The Continental: Electric Postcards, a Favorite Is Renamed, VW and Renault Nod to History

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. A little over a week ago, chief of Mercedes-Benz Vans Volker Mornhinweg wistfully told me about the fully electric Vito E-cell's sorry market performance. The van's flop played a role in Mornhinweg's decision to cancel a future fully electric van. But now there's good news: The German postal service Deutsche Post, protected from competition in several ways, is showing laudable citizenship by providing "CO2-free delivery" of post cards and packages—at least in the city of Bonn and surrounding communities. A whopping 79 electric vehicles are in use, including the Vito E-cell, electrified versions of the Renault Kangoo, an Iveco Truck, and the misleadingly named Street Scooter (shown immediately behind the Kangoo in the photo above). The boxy Street Scooter, developed specifically for use by Deutsche Post, can reach 82 mph and is powered by an asynchronous electric motor producing 45 to 60 horsepower. By 2016, Deutsche Post is planning to use 141 electric vans, which will save 500 tons of CO2, at least in a dream world where electricity comes from the blowing wind and the smiling sun. The Lada Niva, one of my favorite off-roaders, is being renamed Taiga for the German market. Powered by an 82-horsepower four-cylinder engine, it now comes with extra protective coating and body cavity sealing. And that is a good thing, since this compact and extremely capable off-roader's build quality is shockingly abysmal. Inside, the Niva is littered with components grabbed from Fiat's parts bin in the 1970s; it is loud, slow, and not exactly fuel-efficient. But like the Land Rover Defender and the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen Professional model, it has something that is lacking in most modern SUVs: Authenticity. And unlike the Defender or G-wagen, a brand-new Niva will set you back less than 10,000 euros. Renault and Volkswagen Nod to Heritage Renault's Twin'Run concept, launched at the 71st Grand Prix in Monaco, pays homage to the legendary Renault 5 Turbo and the Clio V6. It is powered by a mid-mounted, 316-hp Nissan VQ V-6 engine connected to a sequential six-speed transmission, and it features a tubular frame wrapped in a fiberglass and carbon-fiber body. The concept is full of clever and appealing details, such as polished aluminum pipes visible in the interior. The zero-to-62 mph run takes 4.5 seconds, and top speed is 155 mph. The Twin'Run is the sister model of the fully electric Twin'Z and "demonstrates that personalisation plays a major role in Renault's strategy," according to chief designer Laurens van den Acker. Does it? I won't hold my breath for a series production launch of a mid-engined Twingo, although I would certainly like to see it. Volkswagen is launching a special edition of the Scirocco designated "Million" to commemorate the production of one million the affordable coupes. The Scirocco, executed as a shooting brake, is the last Volkswagen model with styling strongly influenced by former VW chief designer Murat Günak. It is not considered politically correct in Wolfsburg to name it as your favorite car (or the CC, for that matter). A replacement, based on the modular MQB platform, is expected in about two years. Corporate Stuff from SEAT and Audi "Seat boosts presence in North America as international sales soar," proclaims a company press release, but unfortunately, the announcement does not refer to the U.S. market. Instead, the Spanish brand is launching the new Leon in Mexico. While the VW Group builds the Golf and the Jetta in Mexico, the Leon will be imported from Spain. Just south of the Rio Grande, the Leon joins the Ibiza, the Toledo, and the old-style Altea XL and Altea Freetrack. The self-proclaimed "company on the rise" has not yet announced any plans to enter the U.S. market, but is pushing its presence in China. First Drive: 2015 Volkswagen GTI First Drive: 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 Coupe Instrumented Test: 2014 Audi R8 V-10 Plus My colleague Matthias Knödler reports from Audi's annual shareholder meeting: Production of the R8 will be streamlined. Scattered in several locations in Neckarsulm, it will come together in the Böllinger Höfe Industrial Park. The next R8 is probably the last Audi sports car developed without significant input by Porsche. In the future, research and development will be handled in conjunction. Some further points: - The A3 sedan will be an extremely important cornerstone in U.S. market growth. - The U.S.-market "clean diesel" campaign continues with the A6, A7, A8 and Q5. - Q5 production in Ingolstadt will be phased out altogether; room is needed for A3 and A4. Audi's new Mexican plant will have room for one further model. - CEO Rupert Stadler is not worried about copycat cars in China: "They are never as good as the original." - Stadler: We have not missed out on "car sharing" ventures, as conducted by BMW and Mercedes. But Audi customers want a premium experience, and they don't want to share their individually tailored car. - Profits of 4 billion euros were sent to VW; 1.5 billion came back. On a more amusing note, a shareholder complained about his bad customer experience: Upon picking up his R8, the tank was empty. Later, he couldn't get a prolonged warranty for the R8, even though it was promised he could at the time of purchase. Two of four Q7 cars he bought supposedly had massive damage at delivery. And to add insult to injury, he can't get parts for his original, 1980s Quattro. VW Group chief Martin Winterkorn replied that he will look into it personally. Oops—a few people within the organization will have to come up with some good answers. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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