The new Volkswagen Passat CC was unveiled to the world’s media at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November last year, and is currently gearing up for the full worldwide launch. It began with an international driving presentation in Southern France, now Volkswagen has released more images, videos and in depth details for everyone to enjoy.

According to the German carmaker, European markets are set to receive the first models from next month whilst the American, Russians and Asian markets will have to wait until the spring to see it in their showrooms.

The new model boasts a number a new features that sets it apart from the Passat model it basically derives from: bi-xenon headlights, adaptive fog lights, LED tail lights, aluminium inserts, multi-function steering wheel, a camera that recognise road signs and the Dynamic Light Assist, a system that adjusts the headlights according to other vehicles on the road. The Volkswagen Passat CC also makes use of the Side Assist Plus system, which warns the driver if there’s a vehicle in the blind spot, and the Lane Assist system, which alerts the driver when crossing the centre line.

The engine range of the Passat CC includes six engines, three diesels and three petrols, all of which have direct injection, Start/Stop system and regenerative braking energy as standard equipment. The three petrol options are a 160bhp 1.8L TSI, a 210bhp 2.0L TSI and a 3.6L V6 FSI delivering 300bhp, while the diesel line-up is made of a 140bhp 2.0L TDI, a 170bhp 2.0 TDI and a 2.0 BlueTDI producing 140bhp and homologated for the Euro 6 standards.

All variants will be offered a dual clutch DSG transmission option, which will be part of the standard equipment for the V6 only, whereas the all-wheel drive 4Motion will be available for the V6 from launch and introduced to the diesel units at a later time.

To promote the New Twingo, Renault has enlisted the combined creative talents of four European artists to create a series of bespoke city cars.

The line up features; UK singer, Nicola Roberts, French fashion designer, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Italian chef, Davide Scabin, and pragmatic German designer, Nils Holger Moormann.

The results of the style project reflect their view of the world: joyous, optimistic, clever and bold, just like the compact city car.

First up, the Twingo Goes Pop by Nicola Roberts combines the singer’s love of music and fashion. As such, the boot holds a miniature recording studio combined with clothes, personalised portable music player, hair dryer and a make-up counter in the front.

Moving on, the Twingo 55 FBG by fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has old world furniture, gold curtains and a wood table. According to Castelbajac, “We have to reconcile creativity and democracy. It should be a cast-iron rule for all candidates in the Presidential elections that they have to travel in a Presidential Twingo.” We doubt Nicolas Sarkozy agrees.

Next up, the Twingo Reading Room by Nils Holger Moormann is a place where the driver can “escape, far [away] from the madding traffic jams.” It has a library, a sofa and a fireplace.

Lastly, the Scabin Pasta Twingo by Davide Scabin has pasta-covered seats and a food pantry for a dashboard. There’s also a 3D television for watching the latest cooking shows.

Europeans searching for a new Volkswagen camper van need not be forced into the latest California or Caravelle. In fact, brand new second-generation Microbuses are now available through Volkswagen’s Dutch distributor.

Although the T2 “bay window” Bus was replaced in Europe by the Vanagon in late 1979, it wasn’t eradicated from the globe altogether. Other markets in Africa and South America continued to build the van. Presently, Volkswagen do Brasil is the lone keeper of the T2 flame; although the so-called Kombi now sports an updated dash panel, a water-cooled 1.4-litre I-4, and a radiator mounted up front, it’s largely identical to the last T2s built in Germany decades ago.

European enthusiasts have been importing these Brazilian Buses for years, but this latest venture is somewhat interesting, seeing as VW’s official Dutch distributor is getting in on the action. Better yet, the company also allows customers to customize the vehicle.

Features like a two-burner LP stove, refrigerator, wash basin, camping toilet, fold-down rear bench seat, and rotating front seats are standard, but buyers have quite a bit of say in how the completed Bus looks. VW adds a two-tone exterior paint scheme, and buyers will have their choices from more than 20 accent colors. Interior trim is a little more limited, but the fabric choices are still quite varied, and included retro plaid patterns as well. Perhaps more impressive are the cabinets – gone are the tacky, dark units of old; in their place are modern birch fixtures with matching flooring.

Exterior options include a retro-shaped wooden luggage rack, sporty five-spoke wheels, lowering springs, chromed bumpers and exterior trim, and a faux spare tire cover, which does a great job of hiding the front radiator and making the new Bus look old.

The Kombis runs between 45,000 and 56,000 Euros.

As the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show fast approaches, automakers are starting to roll out their previews with Subaru not missing out on the opportunity to do so with their all new XV; Suzuki with their new Swift Sport and of course Hyundai, who cant seem to wait to pull the covers off their new i30.

The Korean automaker has just released the first rendering of the next-generation i30 C-segment hatchback which is scheduled to, as well as a multitude of other cars, debut next month.

