VW Introduces New Jetta Hybrid with 170-Horses and 45mpg Combined

The 2012 Detroit Auto Show is playing host to the world premiere of the brand-new Jetta Hybrid that promises to deliver an average fuel economy of 45mpg US, equal to 54mpg UK and 5.2lt/100km while at the same time offering a respectable 0-60mph (96km/h) sprint time of less than nine seconds.

The compact sedan's hybrid powertrain consists of a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine delivering 150-horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque from just 1400 rpm up to 3500 rpm, a 20 kW (27 hp) electric motor and a 1.1 kWh battery that is integrated behind the rear bench.

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Volkswagen Teases "Big Detroit Reveal", What Could it be?

We're less than 48 hours away from the grand opening of 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and we've already had our first leak of the day with the official pictures and video of the 2013 Dodge Dart.

Now, Volkswagen's Canadian arm is trying to capture our attention with the release of a picture shot at its Detroit Auto Show booth that shows an unidentified vehicle wrapped up in a sheet.

"The North American International Auto Show kicks off Monday in Detroit. Volkswagen has something big to reveal. What do you think it will be?" the company asks on its Facebook page where it published the picture.

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VW Brand Records 26.3 Percent Increase in 2011 U.S. Sales, Passat up 124 Percent

The year that ended a few days ago was a positive one for the Volkswagen brand, which reported U.S. sales of 324,402 units that represents a 26.3 percent increase over 2010 and marks its best year in sales since 2002.

The company's December sales in the States totaled 32,502 vehicles, up 36.2 percent over the same month in 2010. VW noted that it was its best December since 1972.

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New Volkswagen Electric Car Concept and Jetta Hybrid Headed to Detroit Show

While a little late to the party, the Volkswagen Group plans to make up for its lackluster presence in the electric and hybrid vehicle sector with a barrage of eco-friendly models within the next couple of years.

At the upcoming 2012 Detroit Auto Show, the VW brand will lift the covers off a never before seen pure electric concept car and the production version of the Jetta Hybrid, according to the Detroit Free Press.

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Rumors: VW's 2.5L Inline-Five to be Replaced with New 1.8-liter Turbo in the U.S.

With such a large arsenal of turbocharged gasoline engines in all sorts of sizes and states of tune, one could only wonder why Volkswagen is still holding on to the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-five in the States – especially since even GM and Ford have gone ahead and introduced smaller displacement force-fed fours.

It appears that VW also believes it's time to replace the old-school five-pot with a more modern turbocharged four. Citing two sources from within the German company, Car&Driver reports that the 2.5L unit will soon be dropped from Volkswagen's U.S. range with a new 1.8-liter TSI four-cylinder engine taking its place.

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Video: Road Rage Quickly Escalates to a Boxing Match but Ends with a…Handshake! [NSFW]

"Road rage" is described as any display of aggression by a driver of any type of vehicle against another motorist because of something that happened on the road.

And while most drivers will experience road rage in some form or another in their driving history, in most cases, these incidents leave only verbal insults ringing in their ears.

But once in a while, you get that crazy driver that will launch a physical attack and then…all hell breaks loose. And that's exactly what happened during this incident, which according to one of our readers, took place in the U.S. Ottawa, Canada.

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Euro NCAP Releases New Crash Test Results, Announces Changes for 2012

As nine out of 10 cars tested this month earned the highest result of 5 starts in Euro NCAP’s crash tests, the safety organization is gearing up for making the 2012 requirements even more demanding.

In alphabetical order, the five-star winners are: the Audi A6, the BMW X3, the Chevrolet Aveo, the Chevrolet Orlando, the Citroen DS5, the Hyundai i40, the Opel Ampera, the VW Golf Cabriolet and the VW Jetta.

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2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Under Investigation Over Fuel Leak Complaints

Federal safety officials are looking into allegations for possible fuel leaks on the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta equipped with a 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine (TDI).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] said that so far, it has received seven complaints alleging leakage from the fuel line to the No2 fuel injector, all from vehicles with low mileages ranging from 2,470 to 7,764 miles.

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VW Posts 35% Jump in U.S. Sales in June, Jetta Demand up 121%

The Volkswagen brand has reported U.S. sales of 28,444 units in June 2011 recording a 35.1 percent increase over the same month a year ago. The German firm’s year-to-date-sales are up by 22.3 percent compared to 2010 at 154,125 units.

The most impressive increase in sales comes from the new Jetta, which was introduced to the American market in October 2010. The compact sedan’s U.S. sales totaled 14,513 units in June (+120.9%) and 76,498 cars from the beginning of the year, an increase of 77.2 percent over the same period in 2010.

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Was ist das? Strange Volkswagen-Skoda Hybrid Spied in Munich

Roman Jagatić is the latest addition to our ever-growing list of readers-turned-into spy photographers. Roman stumbled upon this strange looking Volkswagen-Skoda hybrid prototype parked at a gas station in Munich, Germany. The test car appears to combine a modified body of a Skoda Octavia with a Volkswagen front end.

While we do not have a definite answer to what it may be, possible scenarios include a test car for a new Skoda Octavia and a prototype for a Volkswagen-badged model for select markets outside Europe.

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2011 VW Jetta Recalled in the States Over Wiring Glitch

Volkswagen has announced a voluntary recall for its 2011 model year Jetta sedan in the USA due to a defect in the wiring system controlling the anti-theft alarm system and horn. The German company said that in some instances an electric short in the horn could, which in turn could cause the engine to stall, adding that no injuries or accidents have been reported as a result of this problem. Read more »