Volkswagen is not sharing the specifics of which two vehicles they’ll be introducing but most auto industry analysts are guessing that at least one of them will be the new convertible version of the popular Beetle, which recently went on sale in its hardtop version, sporting an updated design.

For the other vehicle, rumors abound, but most car bloggers agree that it’s likely to be a new variation of an existing vehicle, though it’s possible that the much-whispered about crossover with three rows of seats might be put on the pedestal.

If you’ll be in or near Los Angeles during the month of November, you can check out the Auto Show yourself. The media preview will take place on November 16th and 17th, while the actual show runs from the 18th-27th, including Thanksgiving weekend.

What are they? Here’s the list:

1. 2011 Smart Fortwo: 33/41/36 mpg city/highway/combined
2. 2011 Audi A3 TDI: 30/42/34 mpg city/highway/combined
3. 2011 Volkswagen Golf TDI: 30/42/34 mpg city/highway/combined
4. 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: 30/42/34 mpg city/highway/combined
5. 2011 Ford Fiesta SFE: 29/40/33 mpg city/highway/combined
6. 2011 Hyundai Elantra: 29/40/33 mpg city/highway/combined
7. 2011 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI: 29/39/33 mpg city/highway/combined
8. 2011 Ford Fiesta: 29/38/33 mpg city/highway/combined (non SFE)
9. 2011 Mini Cooper: 29/37/32 mpg city/highway/combined
10. 2011 Toyota Yaris: 29/36/32 mpg city/highway/combined

So what is an “autonomous” vehicle? It’s a car or truck that uses a combination of artificial intelligence, GPS, and sensors to “coordinate itself without active intervention by a human operator,” according to Nevada’s new law, which also acknowledges that such operators are likely to be inattentive when the car is driving itself and therefore immune to reckless driving citations when the car is in an autonomous mode.

There’s another, related bill in the state legislature that would allow texting while driving when the car is doing its own work.

A recent story in the New York Times suggests that this legislation may be the result of some relatively low-key lobbying from Google, which, along with Volkswagen, is one of the companies at the leading edge of autonomous vehicle technology.

Those buyers don’t have a bad idea. After all, the diesel cars being sold today offer smoother rides and lower emissions than any previous generation of such vehicles, and while many American shoppers still perceive them as being too loud and emitting noxious fumes, the reality is that last Month, 9,000 of them went to new homes in this country. That number is 34% higher over the sales in May, 2010, and contrasts starkly with the 42% reduction in the sale of hybrids last month, as compared to a year prior.

Despite that 34% jump, however, clean diesel cars represent less than one percent of new car sales in the United States. Peter Marks, president and CEO of Bosch’s North and South American operations believes that will change, that up to 10% of the new vehicles sold in America will be diesel-powered by 2015.

Diesels have the support of some pretty powerful people, too. At the opening of Volkswagen’s new plant in Chattanooga, TN, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, “We know that clean diesel is one ingredient in the recipe for our long-term energy security.”

Volkswagen was the appropriate place to make such a statement. The carmaker’s clean diesel offerings (including the Golf TDI and the Jetta TDI) gave it the best U.S. sales month it’s had since 2004. Just how good? 27.9 percent more than May 2010.

Greater efficiency is required no matter the power system in a car, however, since federal fuel economy standards will rise to roughly 60mpg by 2025, and this is likely to push automakers to produce more and more diesel cars and trucks.

So what does the future hold for diesel? We tend to agree with Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, who said, “American’s have never had so many vehicle fuel and technology choices, ranging from a growing number of hybrid gasoline vehicles to new plug-in electric hybrid vehicles, in addition to clean diesel and conventional gasoline vehicles. In this competitive technology field, it is encouraging that more Americans are choosing clean diesel cars than ever before.”

While it’s common to evaluate cars based on their cost, and hybrids and diesels do tend to cost more than gas-powered cars, even when fuel savings are taken into account, when value retention (higher resale value) is taken into account, these alternative-fueled vehicles come out on top.