Like the current model, the 2012 i30 was designed and engineered at Hyundai’s technical centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany and it is designed specifically to appeal to the European market, with the hatchback donning the brand’s fluidic sculpture styling as well as the hexagonally shaped front grille.

This means that the 2012 i30 shares a lot of common design features with Hyundai’s more recent models like the ix20, the ix35, the Veloster and the i40.

As for the 2012 i30 powertrain options, Hyundai has yet to release such information but do expect it to be packed out with a wide range of fuel-efficient petrol and diesel four-cylinder engine variants once it reaches European showrooms.

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Europe’s Fiesta nameplate, Ford has released a special version of the Fiesta hatchback called the “Ford Fiesta Sport Special Edition”. This special edition includes further enhancements to both inside and out.

So what is Ford offering their customers in this new special edition hatchback? The Fiesta Sport Special Edition comes with two engine options, the most potent of which is the 1.6L Duratec Ti-VCT petrol unit delivering 134bhp and 160Nm torque at 4,250rpm.

Combined with a close-ratio gearing and a redeveloped exhaust system, the special edition Fiesta with the petrol engine completes the 0-100km/h acceleration in 8.7 seconds and has a top speed of 195km/h.

The other option is a 1.6L turbo diesel producing 95bhp that returns 107g of CO2 and a combined fuel economy of 4.1L/100km.

A full styling kit, complete with lowered side skirts with aggressive spoilers treatments up front and on the rear hatch and a chrome-accented grille is also part of the package as are a Panther Black 17” alloy wheels on the petrol version and 16” on the diesel.

Plus, the special edition model is available exclusively as a three-door model with customers having a choice of seven exterior colours including a flat black finish.

While the interior feature Ebony Black heated leather sports seats with silver stitching, and an identically upholstered steering wheel with gloss black spokes.

Unfortunately, this special edition Fiesta will not be available in our local market, instead it will be offered to most European markets, but if its a Fiesta, it’s worth talking about!

We are aware that Bentley has a good reputation of producing much loved luxury cars like the 2011 Bentley Continental GT, but this time, the British marque has decided to make its Continental GT even more appealing with the new Mulliner Styling Specification.

Styled by Bentley’s Head of Exterior Design, Raul Pires under the leadership of Design Director, Dirk van Braeckel, the Mulliner Styling Specification underlines the iconic form of Bentley’s new GT.

It features a new front bumper splitter, integrated strakes with the front intake grilles, side extension blades and a rear diffuser, all made from high-gloss, black carbon-fibre.

These are complemented by a range of individual design options, comprising black carbon-fibre rear spoiler and wing mirror cowls as well as distinctive, black-painted 21” alloy wheels called “Elegant” and dark mesh front wing vents with black carbon-fibre bezels.

To ensure Bentley’s standards of quality and design integrity, the new exterior components have been rigorously tested just by factory-trained technicians at the company’s factory in Crewe, England. High-performance V-Max tests and wind tunnel appraisals were undertaken to make sure the new styling additions are as tough as the rest of the car.

According to Pier, “The Mulliner Styling Specification, with its sharper lines and darker, lower appearance subtly underscores the extrovert, flamboyant nature of our new Coupe. It delivers a more personalised, sportive interpretation of a luxurious, refined GT.”

Tempted to own one? The Classic Pack is available for reservation starting June 2011 onwards while the optional design features can be reserved from authorised Bentley dealers later this year.

Normally when the thought of flamboyant chrome-plated exotic sports cars come to mind, they tend to be associated with Middle-Eastern sheiks, oil tycoons, rappers or the ultra-wealthy inhabitants of South Florida. But, in this case, the car in question – an all-chrome R8 Spyder donated by Audi – was auctioned off recently to raise money for charity!

The White Tie and Tiara Ball, held at the home of Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish, is an annual event that raises money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF). The mirror-like chrome finish (which could potentially be as distracting to other motorists as the glitzy Las Vegas billboards at night) applied to the 312kmh drop-top was intended “to attract the highest possible bids.” It is also loaded with the 525bhp V-10 engine, manual transmission and Quattro all-wheel-drive.

“Sir Elton John’s fundraising ball really is a golden ticket event that is as glamorous as it is hugely effective in fundraising terms,” said Jeremy Hicks, Director of Audi UK. “We are delighted, and enormously proud, to support it for a ninth year with the donation of what is arguably our most fittingly glamorous model.”

The EJAF was founded in 1993 and is one of the 10 largest AIDS grant-making organizations in the world. It raises money for programs that provide medication, nutrition, shelter and support as well as information and education about AIDS in 15 countries.

This happened to be the the 13th year for the auction fund-raiser that was held on 23rd June 2011, which was and still is aimed at raising copious amounts of money, especially for those in need of the foundation.

