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Monday, September 1, 2008

VW and its dealers butting heads over Jetta TDI?

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We recently received a note from an anonymous source indicating that there's a mildly strained relationship between VW and some of its dealers. The source of the consternation seems to be the highly anticipated Jetta TDI, which was just recently released in the U.S. market. Apparently, Volkswagen of America has gotten complaints that some dealers are adding a significant markup on the new and desirable model -- a big problem for many automakers when a new model makes its initial introduction. The dealers are eager to make some money on the new cars while VW is concerned that customers may just look elsewhere because they feel they're being treated unfairly. What's more, some VW dealers may not be all that excited by the new model as there aren't that many available quite yet.

This is a situation that's frustrating for the dealers, VW and, most importantly, prospective customers. Volkswagen promises that the situation will improve, and we hope it does. If the clean diesel engine is truly capable of returning the kind of fuel mileage that VW says it can, the Jetta TDI sedan and Sportwagen may indeed offer an ideal alternative to gasoline-sipping hybrids, that is, if customers can put up with the buying process.

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First look at facelifted Mercedes SLK

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We've been seeing spy shots of the upcoming facelifted Mercedes-Benz SLK for some time now, awaiting its unveiling to see what those zany Germans have been up to on the baby SL, and now the first factory-released images have surfaced on the internet.

The most prevalent changes have been made cosmetically to the front end, where Mercedes seeks to capitalize even further on its ties with Formula One - not only does Mercedes partner in the McLaren team, but the SLK itself can often be seen pulling duty as safety car at grands prix. The F1-style nose and front bumper are accompanied by new tail-lights out back and a refreshed interior with redesigned seats and a more subdued center console.

The updated SLK also benefits from a revised 3.5-liter V6 with an anticipated 10 extra horsepower over the current version. More details will be made available as we close in on the car's official unveiling in the spring, but we'll be on the look-out in the meantime, so watch this space. Mercedes-Benz does not yet have the images up on its press site, so enjoy these branded pics courtesy of AutoExpress in the meantime - check out the gallery below.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Gallery: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

 

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