VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC

VW Passat CC is a four-door sedan-fastback version of the Volkswagen Passat. It was revealed at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show January 2008. The North American market has the 2.0T I4 and 3.6 L VR6 engine as options. When it was introduced in 2008, Volkswagen expected to sell 300,000 cars over a period of seven years. The results have shown that 60 percent of the sales came from the U.S. market alone.

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VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

Although they stopped making the original Beetle  in 2003, Volkswagen came out with a new version in 1998. Although production ceased in 2011, we included it in the list since many people still drive it is still popular. The New Beetle has many design similarities with the original VW Beetle: large round tail lights, sloping headlamps, separate wings, and a high rounded roofline. How was it different and better than the original? Unlike the original Beetle, the New Beetle has its engine in the front with luggage storage in the back. Many special editions have been released, such as the Malibu Barbie New Beetle, that have been a huge hit in the U.S. United States models include: The Turbo S model had a 1.8 L turbo with 180 hp, sport suspension, six-speed manual transmission, aluminum interior trim, and bigger wheels and tires. All 1.8L Turbo and Turbo S inline-four models were equipped with a retractable rear spoiler which was not available on the 1.9 L TDI inline-4, 2.0 L inline-four and 2.5 L inline-five models. For the 2006 model, the exterior was slightly redesigned with more angular bumpers and wheel wells, and these models were fitted with the 2.5 L 5-cylinder engine with 150 hp.

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the new BMW 7

BMW has detailed a few of the high-tech features that will be available on the next-gen 7 Series.

Surprisingly, the 7 will inaugurate BMW’s remote-controlled parking technology. Owners who order the option will be able to maneuver the sedan in and out of tight parking spots by controlling the gas, the brakes and the steering using buttons located on a purpose-designed key fob. The system will only work at ultra-low speeds, meaning it won’t be possible to send the 7 to the store and back without a driver.

The 7 will also usher in the latest generation of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system. For the first time ever, passengers will be able to operate iDrive using either a touch screen, hand gestures or the controller knob found in most modern BMWs. The redesigned infotainment system will gradually trickle down to smaller members of the BMW family.

Official technical details are still few and far between but the Munich-based automaker promises the 7 will be available with a wide selection of four-, six- and twelve-cylinder engines. A plug-in hybrid model will likely join the lineup later in the production run, and German media outlets are reporting that a 600-horsepower M7 will be introduced in 2016.

The 7 will also benefit from technology gleaned from BMW’s i sub-brand. In its lightest configuration, the flagship will weigh nearly 300 pounds less than the current model thanks to the widespread use of carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic in its construction. The diet is expected to noticeably improve the 7’s gas mileage and make it a lot more nimble to drive.

BMW will publish additional details about the next-gen 7 Series in the coming months. The sedan will greet the public for the first time next fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show and it is expected to go on sale in about a year as a 2017 model.

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A new straight-six engine is just the tip of the iceberg for the 2016 BMW 3 Series

BMW has announced that the compact 3 Series is getting a handful of significant updates for the 2016 model year.

One of the most important modifications is the addition of a brand new turbocharged all-aluminum 3.0-liter straight-six engine called B58 internally. The six-cylinder produces 320 horsepower between 5,500 and 6,500 rpm and 330 foot-pounds of torque starting at just 1,380 rpm.

Called 340i, the new range-topping 3er comes standard with an eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission, but an enthusiast-friendly six-speed manual gearbox with a rev-matching function is available as a no-cost option. The automatic 340i sprints from zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds when it is ordered with rear-wheel drive, and it performs the same task in 4.6 seconds when purchased with BMW’s optional xDrive all-wheel drive system.

Confirming a long-standing rumor, BMW has announced plans to launch the first-ever plug-in hybrid 3 Series next year. Called 330e, the sedan will be powered by a fuel-sipping hybrid drivetrain made up of a small turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline-burning engine and a compact electric motor built into a model-specific eight-speed automatic transmission. Together, the two power sources will generate about 250 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds of torque, enough to send the gas-electric 3 from zero to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds. Alternatively, the motor will be able to power the 3 by itself for up to 22 miles.

The 3 Series Sports Wagon benefits from a revised suspension setup, an updated Dynamic Stability Control system and a redesigned electric power steering system. BMW promises the updates noticeably improve the wagon’s handling and feedback under all load conditions.

Buyers planning on taking their 3 to the track can order the Track Handling Package. Not available on the diesel-burning 328d, the package bundles BMW’s Variable Sport Steering system, an Adaptive M suspension, M Sport brakes with blue calipers and high-temperature Euro brake pads as well as 18-inch alloys wrapped in Michelin Super Sport Tires.

The 3 Series alone accounts for 25 percent of BMW’s global sales so the Munich-based automaker is very careful when it updates it. Accordingly, the visual modifications for 2016 are discreet and largely limited to new bumpers on both ends, new exhaust tips, new halogen headlights, and full LED tail lamps. Most models can be ordered with an Adaptive Full LED Headlights with Automatic High-beam System, a first in the nameplate’s history, while the expected assortment of new alloy wheel designs and paint colors round out the updates.

The interior is spruced up with high-gloss black trim on the center console, new ambient lighting, cup-holder covers and chrome accents all around. An additional storage bin located next to the cup holders allows the passengers to store small items.

The 2016 BMW 3 Series will go on sale across the nation in the next few weeks, while the plug-in hybrid 330e is not expected to land in showrooms for another year or so.

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BMW’s third crossover-coupe, the X2, is coming next year

No stranger to niche models, BMW is developing a new segment-defying model that’s tentatively called X2.

When it goes on sale, the X2 will be billed as a slinkier, more sport-focused version of the second-generation X1 (pictured) that was introduced recently at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It will feature a sleeker roof line than its more family-oriented sibling but its C-pillar won’t be as rakish and coupe-like as the X4‘s and the X6‘s, a concession made in order to give the passengers sitting in the back a relatively comfortable amount of head room.

Broadly speaking, the bulk of the interior components will be lifted straight from the X1 parts bin. That means the X2 will boast a familiar no-nonsense analog instrument cluster with four gauges, a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel, and a center console that’s slightly oriented toward the driver.

Like the X1, the X2 will share its modular front-wheel drive platform — called UKL in BMW-speak — with the 2 Series Active Tourer that’s sold exclusively in Europe, and with the third generation of the MINI Hardtop, among others. In the United States, the X2 will launch with a transversally mounted 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine tuned to send 228 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

A front-wheel drive entry-level model is expected to join the lineup a few months into the production run. At the other end of the spectrum, BMW’s M division will introduce a hot-rodded version of the X2 that could pack over 300 ponies under the hood.

BMW is expected to preview the X2 by revealing a close-to-production concept at a major auto show in the coming months. The production model will be unveiled shortly after, and it will go on sale as a 2017 model. It will cost a little more than the X1, which carries a base price of $34,800.

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