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Germany says nein to EU ban on new fossil-fuel cars from 2035

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's government will not agree to European Union plans to effectively ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Tuesday. In its bid to cut planet-warming emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels, the European Commission has proposed a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035. That means it would be impossible to sell combustion engine cars from then. European Parliament lawmakers backed the proposals this month, before negotiations with EU countries on the final law take place. Speaking at an event hosted by Germany's BDI industry association, Lindner said there would continue to be niches for combustion engines so a ban was wrong and said the government would not agree to this European legislation. Lindner, a member of the pro-business Free Democrats, which shares power with the Social Democrats and Greens, said Germany would still be a leading market for electric vehicles. (Reporting by Christian Kraemer; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Miranda Murray and Edmund Blair) Green Government/Legal Green Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Opel SEAT Skoda

Malaise Era All-Stars

A few weeks ago, we bid a fond happy 40th anniversary to the automotive dark ages of 1973-84 that have come to be known as "The Malaise Era" - the performance ice-age when 160 horsepower was a lot and a 0-60 time of under 10 seconds was remarkable. Like music in the 1980s, everything in automobiledom didn't suck, however. There were a few bright spots. Here are five of our favorites:
1976-79 Porsche 930, aka 911 Turbo Carrera (above)
Photo Credit: Dorotheum

Audi Prologue Avant Concept points to the future of wagon design in Geneva [w/video]

The new generation Audi R8 and its LMS GT3 racing version are grabbing much of the attention at the Audi stand at the Geneva Motor Show. However, if you are more interested in seeing the brand's future design direction, just take a look at the Prologue Avant Concept that's also on display. Audi traditionally uses the Avant name for the company's wagons, but that's tweaked slightly here. The vehicle is certainly a five-door, but from some angles it looks more akin to a Porsche Panamera-like hatchback. Compared to the B-pillarless Prologue Coupe (that we recently drove), the stretched roof flows all the way to the angled rear hatch, and the result is a very elegant design. The interior tends towards minimalism with just a few screens showing the driving info. The Prologue Avant also ditches the Coupe's petrol-fueled hybrid for a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo diesel V6 plug-in hybrid with a total of 455 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, which is linked to an eight-speed gearbox. Audi claims the setup reaches 62 miles per hour in 5.1 seconds and allows for 33 miles of pure electric driving. To get a sneak peek at what's next from Audi, take a look at the Prologue Avant Concept on the floor of the Geneva show in the gallery above.