The Vokswagen Group will use more common parts in future models by its affordable core brands, VW, Seat and Skoda, targeting a further 20 percent boost in efficiency thanks to a greater deal of shared development and production.

The German group is a pioneer amongst platform sharing between models of different sizes and different brands, but Thomas Schaefer, head of VW, wants to simplify things even further in the future. As reported by Bloomberg, Schaefer said: “In the past, we wasted too much time being preoccupied with each other. The competition is outside, it's not within the company”, highlighting the future strategy for brands residing under the same umbrella.

Also Read: Stellantis CEO Confident There Will Be Enough Differentiation In Future EVs Despite Shared Underpinnings

According to the high-ranked exec, the differentiation between VW Group’s core brands will be focused on design. In the past, VW, Skoda and Seat have shared more than platforms and engine lineups, with models like the VW Up!, Skoda Citigo, and Seat Mii trio being a great example of badge-engineering. Other siblings like the VW Polo, Seat Ibiza, and Skoda Fabia superminis have unique exterior and interior design following each brand’s styling language, while sharing everything else underneath.

Something similar is expected for the upcoming VW Passat and Skoda Superb mid-size models, which could be even more closely related in a quest to reduce costs. In that context, the production line of both models will move from Germany and the Czech Republic to a single factory in Slovakia.

VW, Skoda, and Seat account for around 80 percent of the group’s global sales, which means that the targeted efficiency gain of 20 percent would result in a great deal of savings. The goal of the VW Group is to direct that money to EV development, so they are more competitive against rivals including single-brand companies like Tesla, or multi-brand groups like Stellantis. An example is the project Trinity, a range of upcoming EVs set to debut in 2026, manufactured in a new $2-billion EV factory.

Reading between the lines, high-end brands like Audi, Porsche, and Bentley will likely retain a greater deal of independence when it comes to technical components and unique features, since they are operating in a higher-margin area of the market.

As for the US market, VW is hoping to escape from its niche market role, after returning to profitability in 2021 and expanding EV sales. The automaker plans on producing more electrified vehicles on US soil. Schaefer hinted at two new US-built SUVs, a new research facility for batteries, and the possibility of a new battery plant. China is also an important market for the VW Group, which plans on offering new products better suited to the taste and needs of Chinese customers.

Ferrari built its reputation on racing and one of the most important Formula 1 race cars to ever come out of Maranello is going up for auction. Here’s your chance to own a car that Michael Schumacher drove to four different victories.

Those were also the only four times that this car was used in competition, which makes it all the more special. It’s the only Ferrari Formula 1 car to run at least three races and win in every single race that it entered. In fact, the listing over on RM Sotheby’s website says that it’s the most successful undefeated Ferrari Formula 1 chassis across all eras of F1.

This car is chassis number 187 and is the seventh of nine total F300 cars built that year. The first of its wins came at the Canadian GP on June 7th of 1998 where Schumacher started third but managed to make his way to the front of the pack before the finish. It was the seventh race of the season and Schumacher’s second victory that year.

Read More: This Is What A $10 Million Ferrari 500 TRC Spider Looks Like

Within that same month, it won again on the 28th at the French Grand Prix coming from second to finish first. Schumacher made it three wins at Silverstone in the British GP on the 12th of July. The car’s final race and victory came late that year on September 13th at Monza in the Italian Grand Prix after starting on pole. That’s an all-star list of events where this very car came out on top at the hands of one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers ever.

The next year in 1999 the car was acquired by the current owner from Scuderia Ferrari. The buyer’s premium for the car will be 12 percent of the hammer price up to and including $250,000. That’s a pretty penny to pay on top of whatever this car will go for but we expect that the next owner won’t be too worried about such things.

The new Astra might not (yet) have a hot hatch variant in its lineup, but Opel has joined forces with German specialist XS Carnight to create a prototype based on the plug-in hybrid model to showcase its tuning potential and inspire the enthusiast community. The electrified Astra XS show car with the typical Opel Motorsport livery rides on a bagged suspension and 20-inch wheels.

The highlight of the Astra XS is the fitment of a Grinds air suspension and height sensors by ‘Carstyle me’, combined with stock shock absorbers. This allows the showcar to be lowered to the ground on demand, offering a “bagged” look which is popular amongst the tuning community.

