1961 Vw Double Cab Transporter Type Ii on 2040-cars

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Tanner Foust checks out his new VW Beetle GRC rally car

Racing driver and Top Gear USA host Tanner Foust is a very busy guy. After all, he's competing in rounds of both Global Rallycross series and FIA World Rallycross Championship, not to mention his TV duties. However, we probably shouldn't feel too sorry for him, because his job puts him behind the wheel of some truly crazy machinery.
Case in point is his latest ride in Global Rallycross - the Volkswagen Beetle GRC. The German company claims that this all-wheel drive Bug makes around 540 horsepower from its 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and can shoot to 60 in under 2 seconds. Plus, if this video is any indication, this Volkswagen sounds like a machine gun when throwing revs at idle, and it can do some wonderfully easy four-wheel drifts.
Previously, Foust was driving a VW Polo for Andretti Autosport in GRC, but the team unveiled the look of the Beetle GRC at the Chicago Auto Show. Now, Foust is finally getting to show off his new office to the public, and like VW's tagline for the new car claims, it's way hotter than Herbie.

U.S. opens probe into whether VW vehicles infringe Jaguar Land Rover patents

WASHINGTON — The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) said on Monday it is opening in investigation into whether Volkswagen AG infringed on patents held by Jaguar Land Rover for a system used for off-road driving. In November, Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of Tata Motors, filed a complaint with the ITC seeking to prevent the import of some VW Porsche, Lamborghini and Audi models with "certain vehicle control systems" that allegedly infringe on it patents held for its Terrain Response system. The models include the Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne and AudiÂ’s Q8, Q7, Q5, A6 Allroad, and E-Tron vehicles and the VW Tiguan. The ITC said it has made no decision on the merits. VW said in a statement it was examining the action and determining its next steps. "We will of course cooperate with investigating authorities. While we cannot comment on any details of the proceedings, we strongly believe that the claims have no merit and will robustly defend our position," VW said. Many automakers offer a suite of off-road powertrain controls, but JLR claims Volkswagen's tech is more than just similar.  Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said the vehicles "have used JLRÂ’s patented inventions without payment or permission" notably a patent for an "improved system for driving a vehicle on different driving surfaces, in particular off-road." JLR says its Terrain Response technology uses the patented technology to maximize performance on off-road driving surfaces, including grass, snow, mud, sand and rocks.

Volkswagen to add 50k jobs by 2018

Volkswagen still has its eyes set on becoming the top global automaker by 2018, and to get there, it's apparently going to need more boots on the ground. Automotive News Europe is reporting that VW is looking to increase its staff by 50,000 over the next five years - an increase of nine percent - which does not include an increase in its US dealer network.
According to the report, a majority of the growth will come from China where the automaker is also looking to double its production capacity in the same time frame. The Volkswagen Group is already expected to rival General Motors for the top sales spot in China this year, and such a rapid expansion in the region could make a good springboard for sales increases in other countries.