2002 Volkswagen Jetta Tdi Sedan 4-door 1.9l on 2040-cars

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Hyundai tops VW and Buick in China, survey says

You may be aware of the long-time competition in China between Volkswagen and Buick, but another brand apparently should be in that conversation too: Hyundai. In a recently published annual consumer survey, the Korean company actually took the top spot to beat out its German and American rivals in second and third, respectively. The results were part of the China Brand Power Index that interviewed 11,500 people around the nation and was paid for by the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. While Hyundai proved popular with voters, its sales haven't necessarily shown that yet. According to Bloomberg, the brand had falling numbers in China for the first quarter of the year. Even Ford outsold the South Korean automaker in the same period, despite scoring lower on the survey. Meanwhile, Audi ranked as the populace's favorite luxury brand, which is hardly a surprise given the Four Rings' strong sales in China. In January alone the automaker saw a 15-percent boost in volume there. Parent company VW's strong performance was somewhat more surprising, though. State media severely criticized the German automaker in March, and customers protested last year for the allegedly poor handling of a recall.

Volkswagen Tiguan arrives with chiseled looks, GTE plug-in model [w/video]

After a long run, Volkswagen has finally retired the first-generation Tiguan crossover in favor of the larger, more chiseled second-generation model. The new compact is longer, wider, and lower than the more upright CUV that came before it. Yet, as we covered in our original post, the new Tig is also over 100 pounds lighter. The bodywork is conservative but handsome; typical of newer VWs. We see plenty of Passat and Touareg in the fascia, which features a three-bar grille that integrates neatly with the slightly canted, rectangular headlights. The beltline looks higher than today's Tiguan, and sits below a more aggressive greenhouse, which is a welcomed change after the soft, crossovery looks of the last-gen model. While VW has only released European powertrain options – there are eight engine options, split evenly between gas and diesel and boasting anywhere from 123 to 237 horsepower – we'll expect a far smaller roster for the US. Look for VW's familiar 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder to feature prominently in both front- and all-wheel-drive models, while we're personally hoping VW will see the light and offer a 2.0-liter TDI Tiguan. Of course, there's more than just gas and diesel for the new Tiggy. The all-new GTE model promises plug-in capability. Expect 31 miles of electric range and 215 system horsepower. There are even solar panels on the roof which could generate up to an extra 600 miles per year of driving range. VOLKSWAGEN REVEALS ALL-NEW EUROPEAN TIGUAN AT THE FRANKFURT INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW Based off the MQB platform, the new European Tiguan revolutionizes the compact SUV • Powerful, authentic SUV design of the new Tiguan was completely reconfigured. • Tiguan is the first Volkswagen Group SUV to be based on the modular transverse matrix (MQB). • Longer, wider, lower – new vehicle architecture enables sportier proportions • Tiguan makes its debut at the IAA in an R-Line version, a classic on-road version and a version with an off-road front end. • Volkswagen is also showing the Tiguan GTE in Frankfurt with a plug-in hybrid drive and 1.9 litre per 100 km fuel consumption. • Newly conceptualised solar roof module for the Tiguan GTE increases its electric driving range. • Front Assist with City Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring, active hood, Lane Assist and the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System are fitted as standard.

6 cars that are eligible for import to the U.S. in 2023

For car enthusiasts, the most exciting part of ringing in a new year is watching the list of import-eligible cars grow. Federal regulations make bringing a late-model car from Europe or Asia mind-bogglingly difficult, but these barriers fall as soon as a vehicle turns 25. There's no need to slash through a jungle of red tape; simply ship your dream forbidden fruit over, pay import duties, and in most states you're good to park a fresh import car in your garage. Of course, you need to locate any car you're considering importing, whether it's on this list of cars you can import in 2023 or not. A quick search of the internet will show that there are a lot of places that specialize in sourcing cars to import into the United States, and while we don't have any firsthand experience with any of them, we can point out a few well-known import car dealers, including some at auction. Duncan Imports and Classics bills itself as "America's Largest JDM Dealer" and keeps a large inventory of vehicles that have already been brought into the States. The Import Guys boast options to ship and finance worldwide, Davey Japan claims to have exported over 50,000 vehicles from Japan, and Goonet Exchange says it's operated by "Japan's largest used car information site." Japanese site Be Forward lists a staggering 10,949 online reviews at the time of writing with an average score of around 4.5 out of 5 stars. If your new year's resolution is to buy a car from overseas, here are some of the highlights from 2023's crop of importable cars. Keep in mind that some of these import cars were introduced in 1997 but didn't enter production until 1998, while others made their debut late in the year. And without further ado, here is a list of six cars that are eligible for import to the U.S. in 2023 that are worth noting. Cars that are eligible to import into the U.S. in 2023 Alfa Romeo 166 Developed to replace the 164, the 166 stands out as Alfa Romeo's last true flagship sedan; it wasn't directly replaced. It shares its front-wheel-drive platform with the Lancia Kappa but the two cars look nothing alike. Alfa Romeo gave the big sedan a smooth, relatively elegant design that borrows several styling cues from the smaller 156.