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Volkswagen is integrating AirConsole, a gaming platform developed by N-Dream, into infotainment screens on 2027 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan, Golf GTI, Golf R and ID vehicles. The 20-title lineup includes Tetris, Pac-Man Championship Edition and Uno Car Party, with phones serving as wireless controllers and gameplay restricted to when the car is parked.
Germany's automotive sector is confronting a sharp downturn, with European car sales dropping from nearly 18 million units in 2019 to about 13 million in 2025. Rising competition from Chinese manufacturers, new 25 percent US tariffs on imports, and an aging workforce have combined to push Volkswagen Group toward considering shutting four of its domestic factories, a move once thought unimaginable.
Volkswagen unveiled and actually drove a new prototype EV called Mission Efficiency, taking it nearly 800 miles from Wolfsburg to Vienna with just one charging stop. The car averaged about 279 MPGe on the trip, using the motor and battery from the ID. Polo housed in an aerodynamic, teardrop-shaped body with a drag coefficient of just 0.158.
Volkswagen unveiled the Mission Efficiency, a near-production electric coupe prototype built on its MEB+ platform that shares components with the upcoming ID. Polo and ID. Cross models. The teardrop-shaped car achieved a drag coefficient of 0.158, which VW says makes it the world's most aerodynamic road-legal vehicle, and completed a 1,278 km trip from Wolfsburg to Vienna on one charge of its 54.9 kWh battery, arriving with 164 km of range left.
A study by Austrian battery-analysis firm Aviloo, based on over 500,000 tests across 20 popular EV models including Tesla's Model Y and Volkswagen's ID.4, found median battery health ranging from 87 to 94 percent after 150,000 kilometers of use. The research found degradation levels between 91-97 percent at 50,000km and 88-95 percent at 100,000km, though rates varied widely depending on climate, battery size and driving habits.
Bentley let journalists ride in a heavily disguised preproduction version of its upcoming 2027 Torcal, an electric SUV built on the same platform as the electrified Porsche Cayenne. The vehicle features artificial exterior body panels and interior coverings to hide its true design, and despite being smaller than the Bentayga, it offers a notably spacious cabin and refined ride quality using off-the-shelf two-chamber air suspension.
Volkswagen's Executive Board has formally approved a restructuring program dubbed Future Plan 2030, confirming it will eliminate 50,000 jobs, including management positions, to hit a nine percent operating margin target by 2030. The plan also involves halving its model lineup, cutting product complexity by 75 percent, and reportedly retiring the Seat brand while keeping Cupra. Volkswagen says European factories are running over 500,000 units above demand, and it will decide the fate of plants in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Neckarsulm by mid-2027.