For the past ten years, everyone here at LotPro.com has been reading the advertisements from Volkswagen with the tag line “Drivers Wanted.” And while that ad campaign may have ended this year, the “Drivers Wanted” sign is being hung out by VW as the company looks for 25 young drivers willing to shell out $45,000 to race in next year’s TDI Cup.

More than Fahrvergnügen

Begun in 2008, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is a single-make series sanctioned by the SCCA that takes place only in North America. As an entry-level series, the TDI Cup is open to drivers between the ages of 16 and 26 with no prior professional racing experience (beyond the go-kart level), although previous TDI Cup entrants are also allowed to re-apply.

Applicants have until December 11th to submit their applications along with the requisite $45,000 entry fee. From these applications, up to 125 candidates will be selected to attend the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup final driver selection event that will be held from February 1st through the 9th in Las Vegas. This event will determine the final 25 driver lineup (plus 10 reserve drivers) for the 2010 season and includes three days of professional driving instruction, autocross competition, track time in a Jetta TDI Cup car, physical fitness training, sponsorship development workshop, marketing and media training as well as the requisite Volkswagen brand familiarization.

2009 Champion Timmy Megenbier

What you get for 45K

The racing season begins in March and ends in October. Each driver competing in the series earns a Pro Racing license from the SCCA at the conclusion of the season. To help defray costs, drivers are permitted a maximum number of 8 approved sponsors. In addition to the $50,000 in prize money awarded during the season, the series champion will receive Volkswagen factory “career advancement” support with a value of up to $100,000.

The career advancement shtick is no empty promise, as the 2009 Champion, Timmy Megenbier, will be traveling to Europe next year to race a full season in the newly-created Volkswagen Scirocco Cup.

For more information on entering, you can visit the VW motorsports site at www.vwmotorsportsusa.com.

All images courtesy of Volkswagen of America

More than Fahrvergnügen

Begun in 2008, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is a single-make series sanctioned by the SCCA that takes place only in North America. As an entry-level series, the TDI Cup is open to drivers between the ages of 16 and 26.

The number of entrants is limited to 30 and, in 2009, a series of ten races was held at eight different venues (Virginia International Raceway and New Jersey Motorsports Park hosted two races each, while Miller Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio, Autobahn Country Club, Mosport, Road Atlanta and Road America each hosted one race).

Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition

“Since our inaugural TDI Cup series in 2008 we have received numerous inquiries as to whether or not we would offer a TDI Cup replica vehicle,” said Mark Barnes, Chief Operating Officer, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “We’re thrilled to announce that a special edition Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition will be available in dealer showrooms early next year. What makes this special edition so unique is that it features the optional, race inspired, TDI Cup body kit package combined with our clean diesel engine. The Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition is one exceptional special model that is as fun-to-drive as it is to look at,” added Barnes.

Unveiled at last year’s SEMA show, the original Street Edition concept has moved around the country, being displayed at each of the TDI Cup races this year.

Specs

The actual production TDI Cup Street Edition features the front bumper, lower side skirts and rear valance found on the TDI Cup race cars. But there are functional differences as well: all Street Edition Jettas will feature the larger brakes (with red calipers), sway bars and sport suspension featured on the Jetta GLI.

The same 2.0-liter, 140 hp turbocharged direct injection engine that powers the regular Jetta TDI is also found under the hood of the Street Edition. Ditto the standard six-speed manual and optional DSG six-speed automatic.

Additional upgrades include cloth sport seats, a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel and, last but certainly not least, 18” Charleston wheels in place of the standard 6.5J x 16” alloys.

Pricing

Pricing of the standard Jetta TDI begins at $22,270 and Volkswagen has stated that pricing on the Street Edition will start at “around” $25,000 – meaning all the extra goodies should amount to about a $3,000 premium over a run-of-the-mill TDI.

MINI

2009 MINI Cooper Convertible

It’s been almost two years since the second generation MINI hardtop was introduced, so it’s about time for a new convertible. Practical changes from the first generation include a rear roll bar that now rests in the retracted position for better rearward visibility as well as a trunk that is larger by almost 2 cubic feet that is accessed by a new clamshell-style lid.

Another small improvement is the split folding rear seat that replaces the one-piece seatback of the original, allowing for more passenger/hauling versatility. Finally, for those of you who simply must know this information, MINI is offering, as an option, a gauge (which they call an Openometer) next to the tach. This will track your top-down engine-on time and will download this information to the trip computer which will store the information for the lifetime of the vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO

Somewhat lost amidst the glitz and glamour of the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss (and overlooked in our last article), is the Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO.