See Also: Opel Astra Makes Its Best Hot Hatch Impression Thanks To Irmscher

The wheel-arches are filled up completely with the new 20-inch forged wheels from RVNT Forged. They are shod in ultra-low profile tires, with Opel suggesting they were fitted “for display purposes only”. The stock model is available with wheels up to 18-inches in diameter, and up to date, only Irmsher has offered dedicated aftermarket 19-inch wheels for the Astra.

The tuner did not add a bodykit to the Astra which retains the stock bumpers. However, they painted the car in high-gloss white, contrasted by black accents. Finally, a set of motorsport decals by Opel Accessories with yellow, silver and gray colors have been added to the profile and on the windscreen. The donor model is the Ultimate edition, equipped with the adaptive Intelli-Lux LED Pixel Light headlights, a digital Pure Panel cockpit with dual 10-inch screens, and the sports seats.

The plug-in hybrid powertrain of the Astra remains unchanged. It consists of a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine, an electric motor, and a 12.4 kWh lithium-ion battery, just like many other Stellantis models based on the EMP2 architecture. The combined output is 178 hp (133 kW / 180 PS) and 360 Nm (266 lb-ft) of peak torque, transferred to the front axle through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Surprisingly, XS didn’t use the more powerful PHEV that delivers a combined 222 hp (165 kW / 225 PS).

The Opel Astra XS will be exhibited at the XS Carnight "20 Years of XSCN" event in Berlin, Germany on July 29-30, and at Lake Wörthersee, Austria on September 17. Opel says that the project in collaboration with XS Carnight will help them sharpen their image in the tuning community.

EarthRoamer is a company determined to change the way wealthy people experience the great outdoors. Its lineup of highly capable and luxuriously outfitted trucks has quickly become the industry standard and now the brand is showing off its LTi to none other than Jay Leno.

At their core, most EarthRoamers are variations on the same basic recipe. Take a very capable pickup truck, remove the normal bed, replace it with a well-appointed live-in space, make the whole thing incredibly capable off-road, and call it good. This particular model, the LTi, started out life as a normal Ford F-550 before being completely transformed by the folks at EarthRoamer.

Leno is immediately smitten with how well-built everything feels. “The level of workmanship is really incredible,” he says. The doors, latches, wheels, and 43-inch (yes, you read that right) tires are meant to basically be all but indestructible.

Read More: This Heavily-Modified Lexus GX470 Is An Off-Roader's Dream

"This is unbelievable."

Jay is all about this EarthRoamer LTi. pic.twitter.com/8iPe7T2Us4

— Jay Leno's Garage (@LenosGarage) July 18, 2022

The rear structure is made from two panels of carbon fiber with a foam core for structural rigidity. Not only is it tough but those materials help the EarthRoamer to save weight which is more vital than one might initially think it would be on the trail. Not only does a lower weight contribute to better fuel economy (which means you can go farther off-road), but it also makes tackling obstacles easier.

One of the biggest benefits of the Earthroamer is how well-suited it is to actually camping in the great outdoors. Enthusiasts with roof-top tents will know that making sure the vehicle is near-perfectly level is vital to a good experience. The EarthRoamer uses four-wheel independent air-ride shocks so owners can individually change height in place and level the vehicle no matter what the tires might be sitting on.

Once you’re settled in, the back of the EarthRoamer is so nice that you might miss out on some of the nature that you came to see. A wine cellar, an integrated coffee maker, an induction cooktop, and a microwave are all part of the kitchen.

Somehow, the driving experience might be the most impressive part of the EarthRoamer. Despite all of the big bulky components, the truck handles the trail with just about zero drama. The whole video is well worth a watch as the details are too extensive to fully cover here.

The NHTSA has just announced a new recall affecting almost 10,000 Can-Am Ryker three-wheel motorcycles. At the heart of the issue is a single screw in the steering system that could fracture and leave the rider with no way to control the direction of travel. Bombardier has asked riders to park their Rykers until the fix can be completed.

As three-wheel motorcycles or trikes go, the Ryker is a popular choice. Two wheels at the front provide exceptional stability and poise while one at the back supplies the straight-line performance that enthusiasts love. While this recall will take 9,353 of them off the road it sounds like the solution is a fairly quick fix once the bike is at the service center.

The recall itself states quite clearly that “a broken handlebar stem bolt can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.” Swapping in the parts to fix it will take under an hour according to Bombardier Recreational Products, owners of Can-Am. That might sound simple enough but the details are where this recall is particularly interesting.

