Volkswagen offers New Yorker’s a Fashion’s Night Out in the all-new 2011 Jetta

Volkswagen offers New Yorker’s a Fashion’s Night Out in the all-new 2011 Jetta
OUTRACE: Control the octopus
Car and Driver votes Porsche Boxster Spyder as the “best-handling car in America” title

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 05:54 AM PDT

Fashion's Night Out in the all-new 2011 Jetta

Tonight between 5:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m, Volkswagen will unleash 30 2011 Jettas during their Fashion’s Night Out event. There will be two Volkswagen Style Express locations set up and ready to take you uptown or downtown. One at 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues; the other at Greene Street between Spring and Prince Streets.

“Fashion’s Night Out provides a great platform for consumers to experience the style and sophistication of the all-new 2011 Jetta,” said Mya Walters, Brand Communications Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “We are dedicated to investing in America and in New York, including a new flagship dealership in the city, which mirrors the underlying spirit that drives Fashion’s Night Out.”

On Friday, September 10, from 5:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m., shoppers can visit two Volkswagen Style Express locations for a ride uptown or downtown in the all- new 2011 Jetta: 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues; and Greene Street between Spring and Prince Streets. Consumers can also keep track of the Volkswagen Style Express on Twitter and see candid photos of all the action on the VW Facebook fan page.

Volkswagen Style Express passengers will be greeted with a special message from Diane von Furstenberg as they cool their heels, enjoy the extra legroom, and transport their shopping bags in the Jetta’s class-leading spacious trunk.

The completely redesigned Jetta, which is Volkswagen of America’s best-selling vehicle, promises to deliver sophisticated style, best-in-class rear legroom, and precision German engineering, all at an accessible price of around $16,000. The all-new Jetta will be available throughout the U.S. in October 2010. The Volkswagen Style Express will be the first-ever chance for consumers to ride in this highly anticipated vehicle.

- Volkswagen of America

Volkswagen Presents the New Jetta

OUTRACE: Control the octopus

Posted: 09 Sep 2010 06:45 AM PDT

Like an immense mechanical octopus, the statistics are staggering: eight industrial robotic arms from Audi’s production line – weighing some 10.4 metric tons altogether – right in the middle of London’s Trafalgar Square. And you can take control of this octopus, whether you use your home computer thousands of kilometers away or your smartphone right in the square. The robots will write your personal text in light traces in the sky; afterwards, you will receive a video of it. This installation will come to life on September 16 when the London Design Festival opens.

Eight industrial robotic arms from Audi’s production line in Trafalgar Square
10.4 metric tons of steel and servomotors can be controlled by smartphone
Outrace: installation by Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram

Visit www.outrace.org to send the robots a message containing no more than 80 characters. LED headlights from the Audi R15 TDI racing car will be mounted at the tips of all eight mechanical tentacles. Weighing 1.3 metric tons each, these eight behemoths will project texts skyward, letter by letter – at heights reaching 3.5 meters yet deviating no more than 0.2 millimeters. High-resolution SLR cameras will capture the resulting “light paintings”, which will then be combined to create a video.

“Outrace” is a project by designers Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram – created specifically for the London Design Festival. The idea of letting the general public directly control a design installation via the Internet is the first of its kind. The same is true of online interactivity. The video messages will be released via the Outrace website and social-media sites (e.g. YouTube), and sent to contributors.

Messages will be chosen at random (language: English) and “written” in real time in Trafalgar Square. A streaming video at www.outrace.org and www.audi.com will allow people worldwide to view the light paintings 24 hours a day for eight days.

- Audi

MY TRACE. YOUR TRACE. OUTRACE

Car and Driver votes Porsche Boxster Spyder as the “best-handling car in America” title

Posted: 09 Sep 2010 06:15 AM PDT

Porsche Boxster voted the sports car with the best handling by US specialist journal

Renowned US specialist journal “Car and Driver” has awarded the Porsche Boxster Spyder the title “best-handling car in America”. Thanks to its outstanding handling characteristics, the open-top mid-engine sports car from Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, asserted itself against six high-class competitors during the test drives at the Waterford Hills race circuit in Michigan. The top model in the Boxster series particularly impressed the experienced testers with its well-balanced chassis, its precise steering and its predictability, especially at the handling limits.

The test result precisely reflects the design of the Boxster Spyder: the two-seater clearly and visibly embodies the puristic form of a Porsche sports car – light, powerful, consistently open-topped plus extremely efficient and economical. At 1275 kilograms, it is the lightest model within the entire Porsche product range. In combination with the 320 hp (239 kW) six-cylinder engine, this enables both extremely sporty dynamics and economical fuel consumption – in short, exemplary Porsche Intelligent Performance. Equipped with Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) and Sport Chrono Package, the Spyder accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds from a standing start, but consumes just 9.3 litres per 100 kilometres (30 mpg imp.) in the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle). The Boxster Spyder’s optical feature is its flat, light fabric hood, which extends far to the rear. Together with the striking double-bubble soft top hardcover on the continuous rear lid, the closed hood lends the two-seater a silhouette which is reminiscent of the Carrera GT.

In terms of its basic concept, the Boxster is regarded as the successor to the legendary 550 Spyder from 1953: mid-engine and roadster concept, low weight, originality and high agility with maximum driving pleasure characterise both vehicles. The 550 Spyder was the first sports car from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen developed specifically for racing. Nevertheless, it was also certified for on-road use. During the subsequent years, the 550-kilogram Spyder achieved numerous victories on the round circuit and in the road races popular at that time.