Models
Volkswagen’s attempts to dominate the U.S. market have fallen short, with the automaker posting a 10 percent loss last year, despite the market growing by six percent. However, rumors have emerged suggesting VW has five new SUVs planned for the U.S., with hopes of grabbing profits from the ever-increasing Sport Utility trend.
Word has come straight from VW’s technical chief Heinz-Jakob Neusser that the company will launch three new SUVs with two possible coupe-like derivatives coming after. The first will be the CrossBlue – the seven-passenger, 16-foot-long SUV slotted below the next-generation Touareg. The CrossBlue is a likely candidate for the coupe transformation, as VW has already released a concept version back in 2013. The CrossBlue Coupe would compete against the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe.
The CrossBlue is expected by the latter part of 2016 and will be built at VW’s Tennessee plant, where plans are already underway to expand the still-new facility by some 130,000 square feet.
Next in the list is a replacement for the five-seat Tiguan. This crossover would have three-row seating and would be based on the long-wheelbase Golf platform. Expect it to slot under the CrossBlue. A refreshed and sportier Tiguan will also debut.
Also coming is a compact crossover that competes with the Nissan Juke. Already seen as the Taigun Concept, Neusser calls the crossover the “Polo SUV,” indicating both its relative size and its underlying architecture. The Taigun will measure roughly 12.5 feet and come in a five-door configuration.
Continue reading to learn more about Volkswagen’s future SUV lineup.
Arguably the most awaited performance Volkswagen in the U.S. in recent years, the 2015 Golf R has just received an official pre-order date, when the first 500 units of the model will start being secured by customers who pay a $500 reservation fee. While not part of a limited-edition model per se, the first 500 cars will come with some distinctive features compared to the rest of the "plebes," including a Volkswagen R watch, a carbon-fiber and stainless-steel keychain and a special certificate, all of them being obviously serialized.
Other than that, all cars will be identical from every point of view, including the Lapiz Blue Metallic paint, 19-inch Cadiz light-alloy wheels, DSG dual clutch gearbox, DCC adaptive damping and a navigation system as standard features. In this spec, all of the first 500 Volkswagen Golf Rs have a starting MSRP of $39,090 without the destination and delivery charge.
The pre-order will go live on January 8, 2015 at vw.com/golfr,, where customers will be able to pay the reservation fee through the Amazon Payments platform after selecting the dealer for the car’s delivery. In case they change their mind, the $500 spent are apparently fully refundable, so it will be interesting what happens in the first few days after the start of the pre-order program.
As a refresher, the U.S. variant of the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R is powered by a turbocharged, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that develops 292 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. You don’t need to be a mathematician to realize that those figures are enough to brand it as the most-powerful production Golf ever sold in America.
Click past the jump to read more about the Volkswagen Golf R.
The Volkswgen Touareg is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and while a lot of folks in Europe have enjoyed the full-sized SUV for as long as it’s been around, people here in the US haven’t had that long of a love affair with the vehicle.
The German automaker hopes to change all that after announcing that a special-edition Touareg, dubbed the Touareg X, is coming to America.
The "X" designation on the SUV is a reference to its 10th year anniversary and as one can expect with a limited-run set, the Touareg X has its fair share of custom goodies, befitting of its stature as a special edition.
The SUV itself is based on the Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel Lux and has been revised to include a number of new features, including a Moonlight Blue Pearl exterior, a new set of 19-inch, Moab-style alloy wheels, and an interior that’s been dressed to the nines.
One look at the cabin and you immediately know that this Touareg is dressed to impress. There are Vienna leather seats, a black headliner and engineered ebony wood trim. In addition to all of that, the Touareg X’s cabin also got piano black accents, illuminated sill plates and faux aluminum pedal covers.
Power wasn’t modified, and yet we don’t think anybody will have problems with the Touareg X’s 3.0-liter, turbodiesel V-6 engine, developing 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque.
Like we said, the Touareg X is a limited run vehicle with only 1,000 units earmarked to come Stateside. Pricing begins at $56,170.
Click past the jump to read about the Volkswagen Touareg
Fans of Volkswagen here in the U.S. have reason to celebrate if there’s any truth to Volkswagen’s plans of finally bringing its resident hot hatch, the Scirocco to U.S. shores.
The Scirocco is coming to America, you ask?
Well, according to Volkswagen of America’s Manager of Product and Technology Mark Gillies, the German automaker is "open to looking at future versions for this market".
Although its far from "Hell yeah! We’re bringing the Scirocco to America," Gilles’ words should draw some tingles from Americans because the Scirocco has been one of those cars that a lot of people have been longing to have.
Gilles did say that a big reason why Volkswagen has never considered bringing the Scirocco to the U.S. was because the hot hatch wasn’t "engineered for this market."
But if people have long clamored for a product, it’s always a good idea to acquiesce to the demands. Or at the very least, listen to all those calls.
So that’s what Volkswagen is apparently doing, dropping hints of finally bringing the Scirocco to the U.S. market. Gilles also said that any potentially U.S.-bound Scirocco won’t adopt the same design as the European model, a curious revelation that will definitely lead to some speculation on what it’s going to look like.