In a back to back weekend of international rallying and fresh from victory in the third round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in New Caledonia, Proton heads straight for Europe to compete in the Geko Ypres Rally in Belgium for round five of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

The team’s charge this time will be led by two-time European Rally Champion Italian Giandomenico Basso and Swedish driver PG Andersson. Basso is a former winner of the Geko Ypres Rally

“I’m looking forward to this event, I have won here before and it’s always a big challenge with a lot of really fast local drivers,” said Basso. “The last rally we did [the PRIME Yalta Rally] with the car showed that we have made tremendous progress with the Satria Neo S2000. This is the good thing…the car is getting better and better, we are really improving. I want to come out and be fast in Ypres.”

The asphalt rally which runs through the Belgian countryside will be run over 18 special stages totalling 287km, an event which is made even more difficult often due to unpredictable weather. Five of the special stages are also expected to be run in fading light or complete darkness. A total of 31 S2000 rally cars will start the rally out of a total of 124 entries.

The Geko Ypres Rally will also be the first time for team mate Andersson who is equally charged by the Satria Neo S2000’s recent victory in New Caledonia and is looking forward to a good run.

“I have never done this rally before, but I have seen the stages and the number of people out there spectating is just incredible. I think we’re in for a rally with a lot of atmosphere!” said Andersson.

“Unfortunately, I think it can be quite tough for drivers to go there without so much experience and try to win the rally; some of the roads are quite specialized. We showed at the last IRC event in the Ukraine that the team is making good progress with the car and we are definitely getting quicker. Proton of course has proven this with a victory and third place win at last week. I’m optimistic we will continue to do well in Belgium.”

Proton is also hoping for success in the APRC to carry forward to its IRC campaign.

“We have put in a lot of effort to develop the Satria Neo S2000 since the last round in the Ukraine. These improvements have so far worked in favour of better performance and reliability which we hope will see both Basso and Andersson being competitive in Belgium,” said Head of Proton Motorsports Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood.

“We’ve still limited experience competing on asphalt but with Basso’s experience and the determination of the entire team, we look forward to Belgium becoming a good hunting ground for Proton.”

Aston Martin confirms that the production of its most popular model, the Rapide four-door sports car, will be moving to the company’s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire, UK.

In 2008, due to constraints at Gaydon and after conclusion of a six-month feasibility study, Aston Martin appointed an independent vehicle company, Magna Steyr, as a partner to produce the car at it’s Austrian facilities.

A dedicated facility at Magna Steyr’s was then established with pre-production of the Rapide starting in Q4 2009 before the car reached full production in 2010.

Since then, Aston Martin and Magna Steyr have enjoyed a very positive working relationship with production of the Rapide reaching benchmark quality standards and the car proving a strong success with customers and critics alike.

According to Aston Martin, the Gaydon site is now more established, more flexible and more efficient, therefore, the Rapide production can now be handled there.

Work on readying Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters for the Rapide will begin immediately with a view to production commencing in the second half of 2012. Hurrah! We say.

From Left: Michael Horn (Head of Volkswagen After-Sales), Horst Walka (Head of Volkswagen After Sales Qualification), Alan Chin Khon Loon (Service Advisor from FA Wagen Sdn. Bhd.), Torsten Krauel (General Manager, Service Operations Asia/Pacific)

The final of this year’s Volkswagen Service Qualification World Championship took place in Wolfsburg this weekend under the motto “Be one of the world’s best – be a part of it”.

Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, presented the awards to the winners who produced the best performance out of the 140 finalists from 70 countries.

Volkswagen Group Malaysia is proud to announce that Service Advisor, Alan Chin Khon Loon, from FA Wagen Sdn. Bhd., took First Place in the Service Advisor competition for the Asia Pacific region.

“The Qualification World Championship has yet again demonstrated that Volkswagen has outstanding service experts on board. As ambassadors for the Volkswagen brand, I am sure you will continue to do your utmost to make our customers all over the world even more satisfied,” Winterkorn said at the award ceremony. This was the fourth time the competition had been held.

The aim of the program is to secure and further enhance the service quality of the Volkswagen brand worldwide, thereby increasing customer satisfaction.

The national preliminary rounds of the competition therefore not only identified the best service experts, but also verified the current knowledge status of the Volkswagen dealer and service organizations in a total of 70 countries. This information is used to develop and implement country-specific training.

As a result, the World Championship is a key factor in fine tuning the qualification of Volkswagen service specialists worldwide.

Starting last year, regional winners are honoured in addition to the world championship titles. The regional classifications are “Europe”, “America”, “Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East” and “Asia-Pacific”.

Overview of the World Championship:

Service Adviser World Championship

• 1st place: Giovanni Ambesi, Switzerland
• 2nd place: Martin Zaloha, Austria
• 3rd place: Marcus Pirkl, Libya

Master Technician World Championship

• 1st place: Jouni Gustafsson, Finland
• 2nd place: Markus Eichhorner, Austria
• 3rd place: Heiko Schünemann, Luxembourg