Car News

Jürgen Stackmann, head of the Volkswgen brand, has confirmed to Automotive News Europe the new Golf will have its global launch on the week beginning February 24, 2020. Stackmann also confirmed earlier reports the Mark VIII Golf was delayed due to bugs in its software, with the brand chief nominating the new over-the-air system update system as the primary cause.

Waymo has announced it will lease space at American Axle & Manufacturing's Holbrook Avenue factory, which was last used for axle production in 2012. "We've found the perfect facility in Detroit," John Krafcik, Waymo's CEO, told Automotive News. "We will partner with American Axle & Manufacturing to repurpose the existing facility, bringing a work force back to an area where jobs in the automotive industry were recently lost."

Volkswagen is preparing the ID R for its record attempt on the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife, putting it through its paces in France. The focus of testing, according to Volkswagen, is to nail down the car's battery management software so it's able to make a charge last the full 20.832km circuit.

On this week's episode of CarAdvice, Trent Nikolic and Paul Maric talk about Victoria's new police cars, chat electric car pricing and the Toyota Prius, and spend some time behind the wheel of the roaring Lexus GS F. In car news, the Volkswagen Passat has been handed its badge and gun for service on the Victorian police force, replacing decades of Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores.

For a long time, China has been an easy target for automotive enthusiasts. Silly names, copycat designs and laughable crash test results showed how far the Middle Kingdom's automotive industry languished behind its Asian neighbours, not to mention Europe.