Volkswagen

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HD Road Test Review – 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI Is Sophisticated But Trumped By New WRX

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The GTI seems like a city car for people who actually want a BMW. The tricky thing about the latest GTI is that it overlaps with the base BMW 228 and even the $33,000 320i sedan. This is a big problem for Volkswagen — but it is not the worst problem. The competitiveness of the 2015 WRX is definitely causing wrinkled foreheads in Wolfsburg. The Subaru is now as refined as the GTI when cruising, but far more fun and much quicker at all times. Bright red seems to be the GTI’s signature color. After driving the new GTI a …

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European-Market 2015 Volkswagen Passat Is Luxury Sedan For Contract Killers on a Budget

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Updated 10.9.14 We had some seriously scathing things to say about this new 2015 Passat for European markets when it debuted the other month online. Overall, the new Passat is not nearly as dull and lifeless as it seemed in VW’s initial renderings. In real life, the detail in the new design is pretty fresh up front and in back. A new-to-VW LED style is seen in both the head and taillamps, and is the most successful part of the design. Overall, the wagon is far more appealing in its quest to bring some of the low-roof / long-hood look …

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2014 Volkswagen XL Sport Concept Makes One Seriously Sexy BMW i8 Competitor

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Here is an interesting machine! The eco-friendly supercar segment established by the BMW i8 could find a competitor in the VW XL Sport concept, which takes all the ideas and tech from the XL1 high-mileage, low-volume special and sends it to the racetrack. Much wider, lower, leaner and meaner: the XL Sport is still wholly unconventional in its style and presence. This makes it not unlike the i8 in many ways. They both certainly have stopping power: heads will turn to catch this wild machine zing past. But the carbon-ceramix brakes of the the XL Sport will surely provide actual …

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PARIS DEBUTS – 2016 Volkswagen Passat GTE Plug-In Hybrid To Arrive in Europe October 2015

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Okay folks, lets brace ourselves for perhaps three dozen amazing new car reveals in Paris! We will try to focus on whether the car is a concept or a production model – and detail production cars’ arrival timeframes and markets in which it will be sold! To that end, the 2015 VW Passat GTE is an all-new production car for the European markets, with first arrivals in October 2015 to showrooms. It is the first plug-in VW hybrid and will be offered as the normal sedan or the practical estate shape. The Passat GTE powertrain is very promising for the …

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1998 Volkswagen W12 Roadster Is Best-of-Group Hypercar R&D Exercise

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Part three of the VW W12 saga: the W12 Roadster. Gorgeous and finely resolved, the W12 Roadster finally solved the quadry of the ugly rear engine cover and funky side window issues of the coupes. 1998 Volkswagen W12 Roadster   Recapping the VW W12 concept saga has been extremely perplexing, with numerous mistakes and edits in the first article below. In fact, the yellow W12 SYNCHRO was the first of the three W12 concept cars. This example, designed by ItalDesign Giugiaro, is actually far more thoroughly engineered on a production design level than the final W12 NARDO Coupe in orange. …

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1997 Volkswagen W12 SYNCHRO Coupe Concept Is Giugiaro Masterpiece

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Recapping the VW W12 concept saga has been extremely perplexing, with numerous mistakes and edits in the first article below. In fact, the yellow W12 SYNCHRO was the first of the three W12 concept cars. This example, designed by ItalDesign Giugiaro, is actually far more thoroughly engineered on a production design level than the final W12 NARDO Coupe in orange. This can be seen in the actual production body panels, which were eliminated in the one-piece shell of the orange record-holder car. Other details are also up to Volkswagen Piech standards, leading one to think the car could actually see …

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2001 Volkswagen W12 NARDO Coupe Concept Slams 217MPH Vmax

