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Volkswagen filed a voluntary recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) affecting 47,651 2019 and 2020 Jetta sedans.The problem affects vehicles with a traditional ignition switch, where the polyfuse may fail, furthering the risk of a crash. Owner notification letters are scheduled to be mailed out October 27, and dealers will replace affected fuses for free.Volkswagen is recalling 47,651 Jetta sedans from the 2019 and 2020 model years to solve a problem with the ignition in vehicles with a traditional ignition switch. According to a filing with NHTSA, the switch’s polyfuse can fail, potentially leading to the vehicle’s electrical system shutting down and causing the engine to stall while driving. Marc Urbano|Car and DriverAccording to the documents filed with NHTSA, drivers will see two warnings displayed on the dash if the problem occurs: “Ignition switch off, safely stop the vehicle,” followed by “Starter system faulty, please service vehicle.” Recent RecallsThe issue appears to be more prevalent when the car is operated in high-temperature areas, though the root cause of the issue is still being investigated. Owner notification letters are scheduled to be sent to Jetta owners on October 27. Owners with an affected Jetta will be able to bring their vehicle to local dealers who will replace the ignition switch for free. In the meantime, owners can find out if their vehicle is included in the recall by checking the NHTSA recalls site.Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

This new concept car from Volkswagen shows what a sportier version of the ID.7 electric sedan could look like.It’s called the ID.X Performance concept and it features a 551-hp dual-motor electric powertrain.We don’t think this concept will become a production car, but a dual-motor version of the ID.7 is likely coming soon.Volkswagen’s new ID.7 sedan isn’t the most exciting new electric car slated to hit the market soon, but this new concept version created for an EV festival in Switzerland certainly attracts attention. It’s called the ID.X Performance concept and it ramps up the ID.7’s fun factor thanks to a more powerful drivetrain, a modified suspension, and all sorts of visual add-ons.VolkswagenThe standard ID.7 has a 282-horsepower electric motor powering the rear wheels, but the ID.X has a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with front and rear electric motors producing a whopping 551 hp. There’s also a locking differential for the rear. The suspension is lowered by 2.3 inches, and cool-looking 10-spoke bronze wheels are wrapped in aggressive Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.Volkswagen also fitted a body kit including a front splitter and a rear diffuser, and mounted a giant wing on the rear decklid. The taillights are also darkened. Inside, there are red accents and aggressively bolstered front seats.VolkswagenWe don’t think anything like this concept will reach production, but Volkswagen has hinted at sportier ID-badged EVs such as the ID.GTI concept shown recently at the Munich auto show. A more powerful dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version of the ID.7 is also slated to join the lineup later on.More on the ID.7This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior EditorDespite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.   More

The boxily pragmatic little Fiat Panda arguably reflects the true modern Italy more than a Fiat 500 or any Ferrari you could name.This example is a limited-edition 4×4 model from the final year of the first generation.With a rugged Steyr-Puch 4×4 driveline, it’s the Aspromonte Goat of cars.The Panda is such a cultural phenomenon in Italy that Fiat once released a documentary about an island where Pandas outnumber the human population. The boxy original was penned by designer Giorgetto Giugiaro in 1979, and so many of them were sold over the years that you still find them cluttering back alleys in Rome or parked in a dusty yard in the countryside. Car and DriverIf you’ve ever been to Italy, you’ve seen Pandas all over the place. Now, here’s a chance to bring home this piece of Italianata.This 1985 Fiat Panda 4×4 Edizione Limitata is up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. For the original Panda, 1985 was the final year of production, and this one was refurbished in Bologna, Italy, before being shipped across the Atlantic to Connecticut. Bring a TrailerModern HistoryThe 4×4 version of the Panda, which launched in 1983, is an incredibly scrappy little off-roader despite modest horsepower. It came with a slightly reinforced body shell, to which was fitted an entire four-wheel-drive driveline from Austrian specialist Steyr-Puch. Yes, the same Steyr-Puch that built the original Mercedes-Benz G-wagen.Bring a TrailerPop open this Panda’s stubby hood and you’ll find—oh hey, there’s the spare tire. But nestled under it is a 965cc four-cylinder engine that was rebuilt as part of the refurbishment process. It made 48 horsepower when new, and while that might not sound like a great deal, those are Italian horsepowers. They don’t actually go any faster, but you get to flap your hands around and make a lot more noise when exercising them.Bring a TrailerAnd you did catch the part about the G-wagen, right? This little car might be the size of Danny DeVito, but it is as ruggedly off-road capable as Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. This is 1988’s Twins in car form.Bring a TrailerThe odometer shows just 38,000 miles (in the kilometer equivalent), but what really seals the deal here is the comprehensive refurbishment. Were you to flip this Panda on its roof—not a physical impossibility given the feathery curb weight—you could eat right off its underside. It is clean and tidy, and ready to get some mud on its fenders.Never mind lusting after some Ferrari hypercar that never gets driven. A boxy Fiat with goat-like off-road ability? Now that’s a proper paisan of an Italian car.This auction ends Thursday, September 14.Recent Bring a Trailer AuctionsContributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More