Not much to differentiate the diesel-engine Beetle from the rest of the lineup. It's pretty much down to the thin chrome strip on the top of the door panels and TDI-specific 17-inch alloys.
The DFPs (diesel fan people) already register disappointment with the 2013 Beetle TDI’s kinda mediocre Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy ratings of 29 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway. There are plenty of gasoline-engine small cars fielding similar numbers, after all. But the latest EPA test procedure seems to hamper diesels, and many DFPs expect on-the-road economy to be better than the window sticker ratings.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Diesels,Hatchbacks,Volkswagen
You've read about Volkswagen's MQB chassis architecture which will underpin the company's next generation of front-wheel drive vehicles. MQB's highly modular, Lego-like philosophy will allow for the multitude of VW Group vehicle variations to be produced with a minimum of fuss, which ought to reduce cost from every angle.
Volkswagen gave a preview of the MQB strategy at their Wolfsburg headquarters, where the economies of scale afforded by the new platform were painstakingly detailed. A 2013 Jetta Hybrid prototype showed up for a very brief drive, too, not because it is MQB-based but because it gives us Americans our first glimpse of MQB-ness.
Confused? Hit the jump.
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Categories: Volkswagen
Did you think that just because the Super Bowl is over (I'm going to pretend it didn't happen at all) you weren't going to see any more Super Bowl Ad content? No such luck.
Do you want to see some behind-the-scenes footage of the new Lexus GS? No? Well how about a big dog in a fat suit? Thought so.
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Categories: Lexus,Miscellaneous,Videos,Volkswagen
It must be a bummer, being underappreciated. You shine and excel, and still you remain hidden in the shadows.
Just ask any of the six models listed after the jump. It's a story they know all too well.
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Categories: Audi,Ford,Hyundai,Nissan,Suzuki,Volkswagen
During the Chicago Auto Show next week, Volkswagen will be officially releasing the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI which is "the only Clean Diesel offering in the compact coupe category."
Like the Jetta TDI, the Beetle TDI uses an iron/aluminum 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected Clean Diesel that produces 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. Putting that torque to the ground is either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed dual-clutch DSG. The Volkswagen TDI gets an EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 29 mpg city and 39 mpg highway. The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta Diesel gets 30 mpg city, 42 highway and a 34 mpg combined rating.
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Categories: Chicago Auto Show,Diesels,Volkswagen
This is the first image you're going to see of the next generation Skoda Octavia, Audi A3, Volkswagen Polo, Golf, Beetle, Sciorocco, Jetta, Tiguan, Touran, Sharan, Passat and CC.
Volkswagen is calling the new A/B-class architecture MQB -- the German acronym for Modular Transverse Matrix. One of the most important things about the MQB platform is a uniform mounting position for all engines in all vehicles. This is done in hand with the new modular petrol engine system (MPB) which includes, amongst others, a four-cylinder with cylinder deactivation and the modular diesel system. VW says that this move will reduce engine and gearbox variants by 90 percent "without any negative effects." Volkswagen also claims that this system allows "an identical mounting position for all current alternative drive concepts without limitations -- from natural gas and hybrid versions to the pure electric drive."
For Volkswagen, this is a big step in streamlining production. VW, as you know, is hell-bent on becoming the largest automaker in the world. This new platform is supplemented by a new Modular Longitudinal System at Audi and a Modular Standard System at Porsche.
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Categories: Car Tech,Future Vehicles,Volkswagen
Volkswagen has just released the extended version of the commercial they'll be airing during this year's Super Bowl. It's got the new New Beetle, a dog and, well, wait for it....
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Categories: Videos,Volkswagen
If you're a classic car nut, you've probably heard of Hagerty; the company is a leader in classic-car insurance and hosts the world's largest database of classic cars. Each year, the company publishes its Hagerty Hot List, a list that spotlights 10 new vehicles that its valuations experts see as having the best future collectability.
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Categories: Audi,Buick,Chevrolet,Dodge,Fiat,Ford,Jeep,Nissan,Porsche,Volkswagen
Last year's Super Bowl was dominated by the Volkswagen Passat / Darth Vader Kid / The Force commercial. The day after, nobody was talking about the game. Instead, some 40 million people were emailing a link to YouTube telling others to watch a commercial.
