VW
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During an informational visit by the Chinese carmaker BYD (Build Your Dreams), company chairman Wang Chuanfu and the CEO of Volkswagen Martin Winterkorn signed a memorandum of understanding in the area of electric mobility. The objective of signing a memorandum of understanding between the two companies is to explore the options for partnership in the area of hybrids and electric vehicles powered by lithium batteries. The visit, which took place first at the Elektrotraktion Technology Centre in Isenbüttel, Germany, featured technical discussions and test drives with a variety of vehicles...
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Volkswagen launches new 28mpg Touareg TDI BlueMotion SUV
Next year Volkswagen will launch a new petrol-electric hybrid version of its Touareg in its BlueMotion range but before that another version of the handsome SUV will get the environmentally conscientious banner. Just launched in Europe is the new Touareg TDI BlueMotion, which comes with a 225hp...
Jeremy Weber -
VW apprentices build 301hp Golf GTI Street
Custom-tuned turbocharged four-cylinder hatches are pretty common fare anywhere in the world. But it's not every day that a handful of young apprentices at one of the world's biggest carmakers turn out a car that turns heads like the Golf GTI Street Built around a heavily modified 2.0L TFSI engine...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volkswagen will preview electric future with new Frankfurt Motor Show concept
Following in the footsteps of last year’s Golf TwinDrive and Space up! Blue concept vehicles, Volkswagen will reinforce its electric car image with the unveiling of a brand new concept car at this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The latest concept is described as a rival to General...
Ralph Hanson -
Porsche and VW merger back on the table
Like the Ouroboros, Porsche and Volkswagen have been considering an arrangement that would have heavily indebted Porsche Automobil-owned Volkswagen purchasing Porsche AG. A tentative solution was reached earlier this month that would have seen Porsche and VW combine to put 10 brands under a single...
Alex Kaufmann -
Electric Volkswagen up! minicar coming in 2013
Volkswagen's upcoming up! minicar project is destined to go electric but the first examples won’t be around until 2013. Currently, the up! is being developed with conventional petrol and diesel options and will be sold under various guises through the VW, Seat and Skoda brands by 2011. The...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volkswagen has unveiled its new Scirocco R, which you can read all about by clicking here. All our American readers look away because pictured here is a new high-performance variant of the Volkswagen Scirocco coupe, a car that has officially been ruled out for U.S. sale. VW first hinted at a new high-performance version of the Scirocco coupe when it revealed the GT24 race concept back at the Austrian Wörthersee Tour tuning show last May, and then the carmaker followed it up with the Scirocco Study R concept at last year’s Bologna Motor Show. The new model will be called the Scirocco...
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Volkswagen adds sporty GT TDI to Scirocco lineup
It’s bad enough that Volkswagen has ruled out its handsome Scirocco Coupe for U.S. sale, but to add insult to injury the carmaker in the process of developing a range of new exciting performance versions. While the 270hp (201kW) R20 model seen testing in Germany is still several months away...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volkswagen launches 'truth & dare' site to dispel diesel myths
Americans don't know what to think about diesel, and when they do, they usually think it's a clattery, foul-smelling solution best left to freight-movers and trains. But the reality of today's diesel-powered cars is much different, and Volkswagen is out to inform the public through a new site...
Alex Kaufmann -
VW to price upcoming U.S.-market mid-size sedan "around $20,000"
The Passat has been a relative success for Volkswagen in the U.S., but the company is already hard at work on a New Midsize (or mid-market) Sedan, not-so-cleverly codenamed NMS, to replace it. The final design has already been approved - prototypes were shown to dealers in Wolfsburg this week - and...
Ralph Hanson -
Volkswagen reveals production plans for new up! minicar family
It’s often the case that a radical concept car will be developed for a major car show only to be put away in storage never to be heard of or seen again once the show’s over. Fortunately for fans of the 2007 up! concept, Volkswagen won’t be mothballing its new baby. Instead it...
Alex Kaufmann -
Audi rules out U.S. production for now, needs more local sales
Audi currently has no assembly or production facilities in North America but was reportedly considering starting a local operation to help avoid currency fluctuations from importing popular models from overseas. The company has announced today that it is postponing its decision on a North American...
