It appears that Volkswagen wants to dump its premium pricing strategy in order to compete with Japanese competitors in the compact and mid-sized sedan segments.

The first step begins with the redesigned 2011 Jetta sedan which will go on sale in October. The new Jetta pricing will start from $16,000, down from $18,435 for the current Jetta (both include shipping) and the entry-level version is offered with stability control and air conditioning. Regarding the competition, the entry-level 2010 Toyota Corolla starts at 16,200 while the base 2010 Honda Civic is offered for $16,405, including shipping. The Jetta will be the most affordable car from Volkswagen in the United States, slotted below the Golf which starts at $18,370, including shipping. Apparently, the Jetta price was lowered because it is Volkswagen’s “bread-and-butter car and the potential in sales is sizable” according to Mark Barnes, COO of VW of America.

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Audi’s first electric vehicle dubbed e-Tron will be produced in the Neckarsulm site, which is where its Quattro division is located and where the R8 was conceptualized.

In a statement, Rupert Stadler, Audi chairman of the board, said that Audi chose this site for the e-tron production due to the experience that the workers have with small series production and high performance sports cars. He also said that by choosing this site, it means that the site will “continue to play an important role in the future.” Sometime in the later part of 2012, the initial batches of Audi’s electric super car will be released. The car, which is rumored to be named R4, is based on the first of the three e-tron models that was launched at last year’s Frankfurt Auto Show. Four electric motors power the vehicle, with two at the front and two at the rear axle, in the truest quattro style. These electric motors deliver 313hp and 4,500 Nm of torque, enabling the car to go 100 km/h in only 4.8 sec and to achieve a top speed of 200 km/h (124.27 mph). The 53 kilowatt hours battery block provide a range of 248 kilometers (154 miles). Recharging with a regular household plug takes from 6 to 8 hours.

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This is not a Porsche 928. It's just an interesting sketch, found posted on the internet at Porsche Consulting's website. There are some new rumors about a 2-door GT in the same vein of the Porsche 928, and this sketch is similar to some of the renderings that have been floating around. Of course, you toss a bunch of Porsche design elements in a blender, and it wouldn't be hard to come up with this vehicle.

The takeaway here is that there are likely hundreds, even thousands of drawings floating about in Stuttgart that show cars with no true bearing on production reality. Despite rumors that Porsche is working on a new "928" that may be a Panamera variant, it'd be a stretch to believe that this sketch represents anything about that project, barring specific knowledge. If it helps you sleep at night, go ahead and ascribe undue importance to it, but until anyone knows more, remember that this is just a cool picture on a website.

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Cargraphic is developing various packages for the all variants of the new 2011 Porsche Cayenne. Even the hybrid model will get a special treatment with a new sport exhaust system designed specifically for it. They are also working on ECU upgrade programs for all engines in the range. Other features of Cargraphic Cayennes include a lowering module, 22-inch wheels and a body kit with front and rear underguards.


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