Volkswagen News
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While the horsepower wars may or may not be over, the efficiency wars are just shifting into high gear, with every carmaker on the planet searching for ways to get more power for less fuel. Volkswagen is well-positioned to break new ground in the segment, and it has unveiled a pair of new engines at this year's Vienna Motor Symposium. Based around VW's proven TSI and TDI technologies, the 1.2L petrol and 1.6L diesel engines promise to deliver the driving experience of bigger engines while drinking less at the pump - and without the expense and complication of a hybrid drive system. "The...
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Spy shots: Volkswagen Scirocco R20Volkswagen 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...
Jeremy Weber -
BMW and Volkswagen downsizing to three-cylinder enginesExpect to see smaller engines for BMW’s and Volkswagen’s future models, as high fuel prices and greater environmental concerns are pushing buyers towards engines with lower displacements and carmakers would be foolish to ignore the trend. VW’s plans to introduce a new...
Jeremy Weber -
Report: Audi A3 hybrid coming in 2012Hybrid versions of all sorts of cars - even sports cars like the Nissan 370Z - are in the works or on their way, and now Audi is adding to the list with reports of an A3 hybrid confirmed for production. The hybrid hatch is expected to use an Audi-adapted version of Volkswagen's TwinDrive hybrid...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volkswagen adds sporty GT TDI to Scirocco lineupIt’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 mythsAmericans 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 -
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 the new U.S.-targeted midize sedan will be bigger than the Passat but priced to start "around $20,000." The news comes from Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America in an interview with Automotive News. The car is designed with the American audience specifically in mind. "It will be bigger...
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Volkswagen reveals production plans for new up! minicar familyIt’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 -
Crooked Lamborghini dealer sold $400,000 Lambo Murcielago LP-640 for just $60,430Some of you may remember our story about the downfall of Lamborghini's star Orange County dealership, which was at one time responsible for selling one out of every twenty Lamborghini models in the world. Now that the court case of its owner Viken Keuylian has been wrapped up, with the crooked...
Ralph Hanson -
Volkswagen may overtake Toyota by Q1 endFor 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...
James Martinez -
VW returns to Nurburgring with Scirocco GT24 CNG race carAt 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 -
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 MkVI Golf. In fact, VW is banking on about 30% of sales for its new Golf to be a diesel based on high demand seen for current Jetta diesel. Currently, VW is selling around half of its wagon Jettas as diesel models, while around 30% of the sedan variants sold are diesels - far greater than initial...
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Volkswagen Cans Scirocco For U.S. To Avoid Competition With GTIVolkswagen has consistently dismissed rumors the new Scirocco would be sold in the United States and about a year ago the carmaker’s sales and marketing chief Detlef Wittig blamed a weak U.S. dollar for the decision. Now VW's Tom Wegehaupt has put the kibosh on the U.S. Scirocco due to fear...
James Martinez -
Volkswagen Golf Mark VI Declared 2009 World Car Of The YearNot to be outdone by the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards from the Detroit Auto Show, the organizers of the New York Auto Show are heavily promoting their own ‘World’ and ‘Performance’ titles and today revealed the winners for this year’s awards. We...
Alex Kaufmann -
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 -
VW poised to overtake GM in vehicle productionGeneral Motors has already been taken over by Toyota as the world's biggest automaker, but the latest reports are predicting that the struggling Detroit giant is set to fall further down the list. In its place will emerge rival European automaker Volkswagen AG, which is expected to become the...
Jeremy Weber -
Preview: 2010 Volkswagen Polo three-doorVolkswagen’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 -
Following the success of the Golf R32, a replacement for the car based on the Mark VI platform was always going to have big shoes to fill. However, with news that the torquey 3.2L V6 engine from the Mark V model was being phased out, the outlook for the car’s successor was looking grim. That was until reports emerged claiming VW was working on a new high-performance turbocharged engine to replace the older V6. We now have the first spy shots of the car, which was caught testing recently at Germany’s Nurburgring circuit. While the prototype seen here is disguised in the body of...
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Volkswagen makes switch from Rabbit to Golf officialVolkswagen’s Mark VI Golf hatchback will lose the Rabbit nameplate when it goes on sale in the U.S. later this year. VW of America decided to bring back the Rabbit nameplate three years ago after it was dropped following the demise of the first-generation Golf back in the early 1980s. The...
Ralph Hanson -
B&B takes the lid off 500hp Volkwagen EosVolkswagen'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...
Alex Kaufmann -
Porsche secures $13.6 billion finance deal, targets VW takeoverPorsche 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 -
More details on Volkswagen’s next-generation PassatVolkswagen's next-generation Passat is expected to up the stakes against Germany’s luxury carmakers, with the car’s designers hoping it will be mentioned in the same breath as the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes Benz C-Class and Audi A4. Under the hood, a replacement for the VR6 engine will be...
Jeremy Weber -
Aluminum use in cars hits all-time highCarmakers and legislators have been duking it out for decades. As one side fights to find new ways to lighten cars up, improve handling and efficiency, the other heaps on more and more safety regulations and mandatory equipment until things eventually cancel out. But an undercurrent to the...
Ralph Hanson