Wheels and deals
Audi's first all-electric car offers 248-mile range
Audi has revealed its all-electric SUV at a glitzy world premiere in San Francisco.
Called the E-tron Quattro, it's one of the most tech-focussed cars on the market with some truly unique features.
While buyers will be impressed with its range of more than 200 miles on a single charge, those who love hightech kit will be wowed by its world-first video camera wing mirrors, six touchscreens and stylish LED lights.
It comes with Quattro allwheel drive that its designers claim is better than any version used on an Audi before.
Prices will start at around €79,7000 when it goes on sale in November.
The electric car is capable of 0-60mph in 5.7 seconds and it can hit a limited top speed of 124mph thanks to its 402bhp (300kW) power output and torque of 664Nm, which is available almost instantly.
The E-tron can be charged to 80% in 30 minutes using a fast charger and sets a new standard with its ability to charge using a high powered 150kW unit. At home, it can charge at 11kW in around eight hours and has the option to charge at 22kW too.
As standard, the car gets a CCS rapid charger port on the driver's side of the car, but buyers can choose to add a second AC port on the passenger side so they're never caught out by an awkward charger.
The car's cameras make it possible to see a 360-degree recreation of the vehicle and its surroundings on the main infotainment touchscreen. The high-definition seven-inch OLED touchscreens in the door, connected to the side cameras, can also be easily adjusted too.
While the E-tron doesn't look dissimilar to other SUVs in the Audi range, the aerodynamics have been key in the design and engineering process.
As standard, it gets air suspension that's capable of altering the height of the car depending on the speed. The roofline, body panels and wheel designs all help to reduce drag and increase range.
Orange touches are unique to this car, on the seats, brake calipers and E-tron logo, with only this, partially-closed grille and the clever light signatures that would distinguish this car as an EV.
The small SUV will face tough competition from the Tesla Model X, Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes EQC, but it has all the right credentials in the practical family car stakes with five seats, 600 litres of boot space and a further 60 litres of storage space under the bonnet.
VW to end production of famous Beetle
Volkswagen has decided to end production of its famous Beetle.
The company's American unit announced that it would end global production of the third-generation bulbous bug in July next year, after offering two special editions for sale.
The compact Beetle was introduced in Germany in 1938 during the Nazi era and came to the US 11 years later, where it became a symbol of utilitarian transportation.
The famous car sold for about 30 years before US sales stopped in 1979. The last of the original bugs was produced in Puebla, Mexico, in 2003, by which time more than 21 million had been produced globally.
Volkswagen revived it in 1998 as a more modern 'New Beetle', which attracted mainly female buyers. The company revamped it for the 2012 model year in an effort to make it appeal to men, giving it a flatter roof, less bulbous shape, bigger boot and a navigation system.
US sales rose fivefold to nearly 29,000 in the first year but tailed off after that. Last year, VW sold only 8,627, according to Autodata Corp. In the UK, only 1,598 Beetles were sold from new in 2017 - a tiny fraction of VW's total sales of 208,462 vehicles here last year.
Volkswagen will make two last versions of the Beetle the Final Edition SE and Final Edition SEL - for the US market.
Volkswagen said it had no immediate plans to revive the Beetle again, but the company wouldn't rule it out.
"I would say 'never say never,'" Hinrich Woebcken, chief executive of Volkswagen Group of America, said in a statement.
He added: "The loss of the Beetle after three generations, over nearly seven decades, will evoke a host of emotions from the Beetle's many devoted fans.
"We're excited to kick off a year of celebrating one of the true icons of the automotive world with a series of events that will culminate in the end of production in Puebla in July 2019."