Cane Wrapped VW Pickup

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We’ve seen a lot of money spent on cars wrapped in velvet and even coins the past few weeks. Today we take a look at a poorer approach on this mater.

A Nigerian named Ojo Obaniyi,used an abundant material from his homeland, the raffia palm cane, to wrap the Volkswagen pickup that he owns. Unlike modern wraps, he somehow took it to a whole new level. Apart from the dashboard instrumentation, the radio and some buttons and trimmings, the whole car is wrapped in braided palm cane. The exterior features a dark brown finished weave and for the interior, a lighter braiding was used.

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2013 Volkswagen Beetle Earns Five Stars from NHTSA

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tested another batch of new or redesigned-for-2013 vehicles and out of the four newbies, only one was awarded the agency’s highest score.

The 2013 Volkswagen Beetle received an overall rating of five stars. The coupe earned four stars in frontal testing, five stars in side-crash testing and a four-star score in rollover tests; the convertible model has not yet been tested. The three others recently tested earned four stars overall: The plug-in Ford C-Max Energi, the tiny Toyota Prius c hybrid and front- and all-wheel drive versions of the Toyota Sienna minivan.

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Volkswagen T1 Shorty Pickup Dragster

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We’ve seen a lot of VW bus conversions over the years, but this one has to take the cake.

If you liked the 736-horsepower MkI Volkswagen Golf we brought you the other day, you’re gonna love this. Because while it may only have half the power, it more than makes up for it in other areas of awesomeness. What you’re looking at here is a 1963 Volkswagen T1 that’s been converted not only into a pickup, but also modified for drag racing. It’s a good four feet shorter than standard, making it about the size of a small hatchback, and tuned to deliver 330 horsepower.

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2015 Volkswagen Golf, GTI headed for NYC

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It won’t be going on-sale in Canada until mid-2014, but Germany’s Volkswagen has decided to debut the North American Golf at this month’s New York auto show.

In fact, we’ll see a trio of Golfs: the TSI (with a new 1.8-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder engine, replacing the aging 2.5-litre five-cylinder); the TDI diesel; and the GTI, with its turbo, 2.0-litre four.

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Volkswagen Scirocco is Purple in China

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A very speedy Volkswagen Scirocco painted in purple, seen in the great city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province. The owner is a brave man not going for a wrap, like they all do… This Scirocco is the real thing, further sexed up by a lowered suspension, a black grille, matte black mirrors, black strips under the doors and fantastic matte black tires with double-five spoke black alloys.

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Volkswagen Wants 60 MPG Fleet Average In Europe By 2020

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The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) target of 54.5 mpg by 2025 has caused cheers from some people, and jeers from others.

In reality, that target won’t be as difficult to hit as the numbers suggest, as the average on EPA window stickers will be lower–closer to 40 mpg in reality. For some though, that’s still a little too much, too soon–and the standards have faced accusations that meeting them will damage business.

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2014 VW Golf Variant Stretches Early

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The new Golf Variant could ship Stateside as the next-generation Jetta SportWagen.

Looking like a stretched version of the new seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, the new Golf Variant has leaked out a tad early in these initial photos. Set to debut in Geneva alongside the new GTI, GTD and e-Golf, the 2014 Volkswagen Golf Variant could make its way Stateside as the next Jetta SportWagen. Based on the same MQB platform as the Golf, the Variant has a longer roofline and new roof rails, tailgate and taillamps. It’s expected to go on sale in Europe soon after its debut, so watch this space for more.

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German Cops Issued A Parking Ticket To A Volkswagen Beetle Made Of Snow

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Being an officer of a the law is a hard job. Sometimes you get it right, and sometimes you mistakenly issue a parking ticket to a snow sculpture because you think it’s a real car.
That’s exactly what happened in Germany recently when traffic wardens left a parking ticket on the windshield of a Volkswagen Beetle, not realizing it was actually made of snow and not a real car.

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Volkswagen e-Co-Motion concept gives drivers a way to go Green

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Volkswagen will unveil an all-electric concept car at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show next week. It may not be as sexy as the XL1 “one-liter” car, but the e-Co-Motion concept could be very useful in the fight against global warming. It’s hard to imagine too many people cruising around in torpedo-shaped XL1s, but a small green commercial van like the e-Co-Motion has many applications.

Unlike the Azure Dynamics Transit Connect or Nissan e-NV200, the e-Co-Motion was designed from the start as an electric van. To maximize space, Volkswagen put the battery pack, motor, and transmission under the floor, creating a flat surface for loading cargo.

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