2007 Volkswagen Beetle Hatchback 2-door 2.5l 5 Cyl. 5 Speed on 2040-cars

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Jalopnik and Consumer Reports see who can pull off the best snow drift

The weather throughout much of the United States is pretty awful at the moment with some combination of extremely low temperatures, inches of snow and maybe some ice underneath it all. The folks at Jalopnik and Consumer Reports are making the absolute best out of a difficult situation by heading to CR's snow-covered test track and attempting to make the longest drift in a quartet of very different performance vehicles. Jalopnik brought along a Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Wagon, a Subaru WRX STI, a BMW 228i and a 1973 Volkswagen Baja Bug (heck yeah!) for the challenge. Also, the track was perfect for this group, with a mix of packed snow in places and still a few inches of unsullied powder in spots too. Ostensibly the goal was to get the tail to step out through a particular corner, but in reality this was more about having hilarious fun in the snow with fast cars. The result just looks like the best time humanly possible in this weather.

Volkswagen officially grants access to UAW in Tennessee

An audit at the Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, TN has revealed that at least 45 percent of the facility's workers support unionization, leading the German company to grant access rights to the United Auto Workers. This is a tremendous step in the UAW's long-running and at times contentious pursuit of the workforce at Chattanooga. With this latest move, "local leadership is ready to move forward with additional conversations with the company," the union said in a statement obtained by The Detroit News. "As a starting point, UAW Local 42 will take advantage of the company's offer to establish bi-weekly meetings with Volkswagen Human Resources and the Volkswagen Chattanooga Executive Committee." The News reports that UAW Secretary-Treasurer Gary Casteel, shown above speaking at the Chattanooga plant last summer, claimed these meetings "will remind Human Resources and the Chattanooga Executive Committee of the mutually agreed-upon commitments that were made by Volkswagen and the UAW last spring in Germany. Among those commitments: Volkswagen will recognize the UAW as the representative of our members. We believe Volkswagen made this commitment in good faith and we believe the company will honor this commitment." It's important to note that despite Casteel's remarks, this is not a collective-bargaining agreement, Harley Shaiken, a labor professor at University of California, Berkeley, told The News. "But it is a step in the direction of recognition, which ultimately could lead to collective bargaining. This is not the end point," Shaiken said. "We don't know what's next. We're in unchartered territory."

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Volkswagen calls its 2015 Jetta "refined, redesigned," and countless man-hours have gone into its re-engineering, but you'd need to crawl all over the car, unbolt most of the body, drive it or spend some time on VW's website to fathom the changes. That's why we wrote, "2015 Volkswagen Jetta is new, we promise," when we first saw the car in New York last April. While we wait for a sweeping next-generation overhaul to come, the marquee elements for now are the new structure underneath designed to win an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating, fuel economy increases and a heavily reworked 2.0 TDI diesel engine. Plus, there's ornamental detailing around the body and updated interior, and the revamped trim package and accessories matrix promises to provide more value. That makes it a better buy than the 2014 model, assuming it can find buyers ready to appreciate the subtleties. Outside, improved aerodynamic prowess is the primary goal, and almost all of the visual refresh works to further that aim. A new grille with three cross fins sits atop a slipperier bumper and air intakes. On models with the 1.8T gas engine and new 2.0 TDI diesel, the grille is fitted with a shutter to decrease drag and, on the diesel, speed up the engine warming. There are sleeker rain gutters inside the A-pillars and paneling under the body by the rear axles. Attending to airflow in back is an altered decklid reshaped with an integrated spoiler. Among the other changes are optional adaptive bi-Xenon headlights lined with 15 LED running lights and a chrome strip of brightwork. New fog lights are set in the flanks of the lower lip, and LED taillights can be had on the GLI and Hybrid models, with a tweaked VW logo sitting in between. The illuminating upgrades continue inside with ambient lighting and a crisper dash cluster display. Those cabin changes are joined by an optional "tunnel" theme for the gauges, a new steering wheel design with piano black accents and chrome, redesigned vent controls and new fabric options. Changes to the front substructure from the bumper to the front doors, and strengthened A-pillars combined to win the 2015 sedan a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. We're here to focus on the diesel model, and the updated EA288 2.0 TDI engine and its modular packaging is the most visceral highlight for 2015, inserting new numbers on every line of the spec sheet compared to its predecessor, save for cylinder bore spacing.