Volkswagen’s Super Bowl Spot Goes Long: Video

Volkswagen was one of the first automakers to release a teaser video for its upcoming Super Bowl ad, and we couldn’t see how dogs barking the Imperial March from Star Wars had anything to do with selling VWs. Sure, its Darth Vader spot was the unexpected hit of last year’s Super Bowl, but going back to the same well for inspiration two years in a row rarely works well. Read more

Consumer Reports Asks: Is VW Building Better Cars For Journalists?

As an auto journalist, one of the perks of the job is a free new car, delivered to your door, each week. In exchange for this consideration, manufacturers want us to write objective reviews about their latest wares, emphasizing the things we liked more than the things we didn’t. That’s not to say that we won’t call out a car company for things that need fixing; instead, it’s more of an unwritten understanding that we won’t bash a particular brand because of personal bias or past quality issues. Read more

Volkswagen Shows Off Their Temporary Auto Pilot

It’s not quite the same thing as Google’s driverless cars, but it’s a whole lot closer to being a reality: Volkswagen has demonstrated a working prototype of a technology they call “Temporary Auto Pilot.” Using a combination of adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist, cars equipped with Temporary Auto Pilot will follow the posted speed limit, maintain a safe distance to the car in front of them and stay centered within their lane, even on curves. It will function at speeds up to 80 miles per hour, but also works in stop and go traffic (which makes it ideal for rush-hour commuters). Read more

VW of America Shoots Down The GTI Edition 35

Earlier this month we brought you word of a special edition VW GTI, announced at VW / Audi’s annual freakfest at the Wörthersee in Austria. Dubbed the GTI Edition 35, the car was created to honor the 35th anniversary of the VW GTI’s launch in Europe. While primarily a trim package, the limited edition GTI also saw a bump in horsepower to 235 (from 200) and a bump in torque to 221 foot pounds (from the current 207 ft lb). Rumor was that we’d be getting a few in the U.S., even though the GTI has only been on sale for 29 years in America. Read more

VW’s New Passat Starts Under $21,000

Volkswagen’s newest Passat, now built in their Chattanooga, Tennessee factory, costs over $7,000 less than the 2010 model it replaces. It’s bigger, too, with an emphasis on increasing leg room for rear seat passengers. Best of all, it’s going to be available in a turbodiesel variant, which gives buyers a legitimate alternative to hybrid vehicles. Like the Jetta, the lower price comes at a cost: expect to see more hard plastic on the inside, but Volkswagen insists that the bulk of the cost savings comes from domestic manufacturing. This much is certain: with three powertrains and a variety of trim levels, there will likely be a Passat to suit almost any budget. Read more

Would You Buy A Car From This Dealership?

Larry Roesch Volkswagen is a VW dealer in the Chicago metropolitan area. Instead of describing how well-built VW products are, they prefer to demonstrate it in a series of uber-cheesy YouTube videos. I’ll spare you the video of sales manager Nick Pontarelli riding the door of a new Jetta like a mechanical bull, since you can get a feel for the type of abuse heaped on new Volkswagens in the name of internet advertising in the video below. Read more

VW To Launch New Beetle On Three Continents

Launching a new model used to be simple: if you wanted to sell it in Europe first, you launched it at the Geneva Auto Show, the Frankfurt International Motor Show or maybe the biennial Paris Motor Show. If Japan was your primary market, you launched it at the Tokyo Motor Show, and if you were targeting us Americans, your choices were to roll it out in Detroit, Chicago, New York or Los Angeles. That old school wisdom just doesn’t fly anymore, and Volkswagen has some big plans for the launch of their next generation “21st Century Beetle”. Rather than launch at a single auto show, VW is relying on MTV to launch the car in Shanghai, China; Berlin, Germany and New York, all on April 18th. Read more

2012 VW Golf R: The U.S. Loses Again

Have your heart set on a 2012 VW Golf R? Don’t worry, the car’s still coming to this side of the pond, and there’s a good chance you’ll be able to take one home in time for Christmas. That’s the good news, but as you may have guessed, there’s bad news as well. In EU trim, the 2012 VW Golf R will be good for 270 horsepower and 258 ft lb of torque, but in U.S. trim, the car is reduced to 256 horsepower and 243 ft lb of torque. If you’d hoped for VW’s outstanding DSG dual-clutch gearbox, I’ve got more bad news for you: VW is only bringing in manual transmission versions of the Golf R. Read more

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