Volkswagen has unveiled its newest concept, the CrossBlue Coupe Hybrid, which will debut this week at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. According to Volkswagen, the CrossBlue Coupe Hybrid concept offers a glimpse at the automaker’s future with its sleek dynamic exterior and a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

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Post tags: 2013 Shanghai Auto Show, green car, green transporation, hhybrid suv, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, volkswagen, Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe concept, Volkswagen hybrid, Volkswagen plug-in hybrid

Volkswagen just took the wraps off its first ever production electric vehicle – the e-up! Unveiled today at the Annual Press and Investors Conference in Wolfsburg, the four-seater e-up! is powered by an 81 horsepower electric motor and an 18.7 kWh lithium-ion battery, and it has a 93 mile driving range, which makes it ideal for commuters.

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Post tags: 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, electric motor, electric vehicle, green car, green transportation, lithium ion battery, volkswagen, volkswagen e-up!, Volkswagen electric vehicle

Volkswagen just confirmed plans to produce its XL1 plug-in hybrid – which gets an astounding 261 miles per gallon! When it is officially unveiled at the upcoming 2013 Geneva Motor Show the XL1 will be the most fuel-efficient production car in the world with a fuel consumption of only 0.9 l / 100 km (261 mpg).

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Post tags: 2013 Geneva Motor Show, electric car, electric motor, fuel efficient car, green car, lithium ion battery, volkswagen, Volkswagen XL1, VW hybrid, VW plug-in hybrid

Read the rest of Adventurous Couple Meanders Down the Pan-American Highway in a Solar-Powered 1967 VW Van

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Post tags: camper, Dangerz, Design, eco-friendly materials, green travel, Pan-American Highway, retrofit, RV, solar panels, volkswagen, vw

Read the rest of NAIAS 2013: Volkswagen Debuts Its Crossblue Plugin Hybrid Concept SUV

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Post tags: 2013 Detroit Auto Show, 2013 NAIAS, Crossblue Concept, Crossblue Hybrid, detroit auto show, electric car, green cars, green transportation, Laura K. Cowan, NAIAS, north american international auto show, plugin hybrid, volkswagen, VW Crossblue

Google and Volvo‘s self-driving cars have been making headlines with the number of miles they’ve driven without a traditional driver at the wheel. Now Stanford’s Dynamic Design Lab has teamed up with Volkswagen’s Electronics Research Lab to create a self-driving Audi TTS named Shelly – and it just hit 120 mph on a racetrack! Unlike Google’s Toyota Prius or the long-distance self-driving cars from Volvo, Stanford’s Audi TTS focuses its attention on all-out-speed.

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Post tags: AUDI, Audi TT, car safety, google prius, self-driving car, stanford university, toyota prius, volkswagen, volvo

The 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid just recorded a speed of 185.394 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats, during the Southern California Timing Association’s annual Speed Week, which is the fastest speed ever achieved by a production-based hybrid car. The slightly modified 2013 Jetta Hybrid was driven by Motor Trend Associate Road Test Editor Carlos Lago.

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Post tags: bonneville salt flats, green car, green transportation, hybrid car, volkswagen, Volkswagen hybrid, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid, vw

In honor of the 25th anniversary of Shark Week, the Discovery Channel and Volkswagen have collaborated to create a mobile, underwater shark cage cruiser in the shape of their iconic Beetle.  Able to move along the ocean floor, the one-of-a-kind vehicle is equipped with a full air system, headlights, and two propellers.  Now, scientists can get up close and personal with with their toothy subjects while rolling in style.

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Post tags: beetle, beetle turbo, bug, Discovery Channel, diver, justin osbourne, luke tipple, researchers, shark, shark week, volkswagen, volskwagen in america, vw

The “mileage experts” John and Helen Taylor have done it again! The couple recently completed a 1,626-mile drive in a 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI without stopping once for fuel. The couple was determined to break the record for the furthest distance traveled on a single tank of fuel, and they did it in a “clean diesel” vehicle equipped with a six-speed manual transmission.

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Post tags: Clean Diesel, diesel, diesel cars, fuel economy, green transportation, John and Helen Taylor, volkswagen, Volkswagen Passat

Next week global automakers from the United States and Germany will demonstrate new fast-charging technology that will give electric vehicle owners the ability to recharge their EVs in as little as 15-20 minutes. Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen have agreed to support a harmonized single-port fast charging approach – called DC-fast charging – for use on electric vehicles in Europe and the United States.

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Post tags: AUDI, BMW, chrysler, daimler, electric vehicles, ford, general motors, porsche, volkswagen

Read the rest of Volkswagen’s Think Blue Beetle is Made From 2,805 Pieces of Recycled Trash!

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Post tags: Art, beetle, green materials, green transportation, Haribaabu Natesaan, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai, recycled art, recycled art materials, Recycled Materials, salvaged materials, scrap, Think Blue, Think Blue Campaign, Think Blue Clean Up, volkswagen, Volkswagen Beetle

Volkswagen gave us a preview of its electric Golf with the Golf Blue-e-motion prototype, and the company recently announced that the vehicle is set to hit the streets late next year as a 2014 model. Jonathan Browning, president of VW of America, confirmed the company’s plans with Automotive News last week at the Geneva Motor Show. It’s expected that VW will release the all-electric Golf in specific markets before making it available nationwide. Nissan and GM used a similar method for the Leaf and Volt models.