This year, Volkswagen is hoping to strike gold again with the Star Wars + Cute = Traffic formula, but this time they've got dogs. Barking the Imperial March. One dressed as an At-At.
The Tag line for this teaser spot, Game Day, is "Back. And better than Ever. 2.5.12.
Cryptic. Until then, though, satisfy your inner VW/SW nerd with a VW Super Bowl Party INvite and watch the video after the jump.
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Categories: Videos,Volkswagen
The Detroit march of concept cars continues, with Volkswagen showing off its eBugster Concept. This two-seat Beetle ditches the rear seats and the conventional gas engine for an electric motor that produces the equivalent of 114 hp. Range is estimated at 110 miles with a quick recharge time in the order of 35 minutes.
Check out our man Alistair's thoughts after the jump.
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Categories: Detroit Auto Show,Videos,Volkswagen
Volkswagen's E-Bugster Concept combines electric motoring and speedster styling into a zero-emissions coupe. According to VW, its name blends "E" for electric, "Bug" the American nickname for the Beetle and "speedster," which usually describes an open-top two-seater. But the E-Bugster is a fixed-top coupe.
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Categories: Detroit Auto Show,Volkswagen
If it didn't have the word "Hybrid" emblazoned on its flanks it would just be another Jetta. But it's not. Instead, it's the most fuel-efficient Jetta in the lineup -- more so than the vaunted Jetta TDI.The Jetta Hybrid will couple VW's 150-hp 1.4-liter turbocharged, direct-injected four-cylinder with a 27-hp electric motor to produce a combined output of 170 hp (yes, we know, they don't add up) and 184 lb-ft of torque. Volkswagen estimates a combined fuel economy rating of 45 mpg thanks partially to the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
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Categories: Detroit Auto Show,Volkswagen
Today in Detroit, Volkswagen will be showing the 2013 Jetta Hybrid. The Jetta Hybrid will be the first hybrid to make use of a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. VW claims this transmission, at 163 pounds, weighs less than a traditional automatic while operating more efficiently. The DSG will drive the front wheels.
Making that power will be a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with a 20kW electric motor. Peak power is 170 horsepower.
Volkswagen claims that the entire hybridization process of the Jetta only added 221 pounds to the car, which has a curb weight of 3,310 pounds. Zero to 60 takes about 9 seconds.
Unlike some other hybrids, the Jetta can run in zero-emissions electric-only mode for a distance of up to 1.2 miles (with a top speed of 44 mph in E mode). Also unlike other hybrids, the Jetta Hybrid only uses the brakes for electrical regeneration. When the driver slows down, the engine disengages from the rest of the drivetrain and the brakes do all of the slowing. This engine decoupling happens without braking, too. When the driver releases the gas pedal at speeds of up to 84 mph, the engine simply disconnects itself and the car starts to coast. Those of us who like to use engine braking to maintain speed will have an adjustment period.
Visually the Jetta Hybrid is easy to spot thanks to the new front airdam, rear diffuser and integrated rear spoiler. These adjustments were made in the name of aerodynamics and it seems to have paid off, as it has a Cd 10 percent lower than the traditional Jetta. The hybrid version also rolls on 15s with all-season, low-rolling-resistance tires. VW did make one visual change just for the sake of change: The VW logo is on a blue background here.
The Jetta Hybrid will hit dealers in late 2012 and has a projected fuel economy rating of 45 mpg.
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Categories: Detroit Auto Show,Hybrids,Sedans,Volkswagen
The 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists have just been announced and there are few surprises.
A group of 50 automotive journalists have voted on cars which are "all new or substantially changed" and have narrowed it down to three cars and three "trucks." The finalists are...
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Categories: BMW,Detroit Auto Show,Ford,Honda,Hyundai,Land Rover,Volkswagen
Take a good look at the front end of this Volkswagen Cross Coupe concept. According to the company's design chief, this design theme will be carried over to all of VW's upcoming SUVs like the Tiguan and the Touareg. Think it'll help?