Read More: Can-Am Announces Its Return To Two-Wheel Motorcycle Market With All Electric Lineup

The affected vehicles have a single handlebar stem bolt that “may not have the sufficient thread length for a proper assembly” and in addition, these bikes might also have “debris in the steering column before the assembly.” Those two factors have at this point resulted in at least 56 different known instances of broken bolts during the pre-delivery inspection, two while someone was riding a Ryker, and three more with unknown riding conditions. One rider ended up losing control and spraining an ankle as a result.

The solution is to use a bolt that’s actually 5 mm shorter in terms of overall length but with the same threads. According to BRP “The 5 mm reduction provides the necessary space in the threads to absorb all the manufacturing tolerances of the components in the assembly.” Dealers will also clean the threads of the steering column itself before completing the recall.

In addition, those who have already completed this fix will still need to take their vehicle to a dealer for inspection. BRP has already begun the process of informing dealers and owners about the recall.

Following the launch of the M340i xDrive 50 Jahre M Edition in India, BMW introduced similar versions of the 5-Series and the 6-Series GT as part of the celebrations for BMW M’s 50th anniversary. More specifically, it rolled out special editions of the 530i and 630i trims with some extra special touches to mark the occasion.

The models which are heading towards the end of their lifecycle are fitted with the M Sport package which adds sportiness to the design. The 50 Jahre M Editions are distinguished by the gloss black finish on the kidney grille, bumper intakes, and rear apron, the special logo, and the unique jet-black wheels. The 5-Series has a set of 18-inch alloy wheels while the 6-Series has a different set of 19-inch alloys. Behind them, we can see the M Sport brakes with red-painted callipers. The exterior can be customized further by the optional M Accessories, or the Carbon Package.

See Also: 50 Years of BMW M? What About 50 Years Of The 5-Series?

Inside, equipment includes the BMW Live Cockpit Professional with dual 12.3-inch displays incorporating the BMW Operating System 7.0 software instead of the newer 8.0. The models also get Sports seats upholstered in Dakota leather, M seatbelts, ambient lighting, four-zone climate control, leather steering, wireless charging pad, and a 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Adaptive suspension is also included in the standard kit.

Both models are fitted with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine, sending power to the rear axle through the eight-speed Steptronic Sport automatic gearbox. However, the engines have a slightly different tune with 248 hp (185 kW / 252 PS) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque for the 530i, and a slightly increased 255 hp (190 kW / 258 PS) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque for the 630i.

In the Indian market, the 530i M Sport 50 Jahre M Edition starts at Rs 67.50 lakh ($84,525), while the 630i M Sport 50 Jahre M Edition is a little bit more expensive starting at Rs 72.90 lakh ($91,280). Both models are locally produced in BMW’s Chennai plant.

BMW has announced it will introduce a total of ten 50 Jahre M Editions in India by the end of 2022. After the 3-Series, 5-Series, and 6-Series GT, we expect the M4, the M5, and various X models to receive the anniversary treatment.

Few cars can match the road presence of the latest-generation Cadillac Escalade and while it is just about as outlandish as an SUV can get, especially in V guise, Larte Design has released a bold styling kit for it.

Dubbed the Esthete, the kit starts at the front fascia where Larte Design has developed a carbon fiber grille that isn't just lightweight but also adds an extra level of menace to the SUV thanks to the redesigned slates and mesh.

The Escalade Esthete then features a carbon fiber front splitter with two twin-lens fog lights. The carbon fiber theme continues with an all new hood that includes a large air vent to help cool the engine.

Watch Also: Here Are All The Quirks And Features Of The 'Ridiculous' 682 HP Cadillac Escalade V

Moving down the sides you will find carbon fiber front and rear wheel arches which add to the presence of the Escalade without going over the top and looking excessive. Alterations continue at the rear and include a large spoiler, a new piece of trim on the tailgate, a bold diffuser, and bespoke exhaust tips. Rounding out the modifications are carbon fiber mirror caps, 24-inch forged wheels, and a host of Larte Design badges.

The tuner notes that the bodykit does not violate the Escalade's factory warranty and that it will take approximately six hours to install.

Videos of the kit that have been shared to social media reveal that the tuner has also adorned various elements of the front fascia with colorful LED lights to really make the SUV stand out. These include lights along the front splitter, multi-colored vertical daytime running lights, lights around the front badge, and lights in the hood scoop.

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The enduring appeal of the Smokey and the Bandit films starring Burt Reynolds means the beaky 1977-78 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is never short of buyers. Naturally, most people gravitate towards the black cars to emulate Reynolds' ride, but the most desirable are the limited edition Y81 and Y82 SE cars with all the gold styling goodies.