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The first of three W12 Volkswagen supercars is clearly the least-impressive — both in terms of its design and overall levels of finish. The messiest portion of the design is the back glass, which VW designers struggle to make elegant or look like a hypercar should. The huge size of the new W12 engine is obviously a challenge in its packaging, despite taking only a bit more room in a front-engine car than a normal V8. But the ethos of a giant Passat-infused hypercar is nonetheless very striking to showgoers who have seen nothing as low, wide or fast as …

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2014 Volkswagen TRISTAR Is All-New Off-Road Cargo Van with Pickup Truck Bed

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The world’s top commercial truck show is going on this week in Hanover, Germany — and VW has just debuted an exciting light truck concept. Part van, part pickup truck, and part off-roader — the idea is for the best of all worlds. Called the TRISTAR and packing a styling design and modern cabin, the machine promises to be an all-star work truck for the fleets of tomorrow. Just a concept for now, the design is likely to preview a heavy-duty version of the next Transporter van. 2014 Volkswagen TRISTAR WORLD PREMIERE OF VOLKSWAGEN TRISTAR AT THE IAA 23/09/14 Concept …

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2011 Volkswagen Cross Coupe SUV Concept is Future MQB-Sized BMW X4 Competitor

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Volkswagen has been flirting with an expanded large SUV line for more than five years, with this 2011 Cross Coupe concept a sportier Touareg variant. Since then, we have seen the CrossBlue Concept and the CrossBlue Coupe Concept, but both are believed to carry underpinnings from the US-market Passat. This extra-wide machine is clearly from another family altogether — despite its quoted MQB (Golf) underpinnings. VW CrossBlue concept VW CrossBlue Coupe concept The look of the car shown here is quite interesting, but may or may not be en route to production. Volkswagen’s adventures in the Phaeton-land have established a …

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Road Test Review – 2014 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line Convertible

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  By Ken Glassman Five minutes after they dropped off the new Beetle Convertible R-Line in my driveway, I was out cruising down the road. Perfect sunny day, with temps in the mid 70’s, and I’m loving it. I am a big convertible fan, and will take any opportunity to get into one and enjoy the pleasure of top down driving. Unfortunately, there are precious few convertibles on the market – at least within the price range of average folks. Of course if you want to take out a second mortgage on your house, you can choose from some outstanding …

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2015 VW GTI Is in the USA! Pricing for 2-Door GTI SE and 4-Door Autobahn Editions

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   The new GTI is at dealers nationwide in two and four-door guises — with pricing from $25k for both. Available Performance Pack and Lighting Packs add a few thousand to the total, with the four-door our favorite!   Golf GTI 2.0T 2-Door The most two-door fun you can have on four wheels. $24,395* Starting MSRP 34* Hwy 25 City View Trims Golf GTI 2.0T 4-Door Fast, fun, four-doored, and full of surprises. $24,995* Starting MSRP 34* Hwy 25 City View Trims   2015 VW GTI VOLKSWAGEN ANNOUNCES PRICING OF 2015 GOLF GTI MODELS, STARTING AT $24,395 16/04/14 from Volkswagen …

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2015 Volkswagen Scirocco R and R-Line – Dynamic Launch Galleries

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Sure, the Scirocco is not coming to the United States. So why write about it? Why not? Maybe you would like to see what the new one is like? Maybe you like torturing yourself – or “VW cars we don’t get“‘ is one of your fetishes. That’s fine!  No people judgments here – so your particularly unusual fantasies are safe. We only judge cars. By that measure, the new Scirocco is mighty attractive and desirable. 2015 Volkswagen Scirocco R

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Official: Volkswagen Mid-size SUV Will Seat 7, Be Built in USA – Name TBD

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After much dithering and time-wasting, VW has formally announced Chattanooga as the assembly location of the forthcoming 2016 Passat-based SUV. No new name or production images have been released – leading us to believe the production car will be close in form and spirit to the CrossBlue concept — which is pictured outside the VW Tennessee plant here. NEW MIDSIZE SUV FROM VOLKSWAGEN TO BE PRODUCED IN CHATTANOOGA Jul 14, 2014 Winterkorn: “This model will play a key role for Volkswagen’s presence in North America” Volkswagen Group of America to invest approximately $900 million in the project Second model to …

