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Project Car Hell, Air-Cooled Inferno Edition: oval-window Beetle or Type 34 Karmann Ghia?

Here we are in the Automotive Lake of Fire again, and we feel compelled to follow up a couple of marginal-classic Fiat projects with a pair of indisputable classic Volkswagens. After Ferdinand Porsche appropriated the basic design for the original Beetle from Tatra designer Hans Ledwinka (but before Tatra successfully sued Volkswagen), Volkswagen turned one innovative rear-engined vehicle platform into quite a lineup of cars and trucks. These days, while some types of air-cooled VW projects are cheap and plentiful, the rarer ones are much-sought-after and tough to find in semi-restorable condition.

Audi readying new crossover to rival the BMW X6

Audi has kicked off development of a new performance-orientated crossover model to directly counter the BMW X6. Set to be called the Q6 when it reaches North American showrooms, the five-seat crossover is rumored to be based around the same all-wheel-drive underpinnings as the second-generation Volkswagen Touareg and the Porsche Cayenne, both of which use a short-wheelbase version of the Volkswagen Group's so-called Colorado platform that in long-wheelbase guise is also used in the Audi Q7. Nothing has been made official, but in an interview with the German media at the Geneva motor show, Audi boss Rupert Stadler alluded to the crossover, saying, “We can imagine a model between the Q5 and the Q7 .

Seat Altea Freetrack unveiled

By Tim Pollard Motor Shows 08 June 2007 10:56 Seat Altea Freetrack: the lowdown Bandwagon alert! Seat is the latest manufacturer to join the soft-roader club, with the Freetrack version of the Altea XL, unveiled at this week's Barcelona Motor Show. It joins a growing list of Skoda Scouts, Volkswagen Dunes and Renault Conquests as mass-market makers toughen up their regular models with the 4x4 look.