Here in the United States, we’re used to seeing only the big sedans out of Stuttgart, while over in Europe, drivers have been cavorting around in the A-Class (think Ford Ka) for years and in the B-Class (think Ford Fiesta) since 2005.

According to some sources, the styling of the BlueZERO represents the direction for the next-generation B-Class, while the various powertrains (there are three) are meant to demonstrate what is currently under development for alternative sources of power.

The BlueZERO E-Cell is a plug-in electric with a range of 125 miles. The E-Cell Plus uses a smaller battery pack but augments this with the 1.0 liter 67 horsepower turbocharged engine from the Smart Fortwo, thus extending the range up to 370 miles. The F-Cell uses a hydrogen fuel cell to power an electric motor and gives the vehicle a range of 249 miles.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen BlueSport Concept

Volkswagen chose the 2009 Detroit Auto Show to showcase the latest in clean diesel technology. With the company reporting solid sales of the Jetta TDI sedan and TDI SportWagen, new, clean-diesel TDI versions of the Touareg SUV and Rabbit will soon be arriving in the American market.

With much of the company’s resources allocated to clean-diesel technology, VW chose to unveil its latest concept vehicle – the Volkswagen BlueSport. Boasting a top speed of 140 mph while, at the same time, managing to get a claimed 42 mpg on the highway, this turbocharged 2.0 liter diesel generates 180 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque at only 1750 rpm. Equipped with a 6-speed double-clutch transmission, the BlueSport is capable of zero to 60 times of 6.2 seconds.

Aluminum and other lightweight materials keep overall vehicle weight to 2,600 pounds, while regenerative braking and an automatic engine start-stop system further contribute to fuel efficiency.

The good folks at Kelley Blue book are finishing up another year where their site, www.kbb.com, saw over 140 million unique visitors for the third year in a row. During these “visits”, people looked at cars, cars and more cars. But what were they looking at? “The site traffic on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com demonstrates what is on the minds of today’s new-car shoppers, especially when examining the most-researched new-vehicles of 2008,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com. “Continued interest in Honda and Toyota, Chevrolet’s home-run Malibu redesign and an increase in visits to more fuel-efficient, economical vehicles is an accurate reflection of the marketplace in 2008.”

So how does your “best” list stack up against the visitors to the Kelley site? Here, in alphabetical order, are the top 20 searches. Want to know the order of finish? See if you can guess and it’s listed at the end of the article.

Chevrolet

Malibu

Chevrolet division (and General Motors) had just one model in the KBB top 20 list this year and it was an important one. Voted the North American Car of the Year, the new Malibu is an important step for the General in the climb back to engineering, styling and quality prominence in the world market.

Ford

Escape
Mustang

Ford brand has two vehicles on the list with both the Escape SUV and the Mustang. The Escape represents Ford’s most fuel-efficient sport utility with the new Escape Hybrid delivering 20 mpg on the city cycle and 28 mpg on the highway. Meanwhile the Mustang, Ford’s iconic pony car, is set to celebrate its 45th anniversary in April of 2009.

Honda

Accord
Civic
CR-V
Fit
Odyssey
Pilot

Honda lands in second place in the nameplate segment with six vehicles on KBB’s 2008 list – reflecting the brand’s high marks in quality, fuel efficiency and resale value.

Mazda

Mazda3

Mazda’s smaller “zoom-zoom” sedan makes it on the list and is also a perennial favorite with the enthusiast press. Not only does the 3 run circles around most of its peers, it also offers outstanding gas mileage.

MINI

MINI Cooper

The MINI Cooper may finally put the rest the notion that you can’t sell a premium small car in the United States. Equipped with the base 1.6 liter 4-cylinder engine, the MINI achieves 28 mpg city/37 mpg highway with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Nissan

Altima

Nissan’s mid-size entry offers a choice of two body styles – coupe and sedan – as well as the choice of a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine, a 3.5 liter V-6 as well as a hybrid powertrain option available only on the sedan.

Toyota

Camry
Corolla
Highlander
Prius
RAV4
Sienna
Yaris

Toyota garners first place in the manufacturer’s category with 7 entries. You can say what you will about bland interiors and middle-of-the-road handling, but the Japanese firm’s reputation for quality and reliability keep it at the top.