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Happy B-Day to the Volkswagen Minibus and Transporter! Work Van Legend Turns 60 in UK This Year

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 Happy B-Day to the Volkswagen Transporter We’ve been pretty down on VW USA this year. Can you blame some pushback from automotive media here in the US in the face of the two-year delay on the Golf 7 arriving on our shores? The first GTI’s are arriving in VW dealerships now, but these are from Germany. The bulk of the line is still months out, at the earliest. The Jetta makes me cringe when I see it on the road, and the new US-market Passat is looking less-good every single day. These old products are priced at the tippy-top of …

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2015 Volkswagen Passat Debuts Blah European-Model-Only Redesign

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  This car looks a lot better in thumbnails than up close. If you are fretting about how lame and old all VW of America’s models are — do not fret. This face is coming “soon” to our de-contented US Passat, as well as the on-again CrossBlue SUV that US dealers have been clamoring for since 2009. VW is out of new ideas. They have nothing new in this Passat design outside, and so little inside that it might as well be the current model. The EuroPassat even borrows the full-width dash-vent-fake idea from the new Chevy Malibu. Pathetic. As …

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Concept Flashback – 1970 Volkswagen Porsche Tapiro by ItalDesign

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A gullwing wedge sportscar for the masses! Before the 914, the closeness of the VW and Porsche teams was evolving fast. To think of the VW name on a futuristic design like this is unreal in 1970 — when the Beetle was just coming down from its all-time sales highs of the 1960s. Porsche was similarly retro at this time, with the 1966 911 being so modern that the 356 was kept in production for a few months to make sure the 911 was well-liked.   1970 Volkswagen Porsche Tapiro

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Euro Wagon Envy – 2014 Audi A6 Allroad – How To Convince Audi AG The USA Is Worthwhile

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2014 Audi A6 Allroad Quick reminder… These articles do not write themselves! =] But even after a long day, I still strive to create content for you, my cherished reader. The best thanks? Share stuff you like subscribe via https://www.facebook.com/carrevsdaily (or via RSS from http://www.car-revs-daily.com/feed and come back often.   Let’s dive in. What is the one wish most Americans have about the Volkswagen Group? Find a way to bring more cars here. The cool cars. The special cars. Cars like the A6 Allroad – which is not joining the US sales lists in this generation. Sure, the case for …

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2014 Volkswagen Beetle GSR Scoots Around Go-Kart Autocross at Road America

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Alternative headlines? “GSR Aims at Autocross Target, Misses.” “Beetle GSR Drives Like It Has Gorilla On Roof.” The Beetle GSR is supposedly tailor-made for racing and timed laps – it even includes a chronometer stopwatch right in the central dashboard and racing stripes outside. Unfortunately, all who drove it at Road America last week came away with various harsh critiques. Brakes were spongy and non-existent, the tires washed out all sense of grip, it felt pokey, and most damning of all: it handled extremely poorly. My critique that it felt like a gorilla was on the roof was echoed by …

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Volkswagen Vision GTI Roadster for GT6 Scores 4Motion and 500HP Twin-Turbo VR6

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The GranTurismo Vision concept series is still in roll-out mode – there are perhaps 20 more special concept cars still to come from all sorts of brands, including Lexus, Subaru Alfa-Romeo and more. Subaru’s looks very tasty – stay tuned for more details on Subie’s fast wagon prototype. For today, however, all eyes are on the VW #VisionGTI – a deliciously chopped-top roadster that is also packing huge four-wheel-drive power. Tallies are nearly 500-horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque to the 4Motion drivetrain. A seven-speed DSG is also in the mix – ensuring this little GTI will be running hot …

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Volkswagen Debuts Striking Jetta CC Concept in Beijing – Dubbed New Midsize Coupe + Golf 400R and New Touareg

