Reports surfacing from the Volkswagen Group say that Bugatti is working on an all-electric concept vehicle, that promising staggering acceleration and may never even see the light of day.

According to a report in Auto Express, the car, based on a Bentley Continental GT platform, uses two electric motors to put out over 1600 lb-ft of torque. One unnamed source told the English magazine that the car possesses“ absolutely unbelievable” acceleration, but depletes the battery pack in “a matter of minutes”, both of which seem plausible.

Bugatti has already built an electric car, the Type 56, a pre-WWII era car that made 1 horsepower. Like the electric prototype currently being developed, the Type 56 was never intended for release, but public pressure forced Ettore Bugatti to bring the car out in public, perhaps setting a precedent for Bugatti electric vehicles nearly a century later.

[Source: Auto Express]

Nearly a day after it was first spied testing, the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta has finally been spotted completely undisguised, and if the car looks a little Toyota-esque, then that must be a good thing. Rather than occupying a quasi-premium spot in the U.S. market, VW is going for volume, so the Corolla resemblance is not a coincidence. VW is hoping to push 160,000 Jettas per year, and a lower price and more conservative styling should help, along with a simpler, torsion beam rear suspension rather than the independent unit seen in the previous car.

VW is undertaking an ambitious plan to sell 800,000 cars in North America within 10 years, and while aiming the Jetta at the volume players may help them achieve this, it may also alienate previous Jetta loyalists who wanted a premium, performance-oriented small car rather than a European made econobox.

[Source: Auto Express]

Jay Leno’s epic car collection has a new addition to the “Ford section” (yes folks, he has a Ford section) of his garage, a brand-new 2011 Ford Mustang 5.0. The car in question, a Black coupe with a tan interior, has Michigan manufacturer plates, leading Left Lane News to suspect that something may be amiss with the situation, but more likely, this was a press car and Jay decided to order one, to keep his Ford GT, Shelby Cobra and Shelby Mustang GT350 company.

Driving impressions from what Leno are what you’d expect. The 5.0 is a big ball of fun and great value, according to Jay. Autoguide’s own Colum Wood is attending a Mustang event today, where he’ll be driving the V6, 5.0 and Shelby GT500 versions, so expect our driving impressions shortly. Hit the jump to check out nine minutes of big American V8 bliss, and Jay Leno’s sentimental musings on the fate of the muscle car.

[Source: Left Lane News]

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After acquiring the former NUMMI plant jointly owned by General Motors and Toyota, Tesla Motors was immediately targeted by the UAW for a guilt-trip campaign by the United Auto Workers to re-hire the 4,700 workers set to lose their jobs as the plant closed.

In an interview on a California radio show, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was asked about the hiring situation, Musk affirmed his commitment to getting the workers their jobs back, telling listeners that “It is always easier to hire from the neighborhood” and that “hiring former HUMMI workers is a priority for us.”

Being a low volume manufacturer, Tesla will likely only need 1,000 workers, but the opportunity always remains for expansion. More interestingly, the plant’s union status could be a future contention. No doubt the UAW will want to see it continue, but past issues with the union, and the need for strict quality control in an ultra-premium vehicle will likely not mesh well with the union’s mentality towards hiring and firing workers.

[Source: Autoblog Green]

A British journalist recently decided to challenge BMW‘s claim that its new 320d EfficientDynamics sedan could drive for 1000 miles on a single tank of diesel, and  managed to achieve the feat, driving exactly 1,013 miles. Tom Ford, the driver of the BMW, kept the windows up and the air-conditioning off, but avoided hypermiling tricks such as coasting or driving under the speed limit – instead he drove at about 65-70 mph on freeways.

Despite being the most efficient BMW in the range, the 320d is far from the least powerful. Its diesel engine puts out 163 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, hitting 60 mph in a respectable 8.2 seconds. Ford averaged 59.7 mpg on both legs of the trip, even hitting 75.9 mpg on the departure leg of the trip. Diesel cars have never really taken off in the states, and BMW’s own 335d has not been a runaway success, but it’s really hard to argue with numbers like these, in terms of performance and economy. After all, would you rather have a 60 mpg BMW or a Toyota Prius?

[Source: Autoblog Green]

Already overrun with legal issues relating to its unintended acceleration issues, Toyota‘s problems are about to get worse as the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has just increased the number of deaths that may be related to the faulty pedal and floor mat recalls. A new NHTSA document now places the total number of deaths related to the problem at 89 – up significantly from the previous total of 57. 

NHTSA says it has recorded more than 6,200 complains of unintended acceleration in Toyota models.

In response to those issues Toyota recalled over 8 million vehicles and has been fined $16.4 million by the U.S. government for failing to report the issue and make the recall in a timely manner.