Volkswagen

Jetta

The re-introduction of a diesel in the form of the clean-burning, fuel-efficient (30 city/41 highway mpg) Jetta TDI had a lot to do with raising the German brand’s awareness above and beyond “fahrvergnügen” as Green Car Journal’s 2009 Green Car of the Year.

The winning order:

1.    Honda Civic
2.    Honda Accord
3.    Toyota Camry
4.    Toyota Corolla
5.    Nissan Altima
6.    Honda CR-V
7.    Toyota Prius
8.    Toyota Highlander
9.    Toyota RAV4
10.    Mazda3
11.    Toyota Yaris
12.    Ford Escape
13.    Honda Odyssey
14.    Honda Pilot
15.    Honda Fit
16.    Ford Mustang
17.    Chevrolet Malibu
18.    Toyota Sienna
19.    MINI Cooper
20.    Volkswagen Jetta

NACOTY and NATOTY awards

Patterned after the European “Car of the Year” award, the North American awards were first given in 1994. The jury is composed of no more than 50 journalists from the United States and Canada. In order to be eligible for consideration, a vehicle must be “substantially changed” from the previous model and be on sale shortly after the announcement of the award in early January. In addition:

•    Cars must have reasonably foreseeable annual sales in North America of 5,000 vehicles.

•    Trucks must have reasonably foreseeable annual sales in North America of 2,000 vehicles.

The three finalists are announced in December and the winners are unveiled at a press conference at the beginning of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit (although the show does not sponsor the awards in any way).

Award trivia: During its sixteen years, hybrids have been honored 4 times. Domestic automakers have garnered eight awards, Japanese automakers have won the award three times and European automakers have received the award four times (for Car of the Year). In the Truck of the Year competition, domestic automakers have taken the award home 9 times, Japanese automakers have won 4 times, while European automakers have won twice.

This year’s finalists are:

Car of the Year

 Ford Flex

Hyundai Genesis

Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Truck of the Year

Dodge Ram

Ford F-150

Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC

15th year of awards program

2009 marks the 15th year of Wards Automotive Magazine’s 10 Best Engines list. Not only is this the North American auto industry’s only award of its kind, it is, according to Wards, “considered by many to be the ‘Oscars” for automotive engines.”

This year, six of the magazine’s editors nominated a total of 32 different engines and the list consisted of last year’s winners plus all-new engines as well as those that had received significant improvement over a previous design. In order to qualify, each engine must be available in a regular-production U.S.-specification model scheduled to be on-sale no later than the end of the first quarter of 2009. Vehicles the engines are available in are given a price ceiling of $54,000 in a price cap formula that is indexed to the average cost of a new vehicle.

So without further ado, the winners are (in alphabetical manufacturer’s order)

Audi 2.0 liter TFSI turbocharged DOHC I-4 (A4 Avant)
Freshly revamped with 211 hp and 258 lb.-ft. of torque for the new A4, this marks a fourth consecutive 10 Best for Audi’s turbocharged 4.

BMW 3.0 liter turbocharged DOHC I-6 (135i Coupe)
The twin-turbocharged, direct-injected gasoline I-6 returns for a third year with 300 hp and 300 lb.-ft. of torque.

BMW 3.0 liter turbodiesel (335d)
A sequential twin-turbocharger system delivers impressive fuel economy as well as 265 hp and a stump-pulling 425 lb.-ft. of torque.

Chrysler 5.7 liter Hemi OHV V-8 (Dodge Ram/Challenger R/T)
The Hemi returns with more refinement, power (376 hp) and variable-valvetrain and induction technology.

Ford 2.5 liter DOHC I-4 HEV (Escape Hybrid)
A redesigned Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine with intake variable cam timing (iVCT) enables spark and cam timing to be varied according to engine load for optimal fuel efficiency.

General Motors 3.6 liter DOHC V-6 (Cadillac CTS)
Equipped with direct-gasoline injection, the second appearance for this advanced V-6 was tested in the CTS (it also appears in GM’s CUVs) and delivers 304 hp using regular grade gasoline.

Honda 3.5 liter SOHC V-6 (Accord Coupe)
This Honda V-6 with 271 hp and 254 lb.-ft. of torque is individually tailored for the Accord coupe and sedan. 4 doors will give you the version with cylinder deactivation technology for fuel economy while in the coupe, sans deactivation, it’s designed to deliver a fatter torque curve.

Hyundai 4.6 liter DOHC V-8 (Genesis)
The automaker’s first V-8 produces 375 hp and 333 lb.-ft. of torque. It features a die-cast block, 2-stage intake manifold and continuously variable valve timing for both intake and exhaust.

