1981 Vw Volkswagen Rabbit Caddy Pickup And 1972 Speedway Mini Bike on 2040-cars

Auto blog

VW recalling 2.64M vehicles worldwide over engine, light issues

Volkswagen is staging a massive, worldwide recall that's already grown from 1.68 million to 2.64 million vehicles and covers three different issues across a number of vehicles. We already reported on 61,000 Tiguans getting recalled over lighting issues - that was just in the US. Globally, however, VW will be recalling 800,000 Tiguans, according to Automotive News, with the focus on CUVs built between 2008 and 2011. The issue with the Tiguan relates to a simple fuse swap, so this is rather unremarkable, aside from the sheer number of vehicles being fixed. The real, troubling issues relate to gearboxes and pickups.
239,000 Amarok pickups (pictured right) are being recalled over fuel leaks, while 1.6 million vehicles are being recalled to swap the synthetic oil in dual-clutch transmissions with mineral oil. Now, the transmission issue is one for the global Volkswagen Group to address, not just the VW brand - vehicles from Audi, Škoda and Seat use the same seven-speed DSG and are covered under the recall, as well.
Why the switch from synthetic to mineral oil? Apparently, using the synthetic oil in a DSG and then subjecting it to stop-and-go conditions or heavy loads in a hot and humid climate can lead to electronic malfunctions, according to a Volkswagen press release. The switch, from the sounds of it, is largely a preventative measure.

Skoda plans big investment into electric cars as part of rebound effort

PRAGUE — Czech carmaker Skoda, part of the Volkswagen Group, said on Wednesday it would invest around 2.5 billion euros over the next five years on future technologies, with more than half going to electric vehicle investment. The Czech Republic's largest exporter is hoping for a rebound in 2021 from a global car sales drop but faces uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic and a semiconductor shortage rattling the industry. "This year is likely to be another big challenge," finance director Klaus-Dieter Schuermann said. "We expect Skoda Auto's group performance to improve, with sales revenue significantly above the level of last year." Skoda reported on Wednesday a 54.5% drop in 2020 operating to 756 million euros ($894 million). Sales revenue dropped 13.8% to 17.1 billion euros. Global deliveries remained above 1 million cars for a seventh straight year despite a 19% drop after production outages at the outset of the pandemic and a fall in China, its biggest single market. Chief Executive Thomas Shaefer said the car company was managing the semiconductor shortage "but it will follow us for awhile" and the impact was not visible yet. Skoda's core market in Europe would be electric in the future, Shaefer said, although it was still not time to completely switch away from traditional models, which include the launch last year of a new generation of its flagship Octavia model. It has also started production of the all-electric Enyaq iV model, which is a version of Volkswagen's ID.4. Skoda plans investments of 1.4 billion euros into electromobility development as part of its five-year investment plan. Investments will also go into digitalization activities and plant modernization. Related video: Green Volkswagen Skoda Electric

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.