VW Offers Chattanooga Police Jetta SportWagen TDIs to Keep Residents / Speedsters Safe

Now we've officially seen it all; a body-kitted German station-wagon running on a [relatively] small displacement four-cylinder diesel engine as a Sheriff's Department patrol car. And all thanks to VW's decision to donate two custom-made Jetta SportWagen TDI vehicles to the law enforcement departments of the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County.

The donation was made as part of Volkswagen's ongoing efforts to reach out to the community of Chattanooga, where the German automaker is building a $1 billion plant that will produce among other cars, the New Midsize Sedan (NMS) starting from next year.

Volkswagen said its engineers and designers overhauled the white Jetta SportWagen to incorporate special features including custom-built enclosures and mounts that hold all the communications and emergency lighting gear in place.

The car gets a body kit with front and rear aprons, and side skirts as well as 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 225/40 18" Goodyear Eagle GT All Season tires.

Under the hood, the Jetta SportWagen features VW's 2.0-liter TDI clean diesel four-cylinder engine with 236 ft.-lbs. of torque, that returns up to 42 miles per gallon on the highway.

Official Statements:

"Volkswagen is thrilled to be able to provide technologically advanced Jetta SportWagen vehicles to both the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County police departments to help keep the area safe while driving in a reliable, versatile and stylish vehicle," said Frank Fischer, Chairman and CEO of Volkwagen's Chattanooga

"This generous gift is much appreciated and will be a welcomed addition to our expanding Chattanooga Police Department," said Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield. "We applaud Volkswagen for their continued investment in our community."

"Since Volkswagen announced their billion dollar investment in Hamilton County they have demonstrated numerous times their willingness to be a good corporate neighbor," said Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey. "Today's gift of two law enforcement vehicles is further proof of Volkswagen's commitment to Hamilton County and we thank them for their generosity."

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VAETH Builds Barnstorming V35 Out Of Mercedes-Benz E350 Diesel

Here are the first pictures and details of VAETH's Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI-based V35 sports saloon. The German tuning house starts by tweaking the engine management software and as a result, power is lifted to 267HP and torque is boosted to an impressive 595 Nm (438 lb. ft.). Optioning the aluminum intercooler pushes those figures up to 285HP and a whopping 650 Nm (479 lb. ft.).

Buyers can further adorn their V35 with quad stainless steel tailpipes and an aerodynamics package consisting of a carbon fibre front apron, rear diffuser, badge-less radiator grille and bootlid spoiler.

The V35 rides on 9 x 20 inch front and 10.5 x 20 inch rear light alloy rims, wrapped in 245/30 ZR20 and 285/25 ZR20 Hancock rubber respectively. Coilover suspension that is adjustable for both height and ride quality is also available.

The entire pack will set you back €18,306 (US$25,222), on top of the cost for the E350 CDI base car. The German tuning firm did not say if the V35 package will be available outside of Europe.

By Tristan Hankins

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VW Passat BlueMotion Drives Over 1,500 miles (2,400 km) on a Single Tank

A Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion driven by Sunday Times journo Gavin Conway has been awarded a Guinness World Record for the longest distance travelled by an unmodified production car on a single tank of fuel.

The three-day trip began in Maidstone, England, where the Passat's tank was drained and filled with 77.25 liters (20.41 US gallons) of diesel. The journey finally ended close to Calais after 1,526.63 miles (2,456.87 km), the equivalent of driving halfway from New York to Los Angeles.

Conway was accompanied by a navigator and video crew. The attempt was witnessed by two Automobile Association (AA) patrolman, who followed the Passat in a van. The Passat averaged 45 mph [72 km/h] and 89.93 UK mpg (74.88 US mpg or 3.14 lt / 100 km), beating its official combined average of 64.2 UK mpg (53.46 US mpg or 4.40 lt / 100 km).