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Post tags: Automotive News, electric vehicle, Geneva Motor Show, green car, green transportation, Jonathan Browning, plug-in hybrid vehicle, Think Blue, Think Blue Campaign, volkswagen, volkswagen golf, VW golf blue e motion

When auto makers submit their cars to crash tests, the sensors that are used to collect data about the crash process are often destroyed by the impact of the crash. To solve that problem, German car maker Volkswagen is turning to “space foil” – a special type of super-thin and highly accurate sensor that was originally developed to measure the pressure on a spacecraft’s wings as it reenters Earth’s atmosphere. VW has already used the special foil in crash tests, and it expects the results to help improve overall car safety.

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Post tags: car safety, cars, crash test, engineering, german engineering, germany, green cars, outer space, Paul Mirow, piezoelectric foil, piezoelectric sensor, space foil, Technology, volkswagen, vw

Volkswagen of America has announced that it will begin a pilot scheme to test 20 prototype E-Golf battery electric vehicles over a nine-month period in Detroit, San Francisco, and Washington D.C., beginning in April. By studying  electric Golf use across multiple geographical regions, Volkswagen will monitor the effect of climate conditions, driving patterns, and energy performance. The data and insights gained during the nine-month test period will be used in the final development of Volkswagen’s future EV technology applications.

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Post tags: automotive, e golf, electric cars, electric vehicle, EVs, green transportation, green vehicle, volkswagen, Volkswagen E-Golf, Volkswagen electric vehicle, Volkswagen Think Blue

Volkswagen has announced a series of ambitious goals to become more environmentally responsible – including a new program that will see a lineup of more efficient vehicles and more sustainable production at its plants all over the world. As part of its “Think Blue. Factory.” initiative, the environmental impact of all Volkswagen plants will be reduced by 25 percent by 2018. In specific terms, that means 25 percent less energy and water consumption, waste, and emissions. The automaker also plans to develop a more efficient vehicle lineup with reduced emissions by 2016.

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Post tags: 2013 VW Jetta Hybrid, AUDI, CO2 emissions, electric cars, green production facility, green transportation, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicle, Think Blue, Think Blue Campaign, volkswagen, volkswagen sustainability, vw, VW blue-e-motion Golf

Inhabitat’s Jill Fehrenbacher recently hit the scene of the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where she toured the laser-filled show to bring you an exclusive look at the world’s hottest new electric vehicles and hybrid cars! She got the lowdown on the sexiest new hybrid vehicle from Lexus as well as a sneak peek at Volkswagen’s upcoming Jetta Hybrid and the E-Bugster electric Beetle concept. She also took an inside look at the quirky styling of Smart’s For-US electric pickup truck and the brand new Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, which is sure to be a consumer favorite when it hits the streets this year. Check out our exclusive video above for the most exciting green cars at from the 2012 Detroit Auto Show!

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Post tags: detroit auto show, detroit auto show 2012, E-bugster, electric car, electric vehicle, Ford electric vehicle, ford fusion, ford fusion electric, ford fusion energi, ford fusion hybrid, green car, green transportation, hybrid jetta, lexus hybrid, lexus lf-lc, north american international auto show, Smart, smart electric vehicle, Smart EV, Smart For-US, smart pickup truck, Video, volkswagen

Read the rest of Volkswagen’s Brand New Chattanooga Plant Awarded LEED Platinum

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Post tags: environmental sustainability, LEED Buildings, leed manufacturing plants, leed platinum buildings, leed platinum factories, leed rated car plants, volkswagen, Volkswagen Chattanooga, Volkswagen plant

Read the rest of EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Volkswagen Reveals Its Secret E-Bugster Electric Beetle Concept at the Detroit Auto Show

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Post tags: auto shows, automobile shows, Bugster, detroit auto show, E-bugster, eco automobiles, eco autos, eco cars, eco transportation, eco volkswagen, eco vw, electric automobiles, electric autos, Electric Beetle, Electric Bug, electric cars, electric volkswagen, electric vw, Electric VW Beetle, Electric VW Bug, green auto shows, green automobile shows, Green Automobiles, green autos, green cars, green transportation, green volkswagen, green vw, NAIAS, volkswagen, volkswagen bugster, volkswagen e-bugster, vw

Read the rest of PICS: Volkswagen Debuts Its 2013 Hybrid Jetta at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

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Post tags: 2012 NAIAS, auto shows, automobile, automotive, detroit auto show, eco cars, eco transportation, eco volkswagen, green auto shows, green cars, green transportation, green volkswagen, green vw, hybrid auto, hybrid automobiles, hybrid cars, hybrid sedan, hybrid transportation, hybrid vehicles, NAIAS, north american international auto show, volkswagen, Volkswagen hybrid, volkswagen hybrid jetta, vw, VW hybrid, vw hybrid jetta

The Detroit auto show kicks off next week, and Volkswagen already has the newswires buzzing with plans to unveil an all-electric concept car inspired by the Beetle. The company says the car will take styling cues from the Beetle shown here, but it will be different from both that car and the automaker’s previous electric concept the E-Up – in fact, it will not be based on any existing vehicles in VW’s lineup. Volkswagen is also planning to unveil a new hybrid Jetta at the show, which should be notable for its sudden green leanings this year.

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Post tags: alternative transportation, concept car, detroit auto show, E-Up, electric car, electric concept car, electric vehicle, green automotive design, green concept car, green transportation, green vehicle green car, Jetta hybrid, NAIAS, north american international auto show, volkswagen, Volkswagen Beetle