You're going to need to hand over a pot of gold, or maybe the earnings from a massive cross-state bootlegging operation, to take this Y82 home from Mecum's Harrisburg sale at the end of this month though. Why? Because it has covered just 14.8 miles (24 km) from new.

Y81 and Y82 cars sold in 1977 all came finished in black paint, but received a gold engine-turned dashboard, gold paint on the inner facings of the 15-inch snowflake wheels, gold grille inserts and gold paint pinstriping to distinguish them from regular Trans Ams ordered with black paint. The key difference between the two is the Y81 cars came with a conventional coupe roof, while Y82s got the sexy Hurst removable glass T-Tops.

Mecum's listing doesn't explain the history behind this car and its extremely low mileage, but the pictures show it looking every bit as good as the day it rolled out of Pontiac's plant. What they don't show is the build sheet, so we don't know exactly which options are fitted, though Mecum lists air conditioning, tinted glass and cruise control as being part of the equipment list.

Related: Banditry or Justice? Someone Just Paid $495k For Burt Reynolds' 1977 Pontiac Trans Am

The images and listing also confirm that this Y82 is fitted with the three-speed automatic transmission, rather than the available four-speed manual, which is a shame. And it looks like the original owner was happy to stick with the standard 180 hp (183 PS) L78 6.6-liter engine rather than fork out a measly additional $50 for the W72 package, which bumped output to 200 hp (203 PS). But hey, what use is an extra 20 hp when you're never going to drive the car, right?

According to production data on tran-zam.com this car is one of 6,030 Y82 automatics with the base engine made that year out of a total of 68,744 Trans Ams, meaning it's maybe not as rare as you imagined. But there can't be many, if any, other '77 SE cars out there in this kind of condition and with so few miles on the clock. What do you think it will sell for? Leave a comment and give us your best guess.

Tire pressure monitoring systems are one of the neatest features of modern production cars but for more than 52,000 Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, and Chrysler 300 vehicles, they may not operate as intended.

A recall notice issued with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has revealed that select vehicles were manufactured with tire pressure monitor system sensors that may prematurely discharge the battery. If this is to occur, the TPMS sensor will be inoperative and the system will no longer function.

The recall involves a total of 52,340 vehicles. A separate recall of 1,176 tire pressure monitoring systems sold by Mopar has also been issued.

Watch Also: Dodge Challenger Hellcat Crashes And Driver Flees On LA's New $588 Million Bridge

Involved in the recall are no less than 27,337 Dodge Charger models that were manufactured between August 23, 2021 and June 7, 2022. In addition, a total of 19,345 Dodge Challenger models produced between August 23, 2021 and June 10, 2022 are subject to the recall. 2022 Chrysler 300 models that were built from September 7, 2021 to June 9, 2022 are also involved, totaling 5,658 vehicles.

The automaker's recall notice states that if the TPMS light illuminates because the battery in the sensor prematurely discharged, it could mask an actual low tire pressure condition which could lead to a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US will resolve the issue by conducting a voluntary recall on all impacted models and inspect and replace the TPMS sensors as needed. It will also reimburse owners for any costs they have incurred when repairing the problem prior to the recall being issued.

Both dealers and owners will begin receiving notifications of the recall on or around September 2, 2022.

Cupra, the Spanish automaker that was once a performance arm of Seat, will be expanding their sales reach to the Australian market within the coming months. However, new information hints that they could also be planning a launch in the United States as well.

In speaking to Drive during a visit to Australia, Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths said: "There are markets outside of Australia that we're developing. We're strong in South America, particularly in Mexico but also in Colombia and Chile. On top of that, obviously if you want to become a global brand – our reason for coming to Australia – is to prove that we can become a global brand. Then obviously you need to look at markets like North America, but that would only be in a second phase. For now there is no decision being made on North America, but we're starting to analyses (the market)."

See Also: 2024 Cupra Terramar Revealed As A Hybrid-Only Compact SUV

The conversation then shifted to whether Cupra had plans to launch their cars in China given how much potential their market has. "Not at the moment,” said Griffiths. "The Volkswagen Group has a quite a dominant share (in China) among its existing brands. They have a very strong position with Audi, Volkswagen and Skoda. So to go to China? Not at the moment. We have more priority for the US."