The Passat BlueMotion model is powered by a 1.6-liter common-rail turbodiesel good for 105-horsepwoer. Like all of Volkswagen's BlueMotion models, the Passat BlueMotion features a raft of efficiency improving modifications including an aerodynamic package, lowered ride height, stop/start system, longer gearing and low rolling resistance tires.

The Passat used was one of the outgoing B6 models, not the newer B7 shown at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

By Tristan Hankins

Kia Goes Green in Paris with Sportage Diesel-Hybrid Concept

At this week's Paris Motor Show, Kia displayed the Sportage Mild Hybrid eco concept. Based on the latest generation of the South Korean firm's compact SUV model, the concept hooks up Kia's 1.7-liter turbo diesel engine, which produces 115-horsepower and 260Nm of peak torque, to a 5 kW electric motor with a double layer capacitor.

Kia also made small changes to the Sportage's body to reduce aerodynamic drag and added low-rolling resistance tires. According to the company, the Sportage Mild Hybrid emits just 117 g/km of CO2. Kia did not release fuel economy estimates.

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Paris Preshow: Jeep Announces Fresh Euro Lineup, Two New Oil Burners

Jeep will debut an updated European lineup in Paris this year, and for the first time in a while it may actually appeal to Western European consumers. The 2011 Grand Cherokee, revised 2011 Wrangler, and the rest of the off-road crew are appearing to showcase two new forms of diesel power.

Naturally, Jeep won't be bringing anything new models to the Parisian table, but the diesel engines are here in order to help entice European buyers into giving the American Commando brand a closer look.

After all, the Grand Cherokee - which now rides on a Quadra-Lift air suspension setup like other hoity-toity SUVs - has a good bit of Benzo DNA in it and looks great. No word yet on what kind of diesel engine is getting under that hood, but it should help the new GC give them Euro boys some competition.

The larger of the previously-mentioned new forms of propulsion is a 2.8 liter turbodiesel V6 debuting in the 2011 Cherokee (I wish; it's the Liberty in Amurrica) and 2011 Wrangler; it features Chrysler's first stab at start/stop tech if equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission.

The 2.8 TD makes 200 horsepower and 410 Nm or 460 Nm ( lb ft) of torque with the 6-speed stick and 5-speed auto, respectively, while improving efficiency by 13% and cutting emissions by 14% (15% in the Cherokee 4X4).

According to Jeep, the new combined fuel economy figures are 7.7 lt/100km or 30.6mpg US for the manual Cherokee (7.8 lt/100km with the auto box), 7.1 lt/100km or 33.1mpg US for the manual Wrangler (Auto: 8.1 lt/100km) and 7.4 lt/100km or 31.8mpg US for the manual Wrangler Unlimited (Auto: 8.3 lt/100km).

A 163-horsepower / 320 Nm 2.2-liter TD engine with a 6-speed will make its appearance in the Patriot/Compass siblings in place of the old 2.0-liter. It'll help the not-so-cute utes tow up to 2000 kg, consume 6.6 lt/100 km or 35.6 mpg US combined, and emit 172 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

For full specs on the 2011 Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, go ahead and check out our previous posts. Regarding the 2011 Cherokee, stay right here. For Europe, there will be a special "Jet" edition appearing in Paris.

On the outside it will get bright trim (lower fascia, side molding, roof runners, and above the license plate), chrome mirrors, black headlight housings, and tinted windows; inside, "accent stitching" is optional. The Cherokee Jet will be available in Bright Silver, Dark Charcoal, Brilliant Black and Blackberry and comes with a...(sigh)..."Jet" badge on the fenders.

Jeep President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Manley says, "The Jeep brand's legendary heritage has made it one of the most recognized brands in the world. [It] continues to evolve with new vehicles, designs, powertrains and technology. We are proud to bring the newest Jeep innovations to Paris, including the Company's first application of Stop/Start technology that helps improve Jeep Wrangler's fuel economy by up to 13 percent, as well as the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee, designed and built to answer the needs of customers here in Europe and around the world."

By Phil Alex