A collaboration between Volkswagen rallycross driver Tanner Foust and famed Porsche tuners RAUH-Welt Begriff (RWB) will be shown at SEMA this week.
According to press materials, Foust and RWB’s Akira Nakai have been in discussions to partner on a project for nearly ten years. Foust’s partnership with Volkswagen created an opportunity for collaboration because of the Beetle’s close historical ties to Porsche–the make most frequently associated with RWB.

“Many Porsche owners like the Beetle. The Beetle is a very good car and it looks like a Porsche a little bit,” said Nakai. “It is similar, but a Beetle is not a Porsche, so we made a completely new design for this Beetle.”

The 2014 Beetle R on which the Tanner Foust Racing ENEOS RWB Beetle is based has been comprehensively overhauled. It is eight inches wider than the standard car thanks to a custom WAUH-Welt Begriff wide body kit. The wheels are Motegi Racing Traklites with a custom lip. Inside, Volkswagen R-Line accessories set the custom Beetle apart from its showroom cousins.

No engine or suspension details have been revealed, however the announcement does state that “further performance upgrades are in development for the future.”

Ford has released a teaser video hinting at a new high-performance track car to be unveiled next month.
The segment is short on specific details, instead focusing on executive comments related to Ford’s performance and racing heritage.

“It’s very important for us to have the street cred to be able to back up what you see in our vehicles, in terms of performance, with actual results in how we do in racing around the world,” says CEO Mark Fields. “We can compete with anybody … and win.”

A few brief teaser angles show a “Powered by Ford” engine, aluminum pedals, alloy wheels and black grille. The segment ends with the low rumble of an idling engine, with a reference to November 17 — just in time for the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The teaser meshes with recent rumors surrounding an upcoming high-performance Mustang, likely the GT350, that is due for a formal introduction. It is expected to be powered by a 5.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine.

Separate reports suggest Ford is also working on a hardcore track-focused GT350 package, which is expected to omit rear seats in favor of additional bracing. A pair of racing seats up front, a wider stance and gigantic brake rotors are named among the anticipated tweaks.

The latest video appears to be the first in a series of five, suggesting additional hints are likely to surface soon.

General Motors’ victim fund has received nearly 200 applications seeking compensation for deaths in vehicles with defective ignition switches.
The program has received a total of 1772 applications, mostly related to injuries, according to an update released on Monday. Only 61 have been approved so far, guaranteeing compensation for 30 deaths and 31 injuries.

The latest numbers show an increasing gap between GM’s own death count, which stands at 13, and the tally of fatalities that have been deemed eligible for compensation under the program. A data analysis of anomalous deaths in affected vehicles suggested the company may have underestimated by a factor of five or more.

The automaker has allocated $400 million to pay victims and families, however it will likely face a much higher penalty if the Department of Justice pursues a settlement to resolve any potential criminal charges.

In the meantime, safety watchdogs have shifted their attention to Honda, Takata and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The companies and the agency are all facing criticism over their roles in the exploding airbag recall, though current estimates suggest the problem is responsible for far fewer deaths than GM’s defective ignition switches.

Acura has previewed a trio of modified TLX sedans that will be headed to Las Vegas for SEMA.
The company has teamed with Galpin Auto Sports to build a lightly modified TLX, complete with a custom body kit. The aero package gives the sedan a unique appearance with new front and rear bumpers, side skirts and a deck-lid spoiler.

The Galpin package also features 19-inch gunmetal alloy wheels, an adjustable suspension kit and Wilwood Superlite calipers on 14-inch rotors for the front and rear axles.

SEMA attendees will get a chance to check out a twin-turbo TLX GT race car, jointly developed for the Pirelli World Challenge by Honda Performance Development and RealTime Racing.

Showcasing the available options for a production TLX, the company will also bring a sedan outfitted with an Acura Genuine Accessories package. It features an aero kit, deck-lid spoiler, diamond-cut alloy wheels and chrome door trim, among other upgrades.

Porsche is conducting a voluntary recall of 1,382 recent 911, Boxster and Cayman models sold in the United States to address a hood lock bracket that failed internal quality control testing.

Installed on 2014 and 2015 model-year vehicles, the latch passes all mandated strength requirements, but according to Porsche’s statement, “…it was determined that these specific parts may not meet Porsche-specific quality standards throughout the life cycle of the vehicle.”

Porsche discovered the issue during its routine quality control testing and a fix was implemented for vehicles still in production. Owners of the affected vehicles will be notified within the next two months and Porsche assures that the replacement procedure will pose little inconvenience, taking only approximately half an hour.

The recall covers 4,428 vehicles worldwide, none of which have been involved in any related incidents that have been reported to Porsche.