Walter da Silva, VW’s head of design, remarked that a sportier Scirocco could be offered in the U.S., although specific details on that possibility have yet to be disclosed.
We’re gonna stop short of throwing a party until there’s an official announcement from Volkswagen that the Scirocco is coming to America, but we have to admit, we’re getting pretty excited knowing that Volkswagen is now "considering it".
Click past the jump to read about the Volkswagen Scirocco
With so many automakers celebrating some kind of anniversary this year, it’s easy to lose sight of some of the other automotive and motorsports anniversaries that are scheduled to take place this year.
For their part, Volkswagen wanted to make sure that Formula Vee gets its proper recognition as a series that’s turning 50 years old this year. So before the start of the 24 Hours of Daytona over the weekend, Volkswagen led the way in celebrating 50 years of Formula Vee with a parade of the finest cars from the series.
Formula Vee traces its roots back to August 1963 at the Daytona International Speedway. Back then, the inexpensive racecars only made use of 1.2-liter engines that produced less than 40 horsepower with chassis taken from the Volkswagen Beetle. The success of Formula Vee in the US made its throughout Europe and on July 4, 1965, Formula Vee officially held its first race in Europe in front of 50,000 fans at the Norisring circuit in Nuremberg.
Since then, the series gave birth to Formula Super Vee, as well as the already established Formula Vee 130.
The 50th anniversary of Formula Vee was attended by some of racing’s biggest names, a lot of whom also trace their roots in the series. Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk was there, as were U.S. star Michael Andretti, Daytona champion Didier Theys, Le Mans winner Hurley Haywood, former DTM greats Hans-Joachim Stuck, Leopold Prinz von Bayern, Klaus Niedzwiedz and Dieter Quester, and rally icon Markku Alén.
"That was a highly emotional experience, celebrating the beginnings of Volkswagen Motorsport against such an impressive backdrop and together with such great names from the world of racing,’ Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito said.
"The revival here in Daytona, where it all began with the first Formula Vee race, has reunited many of these legends and that is something of which we are very proud. Vee are family – just like Volkswagen, Formula Vee is one big family."
Every company has that guy, the overly optimistic dude who never met a day he didn’t dish out hugs, smiles, and the pats on the back. For their Super Bowl ad to promote the new Beetle, Volkswagen is rolling out that guy.
He’s always ready with a reassuring quip to his colleagues in need of one and, if you can brush past the odd Jamaican accent, you’ll actually find him pretty amusing.
At the tail end of the minute-long video, Mr. Optimist can be seen giving his colleague and his boss a joy ride with the Beetle. Apparently, that ride is enough for his downtrodden mates to brighten up and enjoy the day.
The underlying message here is, according to Volkswagen, the Beetle makes people happy. We’re not about to disagree on that assumption because the Beetle has clearly established itself as one of the most iconic models in history.
Notwithstanding the accent, it’s a pretty catchy commercial that’s going to receive a lot of attention during the Super Bowl.
Two years ago, Volkswagen released arguably the greatest Super Bowl commercial ever with "The Force" spot for the Volkswagen Passat featuring "Li’l Darth Vader" spot for the Volkswagen Passat.
This year, the German automaker is taking a different yet similarly creative approach with their new Super Bowl ads. Instead of continuing with the Star Wars reference, Volkswagen decided to tap reggae legend Jimm Cliff to sing a cover of "C’mon Get Happy" from the 70’s TV show "The Partridge Family.”
What’s the significance of the song to the commercial, which is dubbed "Sunny Side?”
Mixed in with shots of Jimmy Cliff singing the song are YouTube clips from some of the most memorable viral Internet blowups and breakdowns seen on YouTube. The central theme of these clips revolves around men, women, and even llamas that have had their temper tantrums captured on video and posted on YouTube.
That’s where "C’mon Get Happy" comes into the picture. The whole concept is pretty cool and the appearance of the protagonists of those videos adds a level of authenticity to the ad. But the real star of the commercial is Jimmy Cliff. That man is a true legend.
We’ll bring you all of VW’s ads following the game.
That didn’t took too long, did it? Volkswagen USA has just announced a voluntary recall for 2012 to 2013 Beetle vehicles, manufactured from February 2012, through August 2012, and equipped with leather sport seats. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), if the right front passenger seat gets wet, the occupant control module may not properly detect the presence of a child restraint installed in the seat.
In this case, during an accident, the airbag will not turn off and the child secured in the child seat may be at an increased risk for serious injury.
As a result, NHTSA advices everyone driving such a model to call their local dealers. Volkswagen will replace the control modules, free of charge, but until this point VW has not provided a notification schedule for the recall. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987 or National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).
Late last year we announced that Volkswagen was displaying a new concept car, the Beetle Fender Edition, and they were working toward possibly putting the model into production. Well, the “possibly “ part can be eliminated, as the production model 2013 Beetle Fender Edition has been put on display at the Leipzig Auto Show for all to see.