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Categories: SUVs,Tokyo Motor Show,Volkswagen
We've seen the word coupe stretched before, but this, I think finally breaks the word completely. This is the Volkswagen Cross Coupe that is being shown at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show.
The concept is sized between the Golf and the Tiguan, but this "part four-door coupe, part compact SUV" shows the new design direction VW is considering for its SUVs. We kind of dig the Phantom-esque roofline, but everything else has to go.
Like most concepts, this rides on wheels that are two sizes too big (265/45R20) and has a powertrain that is possible, but certainly not on the table for anything on sale to the public before, oh, let's say 2018?
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Categories: Coupes,Crossovers,SUVs,Tokyo Motor Show,Volkswagen
Volkswagen released the 2012 Beetle at the New York Auto Show last year. I was at the release and was interviewed by a local non-automotive publication about the new car. The reporter was particularly interested in the "tough" new look. She asked if I thought the car would sell better to men now that it doesn't look as girly and if the convertible would look as masculine as the coupe.
I managed to avoid laughing at this new car being considered masculine long enough to give a satisfactory answer, but I couldn't give her any specifics on the convertible other than no, it probably wouldn't sway male audiences. (Beetle R Concept? Maybe.) And now that we've got some spy photos of the upcoming 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible, I think my answer was spot on.
The convertible looks to maintain the squared-off roof line of the coupe which does wonders in reducing bubbliness. The remaining question is what the folded top will look like. Look closely and you can see this top has five (maybe six, but I think five) small sections as opposed to the old New Beetle's larger sections. This may mean a folded top that has a much smaller profile hanging off the back of the car, or one that hides completely.
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Categories: Convertibles,Spy Photos,Volkswagen
This week, an article on Consumer Reports draws your attention to an old but persistent issue -- that the vehicles in automakers' press fleets do not necessarily reflect the vehicles available to the general public at dealerships.
In this story, CR points out the plastic covers over the metal trunk hinges on the 2012 Volkswagen Passat. (Gas struts? Not in America, buddy.) The pre-production Passats that most publications have tested to-date (including the Eeyore gray sedan that won our recent comparison test against an Accord) have covers on both hinges. A full-production car CR subsequently examined apparently had a cover only on the driver-side hinge where there's a wire for the electric trunk release that might otherwise get mangled.
(Consumer Reports via Autoblog)
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Categories: Sedans,Trends,Volkswagen
Volkswagen announced all the way back last spring that it was getting back into World Rally Championship competition amidst new rules that call for smaller, less powerful cars that are cheaper to run. Nevertheless, the new Polo WRC car is one of the most awesome looking rally cars we've seen in a long time -- just look at those engorged fenders.
Volkswagen has been testing the car on tarmac in Germany this month and well-edited highlights of the test sessions are after the jump. Like other new-gen WRC cars, the Polo uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder good for about 296 hp and 285 lb-ft of torque. It doesn't sound much different from other rally cars, but still looks neat ripping and sliding through corners.
Today, VW announced it has signed its first factory driver for its new WRC campaign -- Sebastien Ogier, who drove for Citroen in 2011 and finished third in the driver's championship. Ogier had already left Citroen to make way for Mikko Hirvonen. He'll sit out the 2012 season to help Volkswagen develop the Polo; the new team will run a full season in 2013.
(YouTube, Autosport)
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Categories: Hatchbacks,Motorsports,Volkswagen
This is the newly announced Volkswagen Passat Alltrack. It will be shown to the world for the first time at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show next week. It's basically a raised Passat with all-wheel drive, chunky black fenders and driver-controllable differentials.
If you're an experienced Passat spotter, you'll notice that it's a version of the European Passat, a smaller, more traditionally-sized Passat, not the super sized model we get here in the States.
Volkswagen thinks there's a market for a high riding Passat wagon in Europe and it's probably right. Wagons sell well there and butch versions like the Alltrack have their own little niche too.
Such a vehicle would seem good for the SUV-obsessed U.S. as well, but there are no plans to sell the Alltrack, or even an Americanized version of it, in the U.S. Should VW reconsider?
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Categories: Sedans,Volkswagen