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Signs of life from Volkswagen? Glad to see someone in the Wolfsburg Emergency Room is yelling “Clear!” before brandishing the defibrillator paddles. Just in time too: Volkswagen of America’s sales hit a brick wall last summer and have been in double-digit free-fall ever since. The range is a mess of unwanted and ancient models. Great stuff from Volkswagen in Beijing today – including a Golf 400R and the latest Touareg refresh. But the really striking news? A Jetta-sized CC model that is a low-roof four-door sedan they are calling the New Midsize Coupe. But we will likely pronounce it “2016 …

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AWD TDI Golf SportWagen to Join GTI, TSI and TDI — But Not Until 2015 Calendar Year With Est $36k Price

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  The American-market Mark7 2015 Golf line is only about three years late, but finally looks like it is not missing some critical members this time. Scratch that: the Golf Plus and Golf Sportvan are still nowhere to be found, along with the long-promised/never-delivered e-Golf. The e-Golf is now on sale only in Europe, and has been teased in the US since at least 2008. As many VW people know very well, the GTI has always been the star pupil of the group — both due to its performance and it vastly superior build quality and materials versus the Pueblo-built …

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Introducing Special Contributor Andy Stella — How to Trade Up from a 1995 Buick Skylark to a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic

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Ed’s Intro: Please welcome Andy Stella! A car-minded guy with some hilarious insights to share in this two-pack of intro articles. Coming up next is his Top 5 Cars to Street-Park in Chicago — but his personal car history had me rolling on the floor with lulz. Enjoy. By: Special Contributor Andy Stella       From Car Hell to Car Bliss… in Only Six Easy Steps!   My first car was a 1995 Buick Skylark that I bought from my mom. That poor thing endured driver’s ED for my older brother and I, many trips into/out of the snowbanks …

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Citroen DS Brings Parisian Street Style to Beijing with DS 5LS — 5LS R Version Packing 300HP!

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Citroen and Peugeot are hugely popular brands in China. But so far, the cars on offer have not achieved the market share to go along with all that admiration. Step forward, Citroen’s high-fashion DS brand. With a logo that looks like French designer couture, the exteriors and interiors of many current Citroen models become far more stylish and appealing. The 5LS sedan is a great example of Citroen’s re-alignment toward not only having a fashionable brand, but selling hundreds of thousands of that car in China’s extremely competitive market. WIth every brand on Earth trying to tap the same “Cuppies” …

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2014 ItalDesign Clipper Crossover by Giugiaro – A Mad Six-Person Golf Variant?

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ItalDesign’s Clipper Crossover by Giugiaro – A Mad Six-Person Golf Variant? The thing with VW owning Giugiaro these days is that many of the concepts have much more production-possibility than ever before. Take the Parcour SUV — many of its ideas are flowing directly into a future Lamborghini model. The style and themes shown on this Clipper van most directly relate to Volkswagen’s newly-clean aesthetic — but take the block forms and flat surfacing to a very interesting place. Is it beautiful? Oh no. But might it be after refinement into a production vision? Perhaps. Additions like a brand-specific element …

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2014 SEAT Leon Cupra Scores First OEM Embedded Spin-Table! Plus 3 Reasons The Leon Cupra Spanks Renaultsport Megane (…and VW GTI)

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The most unlikely fan of SEAT? Any American! While our LED obsession is well-documented — it is not just the available full LED headlights that are big turn-ons for the Leon. We love the latest SEAT car style, value proposition and brand statement. Any favorites in the ten-strong SEAT range? We are huge Leon admirers especially. Why? Check out the (mid-range) Sports FR Kit below and tell me it is not incredibly sexy. Three reasons to crave the SEAT Leon: 1.) — Value: Versus the VW GTI, the Leon is significantly more affordable for new-car shoppers, both in actual transaction …

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BENTLEY SUV Image March 19

Bentley Confirms SUV Details with First Official Photos — Falcon or InterContinental? 600HP W-12 Expected