Toyota 3.5 liter DOHC V-6 (Lexus IS 350)
Toyota wins a fourth consecutive award with this V-6 that employs a combination direct and port-injection fuel system that helps this engine produce 306 hp and 277 lb.-ft. of torque.

Volkswagen 2.0 liter SOHC I-4 Turbodiesel (Jetta TDI)
VW’s newest turbodiesel is certified in all 50 states and produces 140 hp and 236 lb.-ft. of torque. Boasting EPA figures of 30 city/41 highway, this compression ignition engine makes for a much more entertaining alternative to most hybrids.

Green Car of the Year

In the world of automotive awards, GCOTY is a fairly new one. Established just three years ago, the first one was awarded to the 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid. A year later, the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid was the recipient, while last year, the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid received the award that was presented, for the first time, at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

In order to qualify for a nomination, a vehicle must, according to Green Car Journal, “exhibit characteristics that substantially raise the bar in environmental performance and be in production by January 1 of the award year.” In addition, each nominee is driven by Green Car Journal so that its driving characteristics can be observed first-hand. Nominee vehicles must also be in production to make sure they are actually available in the market during their award year.

The winner is selected by an 11 member panel that is comprised of both automotive as well as environmental experts. Past jurors have included such luminaries as Jean-Michael Cousteau of the Ocean Futures Society and TV personality and major car aficionado Jay Leno.

2009 Nominees

In alphabetical order, here are the 2009 nominees:

2009 BMW 335d

The 335d is BMW’s first U.S. diesel sedan in almost 20 years. Equipped with a 3.0 liter turbocharged direct injection diesel, this 3-series Bimmer produces 265 horsepower and a stump-pulling 425 lb.-ft. of torque.

Engine: 3.0-liter inline-six diesel
Emissions, EPA/CARB: Tier 2, Bin 5/LEV
Horsepower: 265
Fuel Economy, city/hwy mpg: 23/33 (EPA)
Base MSRP: $44,725

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Just introduced at the L.A. Show, the hybrid Fusion receives the same makeover as the rest of the lineup for 2010. Under the hood, the hybrid benefits from the same new 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine with intake variable cam timing as the Escape/Mariner hybrids, the green-friendly models produce 155 hp and 136 lb-ft of torque.

Engine: 2.5-liter inline-four, gasoline-electric hybrid
Emissions, EPA/CARB: Tier 2, Bin 5/AT-PZEV
Horsepower: 155
Fuel Economy, city/hwy mpg: 38/35 (est.)
Base MSRP: $27,000-$30,000 (est.)

2009 Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid

The second generation Saturn Vue was introduced at last years Los Angeles Auto Show and, like its smaller brother the Astra, it’s a re-badged Opel, although in Europe it is known as the Antara. The Vue benefits from the first application of the General’s two-mode hybrid technology in a V-6 front-driver.

Engine: 3.6-liter V-6, gasoline-electric hybrid
Emissions, EPA/CARB: Tier 2, Bin 5/AT-PZEV
Horsepower: 255
Fuel Economy, city/hwy mpg: 28/31 (est.)
Base MSRP: Under $33,000

Smart Fortwo

The Fortwo is certainly the latest way for environmental fashionistas to wear their colors. Ideal for urban prowling, the fortwo, with its short wheelbase and lack of storage space, is less suited for spirited driving or family vacations. EPA numbers of 33 city/41 highway are impressive, but 0-60 times are best measured with an hourglass.

Engine: 1.0-liter inline three
Emissions, EPA/CARB: Tier 2 Bin 5/ULEV
Horsepower: 70
Fuel Economy, city/hwy mpg: 33/41 (EPA)
Base MSRP: $11,990

2009 VW Jetta TDI

Here’s where the fun starts. The VW, it must be noted, is the antithesis of the Fortwo. It has terrific handling, plenty of space and a clean diesel engine that meets emissions certification in all 50 states. To top it all off, fuel economy is 30 city/41 highway, with many drivers claiming close to 50 mpg.

Engine: 2.0-liter inline-four, diesel
Emissions, EPA/CARB: Tier 2, Bin 5/SULEV
Horsepower: 140
Fuel Economy, city/hwy mpg: 30/41 (EPA)
Base MSRP: $21,990

And the winner is…

As it announced this afternoon, the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI becomes the first-ever clean diesel to win Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year honor. From all of us here at LotPro.com, a tip of the hat to Volkswagen!