THURSDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2012 |

Only days after Volkswagen premiered the final production version of its new Jetta Hybrid at the LA Auto Show, the Wolfsburg carmaker announced that it will begin to take advance orders for the sedan model in its home market of Germany.The new Jetta Hybrid will arrive in VW's German showrooms from mid of April 2013 with prices starting at €31,300 (US$40,600), which is significantly more than what VW is asking for the same car in the States at €19,900 (US$25,790) including destination but not tax.
Powering VW's compact sedan is a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine rated at 147HP (150PS) and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) to a 20kW (27HP/PS) electric motor, for a combined system output of 168hp (170PS). A standard 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox drives the front wheels.
Volkswagen quotes a combined fuel consumption value of 4.1 litres per 100 km (equal to 57.4mpg US / 68.9mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of 95 g/km.
In Germany, the Jetta Hybrid is offered in the two equipment grades named Comfortline and Highline. Standard features include15-inch alloy wheels in hybrid-specific design, RCD 510 Radio-CD system with digital radio reception (DAB+), a leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel, automatic climate control and ParkPilot parking assistant.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2012 |

Normally, automakers present a mid-cycle update approximately three to four years after the launch of a new model. If a refresh comes earlier, this means that a car manufacturer is disappointed by the way it has been received by consumers, the media or both.Such was the case with the 2012 Honda Civic that received a makeover only 18 months after its conception, with the 2013 model making its official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week.
Honda isn’t the only company to go down this road as General Motors is also planning to revamp one of its newest entries in the market, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu.
Speaking to Automotive News, GM CEO Dan Akerson revealed that the company isn't happy with the mid-size sedan's soft early sales and the mediocre reviews it received by magazines, so it has decided to hurry in a facelift for late next year, only about 18 months after its market launch.
"We are going to do a midcycle enhancement, not dramatic, by this time next year," Akerson told the publication, adding that the revisions will include a new fascia.
"I think it's a good car. It'll do OK," Akerson said. "It is a tough segment and it's one we need to be successful in. We'll see how it plays out."
While the Malibu's deliveries have actually increased 4 percent this year through October to 189,094, according to Autonews, for the most part of 2012, these sales include heavily discounted examples of the outgoing 2012 Malibu. When dealers started pushing out more 2013MYs in September and October, the car's sales dipped around 3 percent.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2012 |

Volkswagen has just presented a new edition of its Up! mini called "Eco", which features a modified version of the regular model's 1.0-liter three-cylinder petrol engine that can run on Compressed Natural Gas, or CNG for short.CNG is a promising alternative fuel to gasoline that has caught up with many European consumers.
Among the many benefits of this fuel is that it has a higher energy content than petrol or diesel as 1.0 kg of natural gas is equivalent to 1.3 litres of diesel or 1.5 litres of petrol. According to VW, the energy content of 1.0 kg natural gas amounts to 11.69 kW, while the associated quantity of diesel yields 9.86 kWh and of petrol, 8.77 kWh.
In addition, engines developed to run on natural gas can also use regular gasoline and alternative fuels such as renewable biomethane.
Volkswagen has equipped with the Up! Eco with three subfloor tanks, the first of which is used to store CNG (35 litres) and is located in front of the rear axle together with the reserve petrol tank (10 litres), while the third tank for CNG storage (37 litres) utilizes the space of the spare wheel.
"Since the entire EcoFuel system could be integrated entirely within the vehicle structure, usable space is not restricted in any way except for the lack of a spare wheel recess," says Volkswagen.
When powered by CNG, the 1.0-liter unit produces 67hp (68PS) at 6,200 rpm and peak torque of 90Nm (66 lb-ft) at 3,200 rpm, allowing the car to reach 100km/h (62mph) in 16.3 seconds and top out at 164km/h (102mph).
The German automaker has also fitted the Eco model with its suite of BlueMotion Technologies, including Stop/Start system, battery regeneration and tires optimized for low rolling resistance.
The result is a low combined fuel consumption of 2.9 kg or 4.4 m3 of natural gas per 100 km with CO2 emissions of just 79 g/km.
VW claims that taking into account the average price of natural gas in Germany in November 2012, the Up! Eco incurs fuel costs of just 3 euros (US$3.9) per 100km, which it says, "represents a fuel cost level that is over 50 per cent lower than that of a comparable petrol engine".
In Germany, the Up! Eco lineup starts at €12,950 (US$16,800 at today's rates), with VW noting that buyers can receive a government subsidy of over €1,000 (US$1,290).

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2012 |

The revised Honda CR-Z, which was seen in Europe for the first time at the Paris auto show in September, will arrive in UK dealerships in January with on-the-road prices starting from £20,550 for the Sport variant and £23,050 for the range-topping GT.While the 2013 model does receive a light exterior makeover with a new front bumper design, a different grille and rear diffuser, along with subtle updates to the interior including changes to the colour scheme and improvements to the cabin storage, the most important upgrades are to be found under the hood.
Honda's engineers made changes to the car's 1.5 litre petrol engine ECU unit and variable valve timing system, boosting output by 7hp from 112hp (114PS) to 119hp (121PS).
At the same time, the IMA hybrid system features a new Lithium Ion battery that replaces the previous Nickel-metal hybrid version, and an increase in power from 14hp to 20hp.
These upgrades result in an overall combined output of 135hp (137PS) at 6,600 rpm (+13hp) and 190Nm of torque (+16Nm), with the CR-Z's 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint time dropping from 10.0 seconds to 9.1 seconds on the Sport model and from 10.1 seconds to 9.5 seconds on the GT.
There's also a new Sport Plus (S+) boost system activated by a button that offers an electric boost for up to 10 seconds.
The 2013 CR-Z retains the same fuel economy numbers as its predecessor at 56.5mpg UK on the combined cycle and 116 g/km (Sport) and 54.3 mpg UK and 122 g/km (GT).

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