Alex Kaufmann -
For a long time it seemed that Toyota's position as the world’s biggest carmaker was virtually unassailable, but now industry analysts are predicting that for the first quarter of 2009, the Volkswagen Group may have finally overtaken the Japanese carmaker in volume. While the results are not yet in for the first three months of this year's sales, the race is expected to be fairly close. VW delivered close to 1.4 million vehicles in the first quarter, a fall of over 10% from the previous first quarter last year, however, the numbers still represent a significant gain in overall market...
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VW returns to Nurburgring with Scirocco GT24 CNG race car
At the Nurburgring 24 hour endurance race on 23 and 24 May, Volkswagen will field two Scirocco race car concepts that have been modified to run on compressed natural gas (CNG). Last year, VW clinched a one-two victory in the 2.0L turbo class even before the Scirocco's market launch with the...
Alex Kaufmann -
VW considering upgraded R-line models for U.S.
Volkswagen is in the process of developing some hot new models as a part of its performance-oriented 'R-line' range of models, but so far not all of these models have been confirmed for U.S. sale. VW, however, is considering whether or not it’s worth bringing the Tiguan R-Line, as well as...
Jeremy Weber -
Volkswagen predicting diesel growth spurt for U.S.
For years carmakers considered diesel models as strictly Europe's domain, with low demand and a poor reputation in the U.S. doing little to help the cause. This attitude, however, is set to change according to Volkswagen, which is predicting more diesel sales this year with the release of the new...
Jeremy Weber -
VW considering up! minicar for U.S.
Small, efficient cars have not fared particularly well in the U.S. Why, exactly, isn't precisely a mystery - Americans like big, strong cars for the most part - but it is something of a paradox, because Americans also want great fuel efficiency and low prices. As oil prices rise, the average...
Nelson Ireson -
Preview: 2010 Volkswagen Polo three-door
Volkswagen’s new Polo hatch is due to go on sale in the middle of the year as a 2010 model and was first revealed last month at the Geneva Motor Show in five-door trim. We can now get a look at the sportier three-door variant due later this year thanks to these latest computer generated...
Kenneth Hall -
Volkswagen's Eos is something of a misfit - more luxurious than most of VW's lineup, but not as nice as the A5 Cabrio, and not quite powerful enough from the factory to run with the likes of the Mercedes and BMW competition. But it's definitely a step ahead of most of the American and Japanese offerings. B&B have recognized this and come up with a tuning program to give the Eos the 'go' to match its 'show'. Four levels of tune are available, from moderately serious (360hp/265kW) to completely insane (500hp/368kW), with intermediary steps of 400hp (294kW) and 450hp (331kW) for those wanting...
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Porsche secures $13.6 billion finance deal, targets VW takeover
Porsche has managed to refinance an existing loan to source an additional $13.6 billion, securing the company's ability to takeover German auto giant Volkswagen AG. Currently, Porsche already holds over 50% of VW's stock but intends to eventually increase this stake to 75%. The original loan was an...
James Martinez -
Porsche considering 356 Speedster revival
Looking back on some of the cars that made sport driving great, and built the legend that has become today's Porsche, you'd wonder how we ever got to 3,500lb, 500hp twin-turbo monsters. The 356 Speedster, for example - considered by many to be one of the first modern sports cars - weighed a mere...
Alex Kaufmann -
VW promoting Chattanooga plant with new visitor center
While many Americans are struggling to make ends meet during the current financial crisis, the people of Chattanooga, Tennessee, have a brighter outlook thanks to the construction of a new Volkswagen plant that will help boost local employment. Production isn’t scheduled to start at the plant...
James Martinez -
B&B Tuning gives the Volkswagen Tiguan a little more bite
Volkswagen's Tiguan SUV may not be designed for performance, but that hasn't stopped German tuners B&B conducting an extensive tuning program on the compact off-roader. With the range-topping Tiguan fitted out with all of B&B's modifications, customers are looking at a 300hp (225kW) SUV with around...
Alex Kaufmann -
VW will sell sedan and hatch versions of Polo compact in U.S.
The small-car surge in the U.S. was cut short last year when once-high fuel prices dropped as suddenly as they'd risen, but the future of the market seems clear: prices will rise again, and small cars will be the best solution. To that end, Volkswagen is planning to bring its 2010 Polo compact car...
Ralph Hanson