While the 2013 VW Beetle Fender Edition may not boast any significant performance upgrades, it certainly does feature a ton of audio and visual upgrades, which is exactly what you would expect of a Fender Edition car.
Volkswagen was kind enough to provide us with a press release that lays out all of the specs and features that this special edition bug boasts, as well as a good amount of high-quality images. The rear test is to see how this special edition stacks up to its competition and if it is really worth sinking the extra money into.
UPDATE 10/31/12: Volkswagen has officially priced the Beetle Fender Edition. How much is it going to cost? Hop on over after the jump to find out.
All of these answers and more are addressed in our full review after the jump.
Anybody that bothered watching last year’s Super Bowl will surely remember Volkswagen’s "Little Vader" commercial, arguably the most popular TVC to be shown during the Big Game.
This year, Volkswagen is returning to the Super Bowl and they’re bringing back the Star Wars theme, with one minor caveat. Instead of Little Vader, VW’s new Super Bowl ad will center around a pack of dogs all barking the Star Wars’ official theme music. Some of the dogs even got to wear Star Wars costumes, including Hans Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and yes, even an Ewok.
The 60-second teaser is only a sample of what Volkswagen has in store for the Super Bowl. Considering that they stole the show with last year’s "Little Vader" commercial, they’ve got some pretty high standards to live up to if they have any intentions of capturing the audience the way Lil’ Vader did.
Orders for the all new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle are now being accepted on a new online Vehicle Pre-Order (VPO) system, and Volkswagen of America is hoping to get more people to place their orders with a new vehicle to sweeten the pot. The "Black Turbo Launch Edition" is being offered to the first 600 people who place their orders online. Each model will be sold for $24,950 (quite an increase over the base $18,995).
As its name suggests, the Black Turbo Limited Edition will be offered in an exclusive black pearl paint and a new spoiler. This exterior will be combined with 18-inch alloy wheels and large brakes with red calipers. For the interior, the Black Turbo will get Bluetooth, iPod connectivity, three-color ambient lighting, sport cloth seats, and an 8-speaker audio system.
Under the hood, this special edition will feature a turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that delivers a total of 200 HP and 207 lb-ft. of torque. It will be mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission.
If you are interested in the Black Turbo Limited Edition, you can place an order right here.
Now that Super Bowl XLV has come and gone and the Green Bay Packers are bringing the Lombardi Trophy back home to Titletown, it’s now time to sit back and reflect on all the happenings of the day.
Seeing as we’re a car site, we’re going to leave the sports analysis of the Packers’ 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to other sites. Instead, we’re going to focus on something that hits close to home to us: cars.
In particular, all the car commercials that we saw before, during, and after the Super Bowl. We don’t have the time to run through all the car ads that we saw, in part because some of them weren’t very good. Despite that, there were still some ads that struck a nerve in us. Whether it’s a funny commercial involving a pint-size version of a famous sci-fi villain or a serious message about a fallen city looking to rise back to prominence, we’ve picked out the 5 best car commercials from Super Bowl XLV.
If you watched the game and caught a hold of all the ads, feel free to chime in with your own Top 5. But if you want to check out which ones we thought deserved mentioning, head over after the jump to see our list.
There’s a certain sense of artistic symbolism to this commercial that makes it one of our favorite ads that is set to be shown at the Super Bowl later today.
Created by Volkswagen for this special day, the commercial takes us into the life of a wandering beetle in the forest that’s seemingly determined to race past all of the other insects like his life depended on it. It sort of reminds us of that movie ’A Bug’s Life’ except that instead of Flik the Ant, we’re treated to a beetle that always seems to be in a hurry, even demonstrating a few drift maneuvers while racing past other insects in the jungle.
If you’re not the type to get queasy in seeing the mugs of bugs up close, then you’ll definitely enjoy this commercial. Obviously, there’s only one car in Volkswagen’s line-up that can be associated with this ad and we don’t need to remind you what it is.
All you need to do is look at the main character of the commercial and it’s physical characteristics and it becomes as obvious as the name associated with it.
And if you still haven’t figured out that this commercial is for the 2012 Beetle, then the sick ending of the insect fading into the silhouette of the new Beetle is as mind-numbingly obvious as it can get.
That’s a Star Wars reference in case you haven’t noticed.
For a lot of people who don’t follow football, the Superbowl is as much about the commercials as it is about the game itself. So you can imagine the lengths - and costs - companies go to so that they’re visibly present in the single most anticipated sporting event in the US.
This year, Volkswagen is making sure that the American consumer will be introduced to the all-new Passat during the Big Game. And yes, even if it means using Star Wars’ "The Force" to get your attention.
In this ad, Li’l Darth Vader is trying to hone his skills in using the Force, albeit to no avail. He tries it on their dog, his sister’s doll, and even the washing machine. It wasn’t until his dad goes home with the new Volkswagen Passat where all his concentrations pay off...except that, unknowingly, he received a little help from pops himself.
Very cute commercial, Volkswagen. You certainly got our attention with this ad. Nice touch on the Star Wars reference too.