Toyota claims it has found the solution to the faulty accelerator issue and insists the problem is mechanical, not electronic. It also says the vast majority of the 6,200 complaints lack sufficient information to determine what the cause of the unintended acceleration was.

To date, Toyota has fixed almost half of the vehicles recalled under the two unintended acceleration recalls relating to both floor mat entrapment and faulty accelerator pedals.

[Source: Washington Post]

Reports of a Prius MPV model aren’t new, but now comes word that the car will be call the Prius Alpha. Set to go on sale next March, the seven-seat Prius will ride on a stretched version of the current Prius platform that is almost a foot longer. The car was first previewed in the Prius Hybrid X Concept (above).

Power will come from the same 1.8-liter hybrid setup used in the standard third-generation Prius, although there’s the possibility that Toyota could opt to use a mode advanced lithium-ion battery pack. If that does happen, expect even more impressive fuel economy. Otherwise the slightly taller and heavier Prius Alpha will be just a little less efficient.

Toyota has announced it intends to expand the Prius name into a whole line of standalone hybrid models, which is also likely to include a smaller Prius model based on the FT-CH Concept.

[Source: AutoCar]

Heading out on a road tip this summer that will take you across state lines? Before you head out, do a little prep work and find out if the state you’re visiting has any safety laws you may not be aware of.

An important and trendy hot topic this summer has to be bans on cell phones. The list for states that have banned texting and talking on a cell phone while driving is growing. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has up-to-date information on where it’s ok to call for directions while behind the wheel, and all the states where you’ll get slapped with a hefty fine if you’re caught yakking.

The rise in cell phone bans comes from the rise in car accidents where distracted drivers are cited as the cause. In 2008 almost 6,000 people died and more than half a million people were injured on U.S. roads in crashes that involved distracted drivers. The term distracted driving can be defined as anything that takes the driver’s hands off the wheel or eyes off the road for more than two seconds or interrupts concentration.

While talking on a cell phone is distracting enough, texting is even worse. This is because it involves three things that distract drivers the most: visual (looking away from the road), manual (punching keys on a wireless device), and cognitive (reading or composing a text message).

Another great site to check regarding safety laws is the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Here, you’ll find a state-by-state summary of vehicle safety laws, including child safety seats, speed and red-light cameras, and drunk driving.

Alpina is an interesting BMW tuner, taking run-of-the-mill BMWs and transforming them directly on the BMW assembly line. In some markets, like here in Southern California, you can walk into your local BMW dealership and see a (grossly inflated) Alpina vehicle on the showroom floor. The company’s resume extends from 3-Series E21 to E90, 5-Series E12 to E60/61, 6-Series E24 to E63/64, 7-Series E32 to E65/66, and even the 8-Series E31. Oh yeah, they like to dabble with the Z1, Z4 and Z8 roadsters too.

Now naturally since Alpina sells full automobiles rather than just tuning packages, their end product better be impressive. They claim the new B3 S sports 400-hp and 400 ft-lbs of torque, a 33.33-percent increase from the factory 300/300 figures. They don’t really elaborate on how these figures are achieved, but if we had to guess it’s pretty simple through an ECU upgrade that tosses in (safely of course) more boost and fuel to the 3.0L inline-six twin-turbo. Oh, and apparently the increased horsepower and torque comes with a side-effect of lowered emissions. We’re pretty sure that’s just negated though since you’ll just be more tempted to romp on the throttle.

On the exterior is a front spoiler and a new rear diffuser, both sporting very traditional Alpina styling. Their Classic alloy wheel gets a new treatment as seen on their previously released B7.

Currently the offering is only available in the U.K. and this isn’t just available for the coupes and convertibles, they’ve got a similar package for the E90 sedan.

Official press release available after the break.

GALLERY: Alpina BMW B3 S

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This seems to be a really awful year for Lamborghini‘s Gallardo. First there was the fatal crash in Germany that involved an actual Lamborghini employee, and now an accident on the track at Lamborghini’s Super Trofeo Cup series.

It happened during Round 4 of the season and from the looks of the video (available after the jump), the number-22 LP560-4 piloted by Giorgio Bartocci ended up in the gravel on the last turn before the front straight. What ensued is painful and surreal to watch. The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 slams into the wall at a fairly significant speed. Quickly afterwards one can hardly even recognize the infamous bull as it burst into flames.

Fortunately Bartocci survived and is currently in the ICU, but we have to be questioning what took safety so long to extract him and to put out the fire. Lamborghini, rightfully so, canceled the rest of the fourth round and currently six and seven are canceled as well. Clearly Lamborghini has gotten in the press for all the wrong reasons recently. We wish the best for Bartocci for a speedy recovery.

There are two videos after the break.

[Source: Jon Sibal]

Gallery: Super Trofeo Lamborghini Gallardo Crash

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