1974 Volkswagon Beetle Rust Free on 2040-cars

Auto blog

VW, Suzuki mulling rekindling relationship in face of legal battle

Volkswagen and Suzuki have been undergoing marriage counseling in a bid to avoid finalizing their nasty divorce. The blissful union has been troubled for some time, with Volkswagen claiming that it could affect operational decisions at Suzuki, and the Japanese brand's sniping and constant flirting with a certain Italian temptress causing rifts.
The matter first went to court in 2012, when Suzuki demanded VW get out, and leave its 19.9-percent stake in the Japanese brand in a box to the left. Now, Automotive News is reporting that the company will give the relationship one last shot, according to closed-door dealings between the two in London.
Still, it's understood that VW and Suzuki recognize the benefit of their alliance, and that it'd be in the best interests of the kids both parties to make things work. Spokespeople declined to comment to AN, but the newsmagazine spoke with Frank Biller, an analyst for LBBW in Stuttgart, who said, "Both companies stand to benefit if they can overcome the disagreements over leadership claims."

Car and Driver shows off awesome 1960s ads

Someone must have recently rediscovered the keys to the archives at Car and Driver, and the access has been put to good use. Following last month's fantastic look at automotive ads from the '50s, there's now a new gallery running from March 1960 through December 1969. This collection provides a great overview of a decade full of iconic cars. If you're a fan of Carroll Shelby, particularly his Mustangs, then there's a lot to love among this group. One ad from July 1965 aimed to sell the GT350, but with an ocean of text and a tiny picture, it probably could've used a once-over by Don Draper's team. By December '65, the copywriters ironed out the problems with a spot proclaiming boldly "Shelby GT350 is 'Son of Cobra.'" The company offered some great accessories, too. For those into European motoring, there's a humorous attempt to sell the Alfa Romeo Giulia as both a racecar and family hauler. Toyota also boasts about the winning record for the 2000GT. Among the best text comes from BMW for lines like: "What's BMW got? The most advanced high-performance engine in any production car, for a cruising speed of 100 mph." Of course, Volkswagen's famous "Lemon" ad for the Beetle also gets its due here. Separately, each of these ads is fascinating, but taken together they tell the story of a great decade of motoring. Go give them all a read at Car and Driver. Related Video: News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: GM Heritage Center Marketing/Advertising Read This Alfa Romeo BMW Ford Toyota Volkswagen shelby alfa romeo giulia shelby gt350 toyota 2000gt

Recharge Wrap-up: First VW e-Golf in US up for auction, meet Project Ain't Fuelin'

Volkswagen is auctioning the first e-Golf in the US to raise money for Global Green USA. The auction is live now, and bidding goes until 3:30 pm Eastern on October 29. Global Green USA will use the proceeds to help find solutions to climate change, and the winner will get to enjoy emissions-free driving before the car e-Golf goes on sale in November. If you don't live in or near California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont or Washington DC, you might want to sit this one out, as the car will only be available to pick up at dealers in those initial launch states. Go bid now, or learn more in the press release below. Berlin, Germany will use Solaris electric buses for a complete bus line in 2015. The downtown line will run 3.8 miles between Zoologischer Garten Station and Sudkreuz. The transport operator Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) will use four of the Solaris e-buses for the test, each about 39 feet long. The buses use a 200-kilowatt inductive charging system at the ends of the line to recharge in just a few minutes. The government-funded test runs through 2016, but BVG pans to use the electric buses beyond that timeline. Read more at Green Car Congress. The American Petroleum Institute (API) is worried that the Obama administration will use ethanol requirements to influence a Senate race in Iowa. In the midst of a close race against Republican Joni Ernst, Representative Bruce Braley, the Democratic candidate, is urging Obama to reject a cut in the Renewable Fuel Standard. The November election approaches, meanwhile the EPA continues to delay issuing an ethanol requirement for the year, with or without its proposed 16-percent reduction. Rejecting the cut could help get farmers and ethanol producers on the side of Braley. "We are very concerned that the signals we are seeing from the administration is that the political calculations are outweighing sound fuels policy," says API's Bob Greco. Read more at Businessweek. Project Ain't Fuelin' aims to fix up old cars to return them to original fuel economy, and then surpass it. Episode 3 of Valvoline's Under The Hood video series features Daniel Gray of MPGomatic, who is doing just that to a 1999 Honda Civic HX Coupe. He aims to get 50 mpg out of the old Civic by tuning it up, tinkering with the aerodynamics, switching to more efficient tires and other modifications.