2009 Volkswagen Gti Hatchback 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Last VW bus ever made arrives at final destination

A Brazilian politician tried to save it, unsuccessfully, so the final Last Edition Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi was produced on December 20, 2013 and now resides in a vintage museum at Volkswagen's Commercial Vehicles HQ in Hanover, Germany.
The Volkswagen Microbus was built for 56 years, starting in September 1957. Brazil was the last country still assembling it, but new safety regulations in the country requiring airbags and ABS on all cars spelled the end. When that politician introduced a bill that would pardon only the 'Bus from a death sentence, it couldn't garner the required number of votes for passage. The South American country takes the Kombi production title, though, with 1.5 million of the 3.5 million total made in the home of Copacabana beach and the girl from Ipanema.
The VW Bus is dead. Now perhaps we can turn our attentions to the still-not-totally-settled matter of the Bulli...

Top Gear names BMW i8 Car of the Year, Corvette, Ferrari, Mercedes also win big

The lads at Top Gear have released their listing of the finest cars of the past year, handing the ultimate honor to BMW's revolutionary i8 plug-in-hybrid supercar. "The i8 is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers - and then some," the British mag wrote. The i8, though, was far from the only hybridized car to take victories. James May and Richard Hammond both highlighted hybrids as their personal cars of the year, with May saluting the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Hamster, unsurprisingly, heaping praise on the Porsche 918 Spyder. Jeremy Clarkson, meanwhile, opted to shock many by selecting not only an American car as his best of 2014, but giving the honor to of all things, a Corvette. Clarkson wasn't the only person to honor the USA's iconic sports car, with the new, 650-horsepower Z06 variant being named TG's Muscle Car of the Year. Other big winners include Mercedes-Benz, which TG honored for S-Class Coupe (Luxury Car of the Year), the new AMG GT (Sports Car of the Year) and the not-for-US C-Class Estate (Family Car of the Year). The 458 Italia Speciale A snagged a second win for Ferrari. The best of the rest include the Citroen C4 Cactus, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen Golf R, Lamborghini Huracan and Audi TT. Take a look below for the celebratory press blast from BMW. The BMW i8 wins Top Gear Car of the Year The BMW i8 has been named as Top Gear magazine's global Car of the Year 2014. The plug-in hybrid performance vehicle beat off some stiff competition from a host of other premium and luxury manufacturers to win the overall award. The editorial team of Top Gear commended the BMW i8 for its breadth of abilities. Its 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine combined with an electric motor gives searing acceleration and driver enjoyment but all wrapped in a package that takes BMW's EfficientDynamics philosophy to the extreme courtesy of CO2 emissions less than 49g/km and a 135mpg combined cycle figure. Charlie Turner, Editor in Chief at Top Gear magazine, said: "The BMW is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers – and then some. It's the kind of car we should celebrate, a beautiful vision of the future, delivered now.

Recharge Wrap-up: 2015 Fuel Economy Guide available, how Porsche ships 919 Hybrid

The EPA and Department of Energy have released the 2015 Fuel Economy Guide. Unsurprisingly, the groups say that this year features more fuel efficient and low-emissions vehicles than previous years, and they span a greater variety of vehicle types. The guide also provides "best-in-class" lists, greenhouse gas ratings and estimated fuel costs for each vehicle. The EPA and DOE hope that car buyers will use the guide to help choose cars that are better for the environment and the climate. Check out the guide for yourself or read more in the press release below. To get from one WEC race to the next, Porsche ships its 919 Hybrid LMP1 cars by air. As the team travels around the world - from continent to continent - it must take 35 tons worth of cargo with it, including two LMP1 cars. That means draining fluids, partially dismantling the cars, and fitting everything into a 747. The team also ships items by sea, which requires shipping extra sets of items due to the longer shipping times. "It's all about efficiency," according to Porsche. Read more in the press release below. Terra Motors is unveiling the A4000i electric scooter, which it will sell in Europe, at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan. The A4000i, which features smartphone connectivity, will be the company's European flagship model. Terra Motors will begin selling in Italy, and plans to make arrangements to sell in several more countries shortly after. Terra hopes to set up manufacturing in Europe, as well. Also on display at EICMA is the company's Bizmo II electric scooter, which has a driving range of 93 miles on a single charge. Read more in the press release below. Volkswagen is providing a 2015 e-Golf to Stanford University for research. The car will be used to study electric mobility, improvements in the driving experience and people's driving behavior and attitudes toward EVs. "Volkswagen's longstanding relationship with Stanford has allowed us to push the boundaries of automotive research and innovation," says Volkswagen's Ewald Goessmann, "and we look forward to extending our work together to drive advances in electric vehicles." See the video and read more in the press release below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. EPA, DOE Release 2015 Fuel Economy Guide for Car Buyers The U.S.