Self-parking cars aren't really a new idea, but with the design the Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Laboratory is working on, only minimal modifications are required a vehicle's stock options. The main sensor systems consist of a camera mounted on the rear view mirror, a front radar, and " couple little off the shelf LIDAR units mounted on the sides." They'll need to make a few more modification to take care of the system's inability to detect obstacles (be it people or terrain), but other than that tiny detail, this is the best autonomous parking prototype I've seen so far. [BotJunkie]

Level Green opened on June 4 this year, and was built by Berlin architects, J Mayer H, and designed by Art+Com. They took design cues from the PET recycle logo, and built the complex structures using wood composite sheets reinforced with steel, and sprayed with acrylic-based car paint.

The installations include touch-sensitive screens mounted on vertical surfaces that provide info on the various displays and models. [Autostadt (translated) via Deezen]

[Jalopnik]

The car is sectioned off into two pods connected by a central hinge—one for the driver and one for working passengers. And, because the wheels are fixed to the outside of the pods, the space inside is maximized. All-in-all the T6 is a fantastic looking concept, but it seems a little impractical given videoconferencing alternatives. Still, in certain situations, it would offer companies the chance to get out of a stuffy boardroom and bring employees to interesting new locations or provide a close-up view of a construction project. Again, the T6 is only a concept at the moment, so I wouldn't expect Volkswagen to be rolling them off the assembly line anytime soon. [Cardesign via AutoMotto via The Design Blog]

If you hop over to their site, you'll see how the display works to combine information from cameras, lasers, ultrasound and radar to warn you of upcoming problems on the road. The HUD is really not so dissimilar from modern day racing games.

Other touted features include intelligent navigation that borders on autopilot, but that's only if you're clever enough to get into a car with no door handles. For the full experience of 20 years in the future, head on over to the VW link (or, for the extremely patient, just wait 20 years). [VW via Yanko]

This will probably be another exercise in incorporation, where iPod functionality is integrated into the car as it was on BMW 7 series. We're hoping it's considerably more substantial than the iPod integration into the Honda Civic Hybrid, which we've tested here and had a hard time getting enthusiastic about.

But if rumors from last month are true, we might see additional niceties on board, such as Wi-Fi and maybe even a Mac mini, totally driving drivers to distraction. Just don't check your email at 80mph, please. [Capital, via MacRumors]

In case you don't recall the LG FM37, it has a nice clean design because LG has eliminated most of the buttons up front in favor of a 2.4-inch touchscreen LCD. It can play back 4GB worth of your favorite MPEG-4, Windows Media9, MP3, WMA and Ogg files, and we're told that it'll be first available only in Korea. Too bad those two young lovelies won't be included, but you can click over to the next page and see one more picture of them.

What does the FM37 have to do with the Beetle? Besides the colors, maybe its e-book support will make long trips in the tiny VW bug seem more pleasant. Now we're just wondering about the price, which some sources say is $200 but when we saw it in January it was $320. – Charlie White

LG FM37 PMP in tune with the Volkswagen Beetle [Newlaunches]

I am a Honda driver, but a little space in my heart is usually reserved for VW, until now. This is just ridiculous, but luckily the campaign is only happening in Spain. –Travis Hudson

Product Page (Spanish) [Via Gadget Lab]

If it didn't take such a supreme effort, this could be a good prank to pull on that guy who thinks his "V-Dub" is so frickin' cool. – Charlie White

Chocolate Covered Car [Spluch]

Volkswagen nailed this one. Click to see the variety of beautifully-designed V-Dub sleds, with seven pics in all.

Hey, sleds are important to those of us out here on the frozen tundra, giving us something to do when we're not bowling or flying our radio-controlled helicopters indoors. – Charlie White

Volkswagen Snow Sleds [Carscoop, via Born Rich]

We hear the Beatles sound good on it. – Charlie White

Jada Toys I-Playaz Chub City Interactive Volkswagen [iLounge]

Winner of a RedDot Design Award for 2006, it's a self-contained audio and video womb which invites you into it innocently enough, and then once you're sitting down, it wraps around you and practically forces you to stare at only the highest-end audio and visual entertainment. Certainly not for the claustrophobic.

Looks like a perfect environment in which to brainwash somebody. It was designed for trade shows, and we say, good. If they're going to brainwash us anyway, they might as well make us comfortable and show us some decent-quality video while they're at it. – Charlie White

Comfort Sphere [RedDot design awards, via Sci Fi Tech]

"In a fully automated procedure, your new car is brought down to you from one of the 20-story Car Towers. Large signboards in the Customer Center show you when your turn has come. Then, you're handed the keys, your picture is taken, the glass doors open and your brand-new car appears. You're all set to go."

Autostadt [via The Cool Hunter]

If you love Howard Stern, this news might make you happy; if you love having choices, this news will make you sad. Audi and Volkswagen recently announced they will be dropping XM satellite radio receivers as an option for their cars beginning with the 2007 models in favor of an exclusive deal with Sirius. Both Audi and Volkswagen will be offering Sirius satellite radio receivers with new cars through 2012. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, but Volkswagen will be offering three free months of Sirius radio to new buyers and expects to equip 80% of new vehicles with their receivers.

We're not saying that Sirius is inferior to XM, mind you, just disappointed that consumers are losing the option to choose the satellite radio that get bundled into their new cars. They can always get go buy a XM receiver later on if they really want to, of course, but having a choice effectively made for you sucks nonetheless because the whole point of having satellite radio has always been one of choice—of choosing to not have to listen to annoying ads, stupid promos, and the same lame songs at the top of the charts on almost every single radio station because of music industry payola.

Sirius Satellite in exclusive deals with Audi, VW [Reuters]

This is, however, the first time we've seen confirmation that Google is interested in using its map data in a commercial gadget.

Volkswagen teams with Google on navigation system [Reuters]

You may remember "Stanley," the robotic Volkswagen Touareg which won the $2 million prize at the DARPA's race back in October. Well Stanford went and brought the champion out here for all to ogle. The Stanford robot Touareg finished the course in 6 hours, 53 minutes, beating everyone else to take the record, so it's pretty cool to see something this expensive and powerful up close. I noticed they had a tent to hide it from the sun. I suppose they were afraid it'd drive off on its own and run over the CES crowd. Johnny 5 is alive!

[German Car Blog]