2015 Volkswagen Gti Autobahn on 2040-cars

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2021 BMW M3/M4 and Volkswagen ID.4 revealed | Autoblog Podcast #646

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor James Riswick. Together, they tackle a week's worth of big news, including the reveals of the BMW M3 and M4 and Volkswagen ID.4, as well as Tesla's Battery Day. Greg's been driving the long-term Subaru Forester, and gives us an update on that, while James discusses the current state and direction of Cadillac after driving the CT5. Then, the two dads talk about child seat safety, as well as random things they've learned from having children of their own. Autoblog Podcast #646 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2021 BMW M3 and M4 revealed with a standard manual and up to 503 horsepower 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 breaks cover with 250-mile range Why the Volkswagen ID.4 is a Very Big Deal Elon Musk promises $25,000 car, EV battery cell that costs half — but not soon 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid coming with three motors and more than 1,100 horsepower Cars we're driving: Long-term 2019 Subaru Forester 2020 Cadillac CT5 A conversation on child car seats Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Green Podcasts BMW Cadillac Subaru Tesla Volkswagen Safety Coupe Crossover Electric Luxury Performance Sedan

Recharge Wrap-up: Jaguar Land Rover talks EVs, Batteries should be modular

A new study out of Germany suggests adopting a modular approach to battery offerings in plug-in hybrid and extended range electric vehicles. Automakers could offer the same car with different battery sizes (and different costs, accordingly) to drivers depending on their driving ranges. This would optimize the total cost of ownership for various drivers better than the current approach. Developing a modular battery design and offering appropriate batteries for different customers "is the key for electric powertrains to meet customer expectations and become cost competitive against conventional technologies," according to the report from the Institute of Vehicle Concepts, German Aerospace Center. Learn more at Green Car Congress. Jaguar and Land Rover are looking to offer more electric driving from their vehicles. Wolfgang Ziebart, head of product development for Jaguar Land Rover, said in an interview that its hybrid system is being tweaked for more electric power and "downsized" combustion. He also said the likely target market for EVs would be second and third vehicles, rather than primary vehicles for urban driving. Within that market, Europeans look for something smaller, while American drivers lean toward larger luxury vehicles for their second car. Ziebart uses the Tesla Model S as an example of American tastes, and compares its size to that of the Jaguar XJ. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Thailand will likely approve a Volkswagen factory as early as next week. A German newspaper suggests that Thailand's Board of Investment is set to greenlight the plant, which is planned for a site near the Port of Bangkok. Thailand is a relatively large and growing auto manufacturing country, which seeks to be a major producer of eco-friendly vehicles. The country's "Eco2" program would provide incentives to Volkswagen if it builds clean cars and meets certain production targets. Read more at Reuters. Formula E has chosen Sky Deutschland for broadcasting rights in the German market. The deal includes television rights, as well as online broadcasting. Sky Deutschland has 3.8 million subscribers in Germany and Austria. Showing the races on Germany's largest pay television provider should help generate interest for the series, particularly the Berlin ePrix - the inaugural season's penultimate race - scheduled for May 30, 2015. Read more at the Formula E website.

Touring the Volkswagen Museum in Wolfsburg

Forgive the ribbon up top - this isn't so much of a Read This as a Look At This. Ran When Parked took a tour of the sprawling Volkswagen Museum in Wolfsburg, and while there's a spot of text about the different and unique vehicles on display in the rotating exhibits, it's largely the collection of pictures of odd, one-off VW-badged cars and vans that excites. If you're a fan of the weird and wild, this is a post you'll want to look at.
As RWP points out, this is the larger, but less busy, museum targeted purely at Volkswagen products. The smaller AutoStadt museum, meanwhile, covers a much broader swath, with products from other Volkswagen Group members. Click on over to view the extensive gallery of high-quality images from Ran When Parked.