this buffer is so lengthy, and will let you know what the reasoning is when we hear back. Despite the trials in the A6, Audi says the Audi Online traffic system could be integrated into any Audi model, "subject to the necessary government legislation." Aside from the Sin City tests, Audi is running trials of the connected car in Verona, Italy and Berlin, Germany. If you'd like to test it out yourself some day, take heart from this line in the press release, available below: "A market launch is currently the subject of intense analysis in the United States." *UPDATE: Audi's Mark Dahncke told AutoblogGreen that the five second window is meant, "To alert the driver that the light is about to turn green.

Audi reveals even more efficient 2015 R18 E-Tron Quattro

We've seen two of this year's LMP1 manufacturer challengers – Porsche's updated 919 Hybrid and Nissan's GT-R LM Nismo. Audi has finished cooking up the successor to its Le Mans champion and unveiled the fifth-generation R18 E-Tron Quattro, even better than before. The bodywork monocoque is carried over, but the body around it has been reshaped to improve airflow from front to rear with a new hood, front fenders and wheel arches, and radiator configuration. The engine cover behind the cockpit is shrunk more closely around the engine, and there are new headlights. The hybrid system can expend double the energy per lap this year, putting Audi in the four-megajoule class under the energy-use regulations. That extra energy will come from 17-percent more capacity built into the flywheel storage system and an electric motor good for 272 horsepower. The revisions haven't increased the weight of the car, pegged to the minimum allowed at 870 kilograms. They have, however, forced changes to the TDI engine, which has to use 2.5-percent less fuel per lap to offset the increased hybrid output. The 558-hp V6 has been optimized such that it "managed to more than compensate for the loss" of fuel allowed, and Audi expects "significantly" lower lap times this year and less fuel used. We're still waiting to see what Toyota has done to its World Endurance Championship-winning racer, but we're already looking forward to this year's Le Mans. It's going to be cracking. You'll find a press release below the videos with more info on the Audi. Related Video: New Audi R18 e-tron quattro even more efficient - Aerodynamics, hybrid drive and many other details improved - Efficient TDI engine consumes even less fuel than before - Technologies from Le Mans winning cars now in production at Audi Ingolstadt, March 21, 2015 – Audi is starting the 2015 season with a thoroughly revised R18 e-tron quattro. In the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and in the Le Mans 24 Hours as the season's pinnacle event, Audi is going to compete with a hybrid sports car in the 4-megajoule class. A twofold quantity of hybrid energy, fundamentally revised aerodynamics, the next step in lightweight design and a lot of detailed work characterize the fifth generation of the Audi R18. "The possibilities of the revolutionary regulations that have been in effect for LMP sports cars since 2014 are far from having been fully used.