Read More: Cupra Tavascan Electric SUV Mule Caught Testing At The Nurburgring

In theory, this proposition wouldn’t be too out of the question. Seeing as Cupra is part of the Volkswagen Group, many of their cars share platforms with VW models that already exist in America. For example, the Cupra Leon and Formentor are based on the VW Golf’s MQB Evo platform, and the Ateca shares the Taos’s MQB A1 underpinnings.

Additionally, Seat already sells versions of these vehicles in a left-hand drive configuration, so that potential issue is out of the way. For the most part, beyond the inherent difficulty of launching a new brand to a tough market, it seems the hardest challenge in bringing these cars stateside would be homologating them for U.S. safety and emissions standards.

The idea of converting an ICE vehicle into an electric one is by no means new, but GM will attempt to capitalize on that market and make it easier for customers with a new electric crate motor package.

It will be called the Electric Connect and Cruise eCrate package, and GM sees it as a “future business opportunity,” Chevrolet VP Scott Bell recently told the Detroit Free Press. Intended to for use in classic vehicles, the program will be run by the same team that creates the brand’s crate engines.

“We've done spectacular with what we call 'crate' engines in old cars… putting new V8 internal combustion engines in older cars to make them more reliable and perform better,” Bell said. “Now we have that same group of people working on EV conversion kits for classic cars.”

Read Also: Chevrolet Converts 1977 K5 Blazer To Electric Power, Previews Upcoming eCrate Package

General Motors has already explored the concept with electric conversions made for auto shows. In fact, the company had intended to start rolling electric crate motors out in 2021, but, like a lot of other projects, it got delayed by COVID and the consequent supply chain disruptions. GM spokesman Mark Lubin says, though, that the company is still working hard on the concept.

“The technology will soon be available through Chevrolet Performance,” he said. “This specific offering is part of GM's larger strategy to provide EV component sets to a variety of different industries and applications outside of GM's product portfolio.”

Timing, pricing, and availability remain tightly guarded secrets, but Lubin said that the kit will be a holistic package of the components that are needed to do an electric conversion, which could prove valuable.

GM’s crosstown competitor, Ford, already has an electric crate motor on the market. Called the Eluminator, the automaker has sold out of them and is currently planning next steps for the project. Experts in electric conversions, though, told the Detroit Free Press that the package isn’t quite complete.

Although Ford’s offering comes with a motor, Marc Davis, president of Greenshield Conversions in Florida, said that there are about $20,000 in additional parts needed to make an EV conversion work once you have it.

“If you look at what Ford did, with the 1978 F-100 … it's completely brand new and a totally customized drive unit,” Davis said. “It's still awesome, but it's far beyond anything someone can do in their garage.”

Once the eCrate is ready to launch, Chevrolet dealers and aftermarket companies will be offered training, tools, and the equipment needed to work with high-voltage systems and charging stations, the automaker said. That could make EV conversions attainable for a lot more people.

Businesses around the world are scrambling to find suitable workers as many have reorganized their priorities after the pandemic. Now, one Hyundai subsidiary has allegedly found a way around the worker shortage by hiring underage labor for one plant in Alabama. According to the report, some of these kids were just 12 years old.

SMART Alabama LLC is a subsidiary of Hyundai and supplies metal-stamped parts to the automaker that are made in its Montgomery, Alabama factory. According to the report from Reuters, several minors have worked at the plant and many have said that they forewent schooling in order to work long shifts at the plant.

The news outlet says that it first learned of the underage workers after the brief disappearance of a Guatemalan migrant child in February of this year. That same girl, 13, worked at the plant alongside her brothers, aged 15 and 12 and their father confirmed these facts to Reuters. According to a dozen of those familiar with the matter, these three kids were “among a larger cohort of underage workers.”

Read More: These Guys Just Spotted A Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Testing In Korea

SMART for its part both denied the allegations and side-stepped blame by pointing the finger directly at temporary work agencies. It expected “these agencies to follow the law in recruiting, hiring, and placing workers on its premise.” That’s a pretty low bar it seems and we’re a bit shocked that anyone so young could even get a job in such a place unless there was a culture of this type of illegal activity in place already.

Hyundai’s human rights policy specifically forbids any sort of child labor including at its own suppliers. Despite that, SMART has been hit with some $48,515 in fines since 2013 over OSHA violations. The latest of those fines came earlier this same year.

A 2020 letter from SMART general manager Gary Sport to the U.S. consular officials in Mexico and obtained by Reuters clarified his position. He made clear that not only was the plant “severely lacking in labor” but also that Hyundai would not tolerate such shortcomings.

This is a developing story and we’ll update it if we hear any more from Hyundai or SMART.