Volkswagen Gears Up the Tiguan SUV with New Line of Styling Accessories

In an effort to satisfy those customers who want a more individual look for their Tiguan, Volkswagen's Accessories arm has released a new line of products for its compact-sized SUV. The range includes front and rear protective guards, and rocker panels with integrated steps. All parts are available in brushed aluminum look or in matte silver finish and can be combined with a new all-around aerodynamics package.

The aero pack includes a front and rear apron, a roof spoiler and protective fender expansions while buyers can also choose from a variety of alloy wheel designs in sizes up to 19-inches.

First Lotus Evora Coupe Delivered to Customer, Full Production to Start in November

Matthew Melling of Twickenham, UK, is the first customer to take delivery of the all-new Lotus Evora. He received the keys to the mid-engined 2+2 coupe from Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars Limited, at the British firm's Hethel headquarters in Norfolk where the sportscar is hand built.

"I was determined to be the first in the world to get my hands on an Evora so with Stratton Motor Company's help, I laid down my deposit within seconds of the order books being opened last year," said Meling. "I have read all the press reviews of the Evora and am so excited about getting behind the wheel – what a great start to September!"

Lotus said that many dealers around the world have already received their demonstrator Evoras and that so far, the company has taken enough orders to cover production for the next five months.

Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS: Petrol-Electric Hybrid Hints at Production Model

Mercedes-Benz will be presenting an updated version of its BlueZERO E-Cell concept car at this month's Frankfurt Motor Show. Originally presented in Detroit at the beginning of the year, BlueZERO E-Cell is propelled exclusively by a battery-powered electric drive that allows the car to travel up to 200 km or 125 miles on a single battery charge. The Frankfurt Show-bound 'PLUS' ads a rear-mounted 67HP 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine to the mix.

Sourced from the Smart Fortwo, the three cylinder engine is hooked up to a generator and is used exclusively to provide juice for the electric motor - just as in the case of the Chevy Volt. With this configuration, the car has a total range of up to 600 km (375 miles), of which up to 100 km (62 miles) can be covered solely on electricity.

The concept hatch is equipped with a high-performance, 18 kWh lithium-ion battery that can store enough power within around 30 minutes for a 50 km (31 miles) cruising range while the complete electric range of 100 km (62 miles) requires a charging time of a little more than an hour. Mercedes said that charging time with a standard charge cycle at a conventional household outlet with 3,3 kW is around 6 hours.

The BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS' electric motor that produces 100kW or 136 horsepower and a maximum torque of 320 Nm, drives the front wheels. According to 'das' Germans, the car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in less than eleven seconds while the vehicle's top speed is electronically limited to 150 km/h (93mph).

The 4.22-meter-long BlueZERO models are based on the sandwich-floor architecture known from the A-Class and B-Class. It is believed that the concept model will form the base for a production model in the very near future.

Kneibler Autotechnik's Supercharged BMW M3 Coupe gets 459 HP

Few things are better in life than the previous-generation BMW M3 E46, one of the most complete Ms ever built. Nevertheless, many tuners such as Kneibler Autotechnik believe that there's plenty of room for improvements. The German tuning house has come out with a comprehensive package of powertrain, chassis and body modifications. The company has boosted the M3's 3.2-liter straight-six performance with a supercharger, intercooler and ECU upgrade.

These changes result to a total output of 456 horsepower and 498Nm (367 lb-ft), up from 343 horsepower and 365Nm. But there's a price for the upgrade -literally: the performance kit costs a hefty €13,000 while the sports muffler will cost you another €1,350.

Other available performance modifications include a new braking system with 6-piston calipers at the front (€3,852) and 4-piston calipers at the back (€3,103), KW-Sport coilover kit (€1,749) and stabilizers (€419) plus 20-inch alloy wheels from Oxigin wrapped in 255/30 Hankook tyres up front and 305/25 at the rear (€2,723).

We wouldn't suggest it from a style point of view, but Kneibler Autotechnik also offers an LSD scissor door conversion for €1,990.

If you do you the math, the total price of the package (without the doors) comes out to a more than hefty €26,196 or about $37,500 at today's exchange rates.

Malignant Rumors: VW Planning to Reshape Porsche's Model Portfolio, Drop Cayenne and Panamera?

The biggest of the boardroom battles between VW and Porsche may be over, but that hasn't done much to stop the usual rumors from making the rounds. First, Germany's Autobild reported that VW CEO Martin Winterkorn was pushing for a couple of volume vehicles - a baby Boxster and junior Cayenne - and a third, Panamera-based, model. More recently, however, Car magazine is claiming that VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech wants to take the Porsche brand in another direction, pushing it back to its roots.

How? By killing off the Cayenne and Panamera once they have run through their respective life cycles, the argument being that VW AG produces more than enough sedans and SUVs already.

The big questions are: 1) How would people feel if Porsche aced its controversial (if popular) Cayenne and the new Panamera, and instead concentrated on strictly building sports cars? and2) What sort of lineup would we be looking at?

After all, a baby Boxster would be right in line with the old Porsche philosophy, and a larger GT would help make use of the Panamera's platform if the humpback saloon did indeed bite the dust. Of course, no one but the suits within the company know what's really going on, but it's always fun to speculate.

By Phil Alex

Phil Alex was born in Rhode Island in 1985. He graduated with degrees in Finance and German from Wofford College in 2007 and has had an obsession with cars and travel. Currently he resides near Japan's international airport in Narita. He makes no apologies for his articles and welcomes all feedback, as long as it is adamantly worded. If for any reason you are inclined to vent some more, check out more of his posts on the Examiner here.