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The Bentley SUV is finally here! Real #NewBentley SUV: Above EXP 9F Concept: Below     After a long gestation period to overhaul the EXP 9F’s exterior, Bentley today revealed the first official image of its upcoming 2015 SUV model. Originally tagged the EXP 9F concept, we strongly predict the 2015 production model will be dubbed the Bentley Falcon. It builds on the more-youthful and less-polarizing style of the Bentley Continental V8 S significantly. 2012 EXP 9F Gallery     This name speaks to broad global interest in predatory animal names for car models — as well as a popular …

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2014 Volkswagen T-ROC Concept – A Baja Coupe for Silver Lake Dunes!

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2014 Volkswagen T-ROC Concept I like the T-ROC even more in the official images versus the sketches from last week’s preview article here. The T-ROC is still firmly a concept — but here is what we predict: this exact car, with streetable tires, coming soon to VW dealers nationwide. Based on the MQB architecture, the T-ROC will hopefully be more affordable than the Tiguan, but more feature-rich than the Taigun. The night-vision, terrain cameras and blackout functions of a military vehicle headlight are present on the T-ROC’s foglight (above). Examples of this tech shown here: Very cool. Keeping the two-door …

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VW T-ROC — A High-Tech Jeep Wrangler for the Digital Age — Hot Style — Real 4WD — Removable Roof Panels

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Another day, another concept for Geneva 2014! The show is set to be much more sales-focused this year: with regular-priced cars aiming for center stage alongside Geneva’s famed hypercar showstoppers. So, why Geneva? It is the right time of year, and almost perfectly-located for last-minute additions by Europe’s largest car companies. Or perhaps these concepts just were not completed in time for the other big shows. Whatever the case: the VW T-ROC is an exciting and production-feasible compact SUV that VW notes would slide into the price sheets just under the $26,000-$38,000 Tiguan. This T-ROC would round out the range …

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2014 Skoda Superb Outdoor and VisionC Concept for Geneva Causing Some Angular Euro Style Envy…

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Skoda is becoming a real asset for the Volkswagen Group. Bought for a song as the Czech firm was failing in the 1980s — Skoda now commands a quite sizable market share in Europe’s most profitable markets. Skoda’s core selling points have really been popular among anti-fashion consumers. People who (claim to) value a vehicle for its merits, value and durability versus a fleeting style. Skoda is also a surprise, run-away success story in China. The latest cars from Skoda seem to take the next step in the brand’s evolution: a cheaper, more avant-garde ethos than even Audi can manage …

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Concept Volkswagen Taigun Debuts in Delhi – But Set to Battle Nissan Rogue (*or Juke) and Mitsu Outlander Sport in U.S. From 2015

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The Taigun and the Tiguan. Not a good combination for dyslexics – but VW’s mini SUV concept does show great progress in refining the brand’s chiseled future SUV look. It is also hugely important because of its size. Typically, VW has not imported its smallest cars to America because they would all price themselves out of consideration for most shoppers. The Euro-only Up! is just adorable and would sell like ice-cold water bottles at Burning Man — but importing this Euro-made mini-car ould push prices past $20,000. Not a good set of options, then, to increase sales volume for VW …

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Passat Sport New-for-2014 with Black Roof, Turbo and 19-in Luxor Wheels From $27k

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The 2014 Passat Sport is news to me: where did this very affordable and chic black optics pack come from! A surprise and delight, to be sure, from Volkswagen ahead of the big show next week. The 2014 Passat Sport is a trim line between SE and SEL, with manual or automatic boxes available to suit your preference. The Sport is offered with the strong 1.8-liter Volkswagen turbo that has seen action mostly in high-powered models not imported to the States. Luckily, the new turbo will roll out across the full VW USA line-up in the coming years. Boost is …

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2015 VW Golf TSI 3dr Joins TDI and GTI in Brooklyn en Route to Detroit Show 20

