Volkswagen News
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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 1,670lb (760kg) and managed just 40hp (30kW) in some guises. A return to those motoring roots is thought to be in the works at Porsche, and the latest reports peg the arrival date at sometime in 2013, says Auto Zeitung. Work on the next-generation Boxster and what has been thought of as a 914 revival...
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VW promoting Chattanooga plant with new visitor centerWhile 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 -
Volkswagen launches Golf GTI in Europe, U.S. sales start this SummerAt last year’s Paris Motor Show Volkswagen unveiled a thinly disguised 'concept' of the Mark VI Golf GTI, the latest iteration of one of the most acclaimed hot hatches on the market. New shots released today show the concept car was in fact a doppelganger for the production model, right down...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Red Dot design awards winners revealed for 2009Innovative and interesting designs are rewarded each year with a 'red dot', from world renowned design institution, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, one of Europe's oldest and most highly reputed design centers. This year a number of interesting entries in the automobile category came away...
Kenneth Hall -
Production Version Of Up! Minicar May Prove Too Expensive For Seat And SkodaEven as fuel prices hover around pre-crunch levels, the automotive industry knows it's only a temporary respite and continues its gear-up for a new layer of high-quality small cars. On the German front, BMW is thought to be working on a sub-1-series minicar, Daimler already has its Smart, and soon...
Alex Kaufmann -
B&B Tuning gives the Volkswagen Tiguan a little more biteVolkswagen'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 -
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 to the U.S. but the story is not so simple. The Polo sold in the U.S. will be different to the one unveiled earlier this month at the Geneva Motor Show. Firstly, a new sedan model will be offered, while the regular hatch will also grow in size to suit American tastes. The size difference is due to...
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Turn your Mark V Golf into the extreme GTI W12 650 conceptUndoubtedly one of the most extreme concept cars to ever come out of Volkswagen’s design studios, 2007’s Golf GTI W12 650 dropped plenty of jaws - not only because of its twin-turbocharged W12 engine but also because of its overt styling. Unfortunately, VW never had any plans to build...
Jeremy Weber -
VW reveals plans to topple GM and ToyotaThe global economic crisis has taken its toll on virtually every major carmaker around the globe but the effects have varied significantly between firms. General Motors’ financial predicament has been well documented, with the ailing Detroit carmaker teetering on the edge of bankruptcy...
Alex Kaufmann -
Preview: Mid-engined Skoda roadsterVolkswagen-owned Skoda doesn't get much press in the U.S. but over in Central and Eastern Europe it is one of the most popular automotive brands. Having launched new versions of its mainstream Octavia and Superb sedans in the past year, the company last week took the covers if its all-new Yeti...
Jeremy Weber -
U.S. Volkswagen CEO: EVs won't be viable for 35 yearsIf the futurism of the 1950s and 1960s taught us anything as a culture, it's that what seems a sure thing today may prove laughably optimistic in a few decades. Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, thinks a similar situation is playing out with electric cars today. Jacoby's main...
Nelson Ireson -
Preview: Skoda Superb station wagonVolkswagen-owned Skoda doesn't get much press in the U.S. but over in Central and Eastern Europe it is one of the most popular automotive brands. Having launched new versions of its mainstream Octavia and Superb sedans in the past year, the company last week took the covers if its all-new Yeti...
Kenneth Hall -
Last November Volkswagen unveiled a thinly disguised 'concept' of the new Mark VI Golf GTI, one of the most acclaimed hot hatches on the market, and in late January the first images of the actual production version hit the web. Following the success of the Mark V model, there were high expectations for the latest Mark VI model but unfortunately the first tentative details about it are on the disappointing side. The Mark VI model retains a 2.0L turbo engine but only develops 210hp (155kW) - just 10hp more than the previous model. Top speed has been limited to 148mph (239km/h) and VW claims the...
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JMS offers unique look for new VW SciroccoLove them or hate them, tuners are here to stay, and sometimes they even manage to improve the cars they tackle. Take the new JMS VW Scirocco for example. Though they recognize the difficulty in improving on a dramatically styled new car like the Scirocco, they've managed to make some basic changes...
Alex Kaufmann -
VW considering ‘Bluesport’ efficient performance rangeLowering emissions and reducing fuel consumption has become a major goal for most major carmakers but the fact of the matter remains that the objective is being encouraged largely because of strict regulations imposed by government organizations rather than what consumers are actually demanding...
Kenneth Hall -
Caractere joins growing list of Scirocco tunersThe Volkswagen Scirocco is proving to be popular with tuners, with German performance shop Caractere also releasing its own hotted-up version of the svelte sports coupe. Caractere’s work on German cars has been well documented, especially some of its creations based on much more expensive...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volkswagen shows off 71mpg Polo BlueMotion concept carVolkswagen is set to expand its BlueMotion range of fuel misers with the launch of a new version based on the recently revealed fifth-generation Polo hatchback. While the Polo BlueMotion isn’t due to hit the streets until next year, a concept version of the car has made an appearance at...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
RUF previews electric future with new Greenster convertibleOne of the most talked about electric cars in recent times is the Lotus Elise-based Tesla Roadster, a car that is becoming increasingly popular in performance circles because of its supercar performance and cutting edge technology. Well-established Porsche tuner RUF, a company that has been...
James Martinez -
In January, Volkswagen development chief Ulrich Hackenburg explained to reporters at the Detroit Auto Show that the small car segment in the United States is likely to surge in the coming years, and that his company was intent on taking advantage of that growth. Already confirmed is the Mark VI Golf, which will make its way Stateside this September, but Hackenburg was hinting at bringing over an even smaller model - the all-new Polo, officially revealed today at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Weight savings is one focus of the new car, cutting 7.5% of the weight of its predecessor despite...
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Audi: we will beat Mercedes and BMW in Europe by 2010The bosses at Audi are gunning for their German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, announcing this weekend a goal to sell more cars than either in Europe by 2010. Audi's continental domination will be followed soon after by the Volkswagen Group's rise to the number one spot in the world, if the company...
Nelson Ireson -
Audi’s handsome A5 and S5 cabrios bare all in new imagesThe new A5 and S5 Cabriolet range was quietly revealed late last year during the holiday period between the Los Angeles and Detroit Auto Shows, but with production of the handsome duo kicking off in Germany this month Audi has released a flood of new images and details. The most exciting variant...
Nelson Ireson -
Spy shots: 2010 Fiat 500 CabrioThe Fiat 500 minicar was first unveiled more than a year ago and since then we’ve seen the launch of the sporty Abarth model and even a couple of special edition models. What we are yet to come across is the upcoming Cabrio, which has been spotted by spy photographers almost completely...
Kenneth Hall -
Volkswagen releases aero kit and accessories for Golf Mk VIThe new Mark VI Volkswagen Golf may not look much different from its predecessor, but VW is already working on offering a range of accessories to help spice the new car up and make it unique for each owner. To that end, it has released images of its new Sport & Design appearance options today. Two...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volkswagen and Toshiba working together on electric vehiclesTesla's Roadster and Model S have garnered much of the hybrid and electric press of late, though new entries from Ford and Honda have also gathered some attention. Now Volkswagen is looking to share in the spotlight, announcing the signing of a letter of intent with Toshiba for cooperation on the...
Nelson Ireson