The researchers at Carnegie Mellon compared the Volkswagen Jetta TDI with the Jetta 5C and 4C, the Toyota Prius with the gasoline-powered Toyota Camry,the Honda Civic Hybrid and standard versions, and the Mercedes-Benz E320 diesel with the E350 (gas powered). The Jetta TDI and Toyota Prius were the clear winners in the comparison study, retaining the greatest portion of their original purchase prices.

Data for the resale value was based on auction prices provided by Manheim Auctions, and was based on vehicles sold after three years of ownership. The project was underwritten by the diesel technology firm Bosch, and conducted by members of CMU’s Tepper School of Business. It was clear that Bosch wanted to prove that clean diesel is a wise choice for consumers, but the study confirmed that hybrids provide a similar resale benefit, as well. This was especially evident based on data from the summer of 2008 when gas prices were at their highest, but still evident, though less so, when fuel prices dropped in 2009.

This year, prices for both diesel and gasoline fuel are rising again, and are predicted to continue creeping upward over the next few years. This trend lends credence to the economic argument for fuel efficiency as a desirable feature that will help a car retain its future resale value.

VW Golf | Photo Credit: Volkswagen | Click to enlarge

Automotive News reported yesterday on an announcement from Jonathan Browning, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, who said that the Volkswagen Golf R will be returning to the U.S. market as a limited edition model early in 2012. According to Browning, the high-performance Golf will come with a 256 hp, 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The European model has been on sale for a year.

In 2004 a previous version of the Golf, the R32 was sold in the U.S. for a single year. VW spokespeople told Automotive News that about 5,000 were sold. In a second appearance of the high-performance Golf arrived on American shores for the 2007=2008 model year, and was based on the fifth-generation version of the car. That model had a 240 hp, 3.2 liter V-6 engine, and was ultimately discontinued in favor of the sixth-generation version. The 2008 Volkswagen Golf R32 had an MSRP of about $30,000.

VW’s most powerful Golf model currently on sale in the United States is the GTI, which went on sale last year, as a 2010 model.

Browning said that the new Golf R, which features improved brakes, the latest of VW’s all-wheel drive systems, electronic stability control and a sport-tuned suspension, “…raises the benchmark for sports performance, with breathtaking torque and road-hugging ride and handling.”

He said that other features of the car include 18-inch alloy wheels, and a special body kit, door sills, and a sport steering wheel and shift knob.

At the same time, Toyota’s iconic Prius – the poster child for hybrid vehicles, saw sales numbers that were down 37.5 percent from last year when the “Cash for Clunkers” program was in effect. In fact, it was a poor month for hybrids overall, with only the well-reviewed Ford Fusion – winner of many 2010 “Car of the Year” awards – seeing numbers almost double those of last year.

Despite these numbers, it is thought that hybrid technology is the more likely candidate to rise to the top of the automotive market.

The gas powered 2011 Jetta, which made its own global debut earlier today in New York, is priced at $16,000 – roughly $1,700 under the current model. In the words of VW product strategist Toscan Bennett, “With the new Jetta, we’ve kept everything people liked, but also made the car more accessible to the entry-level buyer in the compact segment. We want people who had considered Jettas too expensive to put us on their shopping lists.”

As the year goes on, VW is set to launch the Touareg Hybrid SUV, its first hybrid, but it won’t be at all affordable. Instead, if the pricing announced in Europe is Later this year, Volkswagen will introduce the Touareg Hybrid SUV, its first hybrid, but it will hardly be affordable. Based on pricing announced in Europe, the cost of the Touareg Hybrid could exceed $90,000 in the U.S. As well, it will be joining a field of expensive luxury SUVs already overloaded with options.

The Hybrid Jetta, on the other hand, will most likely be priced in the low $20,000s, and is probably going to offer fuel economy stats in the mid-40 mpg range. It will also represent the first time an auto company offers both a hybrid and a clean diesel version of a car in a cost-competitive model.