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New Volkswagen Beetle is on the way

Recent reports have suggested that the future of the Volkswagen Beetle could be in jeopardy, but those rumors have now been squashed. Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neusser, member of the board of management responsible for development at Volkswagen, confirmed to Autoblog that not only will the Beetle live on, a new generation will arrive in "the next up to three years." The next Beetle will move to Volkswagen's scalable MQB architecture. These bones currently underpin the Golf in the US, as well as a range of products available in Europe and other markets. That's not really surprising, given the MQB architecture's flexibility. But what's interesting is that, according to Neusser, using the MQB platform opens the door for electrification possibilities in the Beetle. That could mean a hybrid drivetrain, or even a fully electric example like the e-Golf hatchback. The Beetle "will remain an emotional design," Neusser told Autoblog. That said, it will be "developed in a new design language," in keeping with Volkswagen's plans to offer "much more dynamic, much more emotional" designs on its future cars. "We would like to support more emotional potential [for the Beetle]," Neusser said. This can certainly be seen here at the New York Auto Show, where Volkswagen is rolling out four showcars that demonstrate the potential for unique versions of the Bug. Even beyond that, Volkswagen has already confirmed that the Beetle Dune concept will see production, and Neusser hinted that while the New York showcars are still being evaluated, the Denim convertible will likely come to market. So the future is anything but grim for the Beetle. And in fact, there's a whole lot of potential for Volkswagen's iconic two-door. Related Video:

8 new cars that are selling below MSRP

Car shopping has been a frustrating activity for many people in recent years, as strained new car inventories have led to markups and elevated prices across the board. It’s been difficult to find vehicles at anywhere near a reasonable price, and some in-demand models are still listed at a premium today. iSeeCarsÂ’ most recent study looked at several aspects of the new and used vehicle markets and found a handful of models that are selling at a discount – a rarity in todayÂ’s world. Most of the vehicles selling below MSRP in October were electric, though the Nissan Armada and Infiniti QX80 made the top eight. To be clear, weÂ’re not talking about huge discounts here – the Kia EV6 was selling with the largest discount of 3.1%. The other models on the list include: Kia EV6: -3.1 percent off MSRP Ford F-150 hybrid: -2.8% Hyundai Ioniq 6: -2.7% Nissan Armada: -1.8% Hyundai Ioniq 5: -0.9% VW ID.4: -0.6% Kia Niro EV: -0.3% Infiniti QX80: -0.2% Electric and hybrid vehicles like the Kia and Ford have been selling at a premium for a long time, as they experienced stronger than expected demand and had challenging early production runs. That theyÂ’re now selling at a discount could indicate wavering buyer demand, but itÂ’s too early to start sounding any serious alarm bells. Though some models are getting cheaper, the industry average is still heading in the wrong direction. The average MSRP of new cars sold last month was $42,510, while the average sales price was $46,077. That 8.4% overage is surprising to see so many months after the worst of the pandemic has passed. iSeeCarsÂ’ executive analyst Karl Brauer had a few words of encouragement, however, saying, “There are still very few ‘dealsÂ’ in the new car market. Shoppers looking to pay below MSRP for a new car will have to do their research, but a small number of models can be bought below sticker price.” Green Ford Hyundai Infiniti Kia Nissan Volkswagen Car Buying cheap cars

Intel-Mobileye tech in 2M BMWs, VWs, Nissans will crowdsource maps for autonomy

Intel Chief Executive Brian Krzanich said on Monday 2 million vehicles from BMW, Nissan and Volkswagen would use its unit Mobileye's technology to crowdsource data for building maps that enable autonomous driving. The world's largest chipmaker bought Israeli firm Mobileye last year to compete with peers such as Qualcomm and Nvidia Corp and tap the fast-growing market of driverless cars, filled with a complex tangle of alliances. (VW, for example, is also working with Nvidia.) Krzanich was the keynote speaker at the Consumer Electronics Show. He said data from Mobileye's Road Experience Management software would gather data to build and update scalable high-definition maps. He also announced that Intel would be working with Ferrari on AI drones to cover Ferrari Challenge North America Series racing. The drones would provide video of the races, but ultimately they would provide drivers with data — video that would let them see their racing performance from overhead, but also telemetry information about, say, how they enter and exit a turn. Intel will also tie up with SAIC Motor Corp, which will use Mobileye technology to develop Level 3, 4 and 5 autonomous cars in China, the chipmaker said. Krzanich also said Intel had not received any information of customer data being compromised so far after the company confirmed last week that security issues reported by researchers in its widely used microprocessors could allow hackers to steal sensitive information from computers, phones and other devices. Security researchers had disclosed two security flaws exposing vulnerability of nearly every modern computing device containing chips from Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and ARM Holdings. Reporting by Philip GeorgeRelated Video: Image Credit: Intel Auto News Green CES BMW Ferrari Nissan Volkswagen Technology Autonomous Vehicles CES 2018 nvidia intel mobileye