Wheels Blog: Wheelies: The Juiced Beetle Edition

Volkswagen of America The Volkswagen Beetle R-Line features sportier front and rear bumpers and 19-inch “Tornado” aluminum-alloy wheels.

In which we bring you motoring news from around the Web:

• Volkswagen announced a new gasoline engine Friday morning – a third generation EA888 turbocharged 2-liter 4-cylinder – for the Beetle Turbo, the Beetle Turbo convertible, a sportier Beetle Turbo called the R-Line and the Volkswagen Jetta GLI. The company said that the new engine, rated at 210 horsepower, was lighter, more powerful and more fuel efficient than its predecessor. It will be manufactured in Volkswagen’s Silao, Mexico, factory. Volkswagen said in a news release that the 2013 Beetle Turbo was able to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6.6 seconds with the new motor, a couple of tenths of a second quicker than last year’s model. (Volkswagen of America)

• The 2014 Corvette Stingray has been named the official pace car for the 97th Indianapolis 500 on May 26. General Motors’ Indy 500 pace car streak has been unbroken since 1997; eight of those cars have been Corvettes. Perhaps the strangest pace car the company has entered during that time was an Oldsmobile Bravada, in 2001. In the end, parading the compact S.U.V. around the track did nothing to help the struggling Oldsmobile brand, which was canceled in 2004. But G.M.’s choice of the Stingray, the price of which was just announced last week, seems more in keeping with the company’s racing heritage. (Yahoo Autos)

• Pilot Corporation, which operates Pilot Flying J truck stops all over the country, is the subject of yet another lawsuit, with Edis Trucking of Franksville, Wis., claiming that Pilot scammed its customers out of fuel rebates and discounts. Suits had already been filed in several federal judicial districts. Jimmy Haslam, the company’s chief executive and owner of the Cleveland Browns National Football League franchise, has been personally named in the suit and said that he would cooperate with a federal investigation into allegations of racketeering. A federal investigator accused Mr. Haslam and other Pilot Flying J employees of engaging in a scheme that involved withholding fuel rebates, and mail and interstate/foreign wire fraud, although no charges have been filed. (Bloomberg Businessweek)

• The electric carmaker Coda filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, confirming that it would be restructuring and looking for a buyer. That more likely than not means the end of Coda’s 2012 sedan, which reached the market last July. Aside from a less than stellar track performance when tested by Edmunds’ The Inside Line, the car received a two-star frontal crash test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Coda had reduced the price of the car from nearly $40,000 to less than $25,000 in December. (The Washington Post)

• With auto manufacturers moving toward production of lighter, more fuel efficient cars, the demand for aluminum has increased. The American aluminum manufacturer Alcoa announced plans Thursday to produce more sheet aluminum for automotive use. The expansion includes a $275 million investment in its Alcoa, Tenn., rolling mill and $300 million for its plant in Davenport, Iowa. (The National Post)