Volkswagen on the rise with a variety of Up! concepts [w/video]

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Convertible, Coupe, Budget, Crossover, Hatchback, Volkswagen, Design/Style, Electric, Off-Road

Volkswagen is eager to show off its new Up! range, so the automaker didn’t bring one version of the compact to the Frankfurt Motor Show – it brought six. The Up! platform is clearly a versatile one, and all six [...]

Fuel crimes rise as gas prices hit record highs in UK

Filed under: Etc., UK
Fuel theft is becoming a multi-million dollar business in the UK, according to BBC News. With gasoline and diesel prices topping £6 a gallon ($9.65 U.S. at the current exchange rate) parked vehicles have been targeted by thieves who siphon the fuel and sell it for profit. Many drivers do not report [...]

Consumer Reports: Interest in alt-energy vehicles on the rise; buyers deterred by drawbacks

Filed under: Diesel, EV/Plug-in, Flex-Fuel, Hybrid, Hydrogen, MPG, Natural Gas

Consumer Reports recently surveyed 1,713 car owners in the U.S. and discovered that 39 percent of them will consider buying a hybrid or electric vehicle (EV) for their next vehicle. Out of that group, 60 percent are leaning towards a conventional hybrid, 16 percent are considering [...]

You’re stealing what? Waste grease thefts on the rise again

Filed under: Biodiesel, Green Culture
It’s almost like a blast from the past. We got somewhat used to stories of people stealing waste grease from outside restaurants back in 2008 when gas was costing four-plus dollars a gallon. Whether because today’s national average of $2.70 is still to high for some people or because the poor [...]

Diesel “take rate” on the rise; 30 percent choose diesel option if available

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, MPG, Green Daily

2010 VW Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

Today’s new lineup of clean diesel vehicles are light years better than some of the noisy, stench-riddled oil burners of years past and consumers are starting to take notice. Recent data collected by Bosch shows that [...]

Report: Chinese car quality complaints on the rise

Filed under: China, Recalls, Safety

Just when we thought China’s automotive industry had made some headway in the quality department, we get word that complaints about new car quality in the country have risen significantly over the past few months. During the first quarter of this year, complains on vehicles purchased within the last six months [...]