2015 VW Golf TSI 3dr Joins TDI and GTI in Brooklyn en Route to Detroit Show

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This is the first real-life photo set of the 2015 Golf from Volkswagen, which appears in these official images as both a three-door and a five-door. A two-door in the American market is new versus the 2014 Golf line-up. The interior also shows a nice range of trim choices. No time frame on the production 2015 Golf’s arrival, but by May of 2014 to American VW showrooms seems likely. 2015 North American Volkswagen GTI 2015 North American Volkswagen Golf

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2015 VW e-Golf a Snooze, But its EV Tech Also Powers Very Cute e-Up Lite and EcoMotion Van

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The Volkswagen e-Golf, e-Up! and Up Lite will join the Detroit auto show festivities, with the Golf BEV debuting its all-new battery and powertrains in 2015 production form. Featured in the cover image is the Frankfurt e-Co-Motion van concept. The newest is the Up! Lite, which appears to bring some of the cool tech and style of the XL1 exotic prototype. I called it the e-Up! Lite before by mistake, the up!Lite appears to be a PHEV of some kind. The 2015 VW e-Golf is a fully electric vehicle, evolving and refining some of the components previewed under the Blue-e-motion concept …

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Race Start Video: 2014 CLA45 AMG Shows Impressive Launch Drama + 4.5s to 60mph

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Mercedes-Benz is evolving its marketing and product positioning drastically. Executive rumblings from a few years ago indicated the brand was making serious changes to lower its perceived demographic – but it all just seemed like lip service at the time. Well, the arrival of the CLA-Class surely confirms that they were very serious. Serious… about getting playful. The CLA is launching in the American market as the front-drive CLA250 and the all-wheel-drive CLA45 AMG. Both run a highly advanced new platform, engine, transmission and electronic architecture. What perhaps previously took 0.002 milliseconds to transfer info from rear ABS sensors on …

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Speculative Rendering – 2015 Volkswagen Passat R

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  Some big changes at Volkswagen of America this week, with executive leadership heads rolling to account for the current VW sales slump and steep down-trend. This is unfortunate, but just a cost of doing business. The previous acting chief doubled sales in 24 months, which is pretty astounding until you realize how low VW of America’s sales actually were. But what is the root cause? They are many and varied – but it comes down to the dated, extremely boring and overpriced US product portfolio. As many of you may know, I like to play with car configurators online. …

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When In Doubt: Porsche. LMP1 Glory Past, Present and Future

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Porsche will fly twin missions under the Volkswagen Group. But only four letters really matter: LMP1 As the production cars division spreads the 911 ethos across a wide variety of new body styles over the next decade, vehicles with a Porsche badge will come in all sorts of new shapes and prices. Along with this proliferation of bad-ass sports cars? Winning the world’s toughest and most-respected race of any kind. Swimming laps? No. Running laps? No. No Olympic athletes are asked to perform for 24 hours in a row. The reason? Ostensibly, it cannot be done. Many have said the …

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Hottest LA Debuts: CrossBlue Coupe Wearing Tough New VW Truck Face

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  Five-seat SUV concept is based off the new MQB architecture and features a plug-in V6 gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain Concept features dramatic new interpretation of Volkswagen design DNA 415-horsepower gasoline-hybrid concept is capable of 70 MPGe The vehicle can travel up to 13 miles as an EV Top speed of 147 mph; 0 to 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds VW CrossBlue Coupe – Concept – Exterior Gallery VW CrossBlue Coupe – Concept – Tech Gallery VW CrossBlue Coupe – Concept – Interior Gallery   Animations

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Concept Flashback – 2013 VW Design Vision GTI Wants To Eat Your Babies

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This is the meanest-looking Golf GTI… ever.   Wow. Very impressive designs, and hopefully this nose will show up some time in the future as well. Design Vision Volkswagen GTI Concept – Exterior Gallery Design Vision Volkswagen GTI Concept – Interior Gallery Design Vision Volkswagen GTI Concept – Animated Gallery