Posts by: Scott Webb

Volkswagen Microbus Gets an Electric Revival

Volkswagen is set to reveal an all-electric concept car at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES). If the teaser image accompanying this article is any indication, that electric vehicle will indeed be a Microbus. Unfortunately, the teaser image is all we have to go on at the moment. But that doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in a bit of informed speculation. Judging from the teaser, the vehicle

Oh Lord, Won’t You Buy Me Janis Joplin’s Psychedelic Porsche?

The late, great Janis Joplin famously sung of her love for Mercedes Benz, but that didn’t mean she discriminated against other luxury vehicles. In fact, Joplin owned a 1965 Porsche 356C 1600 Cabriolet (pictured) that was painted in psychedelic colors because, after all, it was the ‘60s. Now more than four decades since her passing, Joplin’s psychedelic Porsche will be auctioned off at RM Sotheby’s

Take Advantage of Christmas Used Car Deals

If you’re looking to buy a used car before 2015 ends, then you’re in luck! This Christmas will afford you plenty of opportunities to buy a great used car. In fact, now is a particularly advantageous time of year to buy a high-quality car, truck, SUV or minivan because of the great vehicle deals and rebates available—that is, if you know where to look and what to ask for. With that in mind, Auto Pu

FCA’s Marchionne Ends Talk of Merging with GM

This blog has spent a good deal of space reporting on Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne (pictured) because he’s arguably the most fascinating executive in the automotive business. In particular, his obsession to merge his FCA with other car companies, specifically General Motors, was his white whale. But unlike Captain Ahab in Moby Dick, Marchionne is giving up his quest just before

Google’s Next Innovation: Talking Self-Driving Vehicles

We here at Auto Publishers pride ourselves at staying ahead of the latest trends affecting the automotive world. One of the points we’ve been consistent about is that a future with self-driving vehicles in it will soon be upon us. While that may sound awesome in the abstract (or perhaps scary, depending on your point of view), there are still plenty of legal issues to be worked out, to say nothing

Are Minivans the Hot New Model in China?

This past Thursday, China’s ruling Communist Party abolished its longstanding one-child policy. Married couples are now legally allowed to have two children for the first time in 35 years. So what does this have to do with the automotive industry? Plenty, it turns out, particularly where minivans and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) are concerned. Automakers such as Volkswagen are looking to capita

Scandal at Volkswagen: Fixing What’s Already Been Broken

As you recover from your tryptophan comas this Thanksgiving, we’re here to deliver a brief update in the Scandal at Volkswagen… On Wednesday, Volkswagen announced how it would fix the diesel-powered vehicles implicated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) as having cheated on emissions tests. VW will install a tubular part known as a flow transfor

Artist Builds Green Race Car from Recycled Cell Phones

Cell phone technology is so ubiquitous nowadays that iPhones and Android devices are as disposable as Kleenex. Because cell phones have a relatively short shelf life, they tend to get discarded (rather than recycled) more often than most devices, which can have negative effects on the environment. One artist, however, is using our unwanted cell phones to create a green race car (pictured) that mak

Scandal at Volkswagen: All You Need is Cash

Today is the day when Volkswagen is expected to provide a detailed plan to the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board for recalling and repairing the nearly half-million 2.0-liter diesel vehicles that violated emissions standards. While we await word from VW, the EPA and CARB, we have time for a quick update on everyone’s favorite scandal-plagued automaker. On Frid

Volkswagen Vows to Clean Up its Act, But What About CO2 Emissions?

Perhaps you saw this ad when you opened your Sunday paper this past weekend: In an open letter to consumers, Volkswagen CEO Michael Horn issued a mea culpa for the diesel-engine emissions scandal that has affected approximately 11 million vehicles worldwide. While Horn pledged that VW will “make things right” through such initiatives as a customer goodwill program, the company’s