2009 Volkswagen Jetta Tdi Wagon 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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VW readying new VR6 with forced induction

Volkswagen built a stonking, narrow-angle V6 in the 1980s and 1990s that was found in three different generations of the Golf (their performance iterations, obviously), three generations of the Passat, the New Beetle, the Corrado and the Touareg, among other VWs, a spate of Audis, Seats, a Skoda, and even the Porsche Cayenne. It was a sad day when it was announced that it'd be put out to pasture.
Rejoice, though, fans of the venerable VR6, because Volkswagen has a new, modern variant in the works that, according to AutoWeek, features direct injection and can easily be fitted with forced induction. In fact, AW mentions Volkswagen insiders that claim this unit will spawn a production version of the twin-turbo V6 shown on the Design Vision GTI from this year's Wörthersee festival. That unit produced an epic 503 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque.
Don't expect a production unit with that level of power (although it would make a hardy RS4 powerplant), though. In reality, AutoWeek is suspecting anywhere from 340 to 450 horsepower from the new mill. When it arrives at an undisclosed date in the future, it'll likely be found in the Passat and Passat CC as well as the production version of the CrossBlue.

McLaren F1 poaches Jost Capito from VW WRC

The executive shuffle continues at the McLaren Formula 1 team with news that Ron Dennis has lured Jost Capito away from his position as head of Volkswagen Motorsport. Capito will become the CEO of McLaren Racing, replacing Jonathan Neale who took the position on an interim basis at the beginning of 2014 to replace Martin Whitmarsh. Whitmarsh, who had been with McLaren for 24 years and spent five of them as F1 team principal, left the company after being moved out of the CEO position. Neale, on the other hand, who has been with McLaren Racing since 2001, is moving over to the newly created position of COO of the McLaren Technology Group. Capito left the Ford SVT division in 2012 to run VW Motorsport, and has spent the past three years shepherding the brand's World Rally Championship to three consecutive driver's and manufacturer's titles. Before that, his lengthy racing resume includes developing high-performance BMW engines, winning the Dakar Rally as a co-pilot, executive positions with Sauber in the early nineties, and managing Ford's WRC team. Dennis, who first approached Capito last summer, called him, "extremely impressive, competitive, and ambitious." The Woking team has some great parts, but it hasn't been able to make the most of them comprehensively since the end 2012 season. Autosport says that Capito has the ability to make the best pieces work together, which will probably be his biggest challenge at McLaren. Capito will remain at VW until a successor is found. News Source: The GuardianImage Credit: AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau Motorsports McLaren Volkswagen Racing Vehicles F1 jost capito

Jay Leno takes a ride in Gabriel Iglesias' classic 1966 VW bus

We've seen Jay Leno driving all manner of vehicles, many of them epically fast. But few (this is side of his steamers, anyway) have been as slow – or quite as beautiful – as this classic 1966 Volkswagen Samba. While many of the vehicles featured on episodes of Jay Leno's Garage have actually been from Jay Leno's own garage, the former talk-show host has been known to feature some interesting rides from fellow comedians. A couple of weeks ago it was Adam Carolla's '68 Lamborghini Islero, and this vintage, pristine VW bus belongs to Gabriel Iglesias. It's in beautiful condition and is a sight to see, even if it has a little trouble making its way down the highway. Or starting up again after a quick snack break.