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Volkswagen staged the world premiere of the Up! Lite concept at the LA Auto Show. The new concept, based on Volkswagen’s New Small Family (the Up! models), incorporates a variation on the two-cylinder TDI hybrid powertrain from the L1 concept unveiled earlier this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. (Earlier post.) The door, five-seat concept offers combined EPA cycle fuel consumption of 2.44 L/100km (96 mpg US), with 70 mpg highway. The poewrtrain comprises an 800cc, 2-cylinder TDI (turbo-diesel), electric motor and 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG). Combined with aerodynamics of Cd 0.237, the concept has reduced CO2 emissions to...

Volkswagen Group has displaced Toyota for the first time as the world's largest car manufacturer in terms of production. The German carmaker produced 4.4 million vehicles in the first nine months of the year, overtaking its Japanese rival by 400,000 units, consulting firm IHS Global Insight said on Wednesday. Volkswagen Group owns a variety of models such as Skoda and Seat and high-end lines Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. In July it expanded its stable by acquiring Porsche. HIS Global Insight said Volkswagen was able to beat Toyota thanks to increased sales in China, Germany and the U.K. even amid...

The people want an empire, apparently, with that unassuming little black VW bug at the head of it. The U.K.’s Guardian explains, "Volkswagen-Porsche has overtaken Toyota to become the world's largest car manufacturer as the German group benefits from state-backed stimulus packages around the globe." VW has "produced 4.4 million vehicles so far this year, outstripping its Japanese rival which has seen four million cars roll off production lines since January." Ironically, VW reached the milestone in part by taking over Porsche – which it was forced to do after Porsche failed in an attempt to take over VW earlier...

This a from the Tennessean, the Pravda of the South. They don't like conservatives so you need to copy and paste the link. VW is opening a plant in Chattanooga and will be hiring 1,200 for production. They started taking applications on line today and have received over 5,000 and the application period runs through November 15th. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091027/BUSINESS01/910270331/5+000+seek+VW+jobs+on+Day+1

PDATED (October 2, 2009): Volkswagen has now officially released details on the 2010 Golf TDI. The new model is rated at 30/41 mpg (city/hwy) for the manual transmission and 32/42 mpg with VW’s advanced DSG automatic transmission. The car is priced from $21,990. Noticeably absent from the North American market since 2006, the Volkswagen Golf TDI will return for 2010. The new model was showcased today at the New York Auto Show, along with the high performance GTI (see our review here). There weren’t any standard Golfs on the floor, but we do have info on that model too....

Outstanding commercial we'll never see on our politically correct television.

The L1 concept is shorter than a VW Fox and lower than a Lamborghini. When it goes into production in 2013, it will be the most aerodynamic car in the world and, at just 840lb, the lightest. It is built of the most exotic materials, with slippery carbon-fibre coachwork, a fighter aircraft’s cockpit canopy and rear-view television cameras instead of wing mirrors. Its tiny, 800cc engine is one half of a VW 1.6-litre TDI turbodiesel unit, which delivers maximum power of 29 brake horsepower together with a 14 horse power electric motor to provide extra oomph for overtaking. Free road...

Porsche heaquarters was raided by German investigators Thursday due to suspicions of insider trading by former CEO Wendelin Wiedeking, who was ousted last month following an epic takeover battle in which the luxury carmaker almost swallowed Volkswagen─Europe's largest carmaker, which is more than 10 times Porsche's size─before VW turned the tables. It is now set to gobble up Porsche instead. In trying to buy up Volkswagen, Wiedeking had accumulated 43 percent of VW's shares but secretly held options on another 32 percent. Porsche did not disclose the options until October 2008, roiling the markets. The company said yesterday that the...

Porsche’s family owners on Thursday ended months of feuding over a rescue of Germany’s debt-ridden sports carmarker by agreeing a merger with Volkswagen and ousting its chief executive Wendelin Wiedeking with a huge €50m pay-off. The merger, which is planned for 2011, would bring Porsche under the umbrella of Europe’s biggest car and truck empire, where it would join other famous marques including Audi, Bugatti and Bentley. But the terms of Mr Wiedeking’s payoff, one of the biggest ever in Germany, reignited a fierce public row over executive pay in the country, which is heading towards a general election in...

The best thing Volkswagen AG can do when it carries through its proposed merger with Porsche is this: Leave Porsche alone and reap the revenue from a glossy brand with loyal, rich customers, analysts say. Having emerged Thursday atop a power struggle among members of the Piech and Porsche families — who control Porsche Autombil Holding SE — and cost Wendelin Wiedeking his job as chief executive, Volkswagen is left to gather the spoils, namely the marquee Porsche name that will soon be counted with Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini, already among its stable of luxury brands. "I don't think Volkswagen...

Leave it to the Germans..

Toyota's place as No. 1 in the world faces a challenge. Not from Detroit, but from Wolfsburg. Volkswagen is where the action is. General Motors (GM) and Chrysler are sinking away, Toyota (TM) is losing money, but in Wolfsburg (the lair of the German car company), Volkswagen (VLKAF.PK) is planning to conquer the world (or at least be No. 1) by 2018. Let's look at a few of the recent headlines: In the first quarter this year VW worldwide sales closed the gap on No. 1 automaker Toyota. VW sales of 1.4 million fell 11%, while Toyota's 1.8 million dropped...

Looking at the pic of Obama on Drudge, is that a VW logo behind him? Little subliminal stuff going on? Don't know how to post a picture. Can anyone help with that?

FRANKFURT (AFP) — Volkswagen, Europe's biggest car maker, said on Monday its 2008 profit rose 15 percent and it expected to gain market share during the current global automotive sector crisis. A VW statement said 2008 net profit came to 4.75 billion euros (6.0 billion dollars) as sales rose 4.5 percent to a record 113.8 billion euros, with operating profit up 3.0 percent to 6.3 billion euros. The 2008 dividend was increased seven percent to 1.93 euros per share. "We met our target and surpassed our record results for 2007 even though conditions were tougher," chairman Martin Winterkorn said. VW...

Maximum driving fun with minimal fuel consumption: that's how VW has started car year 2009 by presenting the Concept BlueSport roadster at the North American International Auto Show. "The BlueSport proves to be a compact and passionate car with a clear Volkswagen signature. The car offers pure dynamics with a powerful 134kW Clean Diesel engine that is combined with the characteristic Volkswagen philosophy of efficiency," Volkswagen's board chairman Martin Winterkorn confirmed at the Detroit show. The Concept BlueSport is making its appearance at the car show in Detroit with a Flex Silver exterior and orange fabric convertible top. "It is...

VW Jetta Clean Diesel Wins! by Green Car Journal Editors 11/20/2008 This is an important time for ‘green cars,’ even amid some of the most challenging times the auto industry has ever seen. The reasons are clear. In many ways, ‘green’ cars represent the future of the auto industry and the products that will enable our mobility in the years to come. It’s no longer an option for automakers to address the efficiency and environmental impact of new models, but rather an imperative. It will become even more so as environmental performance, in all its forms, becomes a greater touchstone...

Lenny Brecher was in a foul mood yesterday as he wheeled his bicycle out of the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg. Germany, the powerhouse of Europe, is in recession and the bad news had just caught up with the 24-year-old welder. “Recession, what does that mean?” he asked, trying to push his way through a knot of colleagues leaving the early shift. “It's just another excuse to get rid of us.” He was grumpy because VW's first reflex in the swirling economic crisis has been to shed 750 workers before Christmas. Thousands more temporary workers like Lenny are expected to be...

VW becomes world's biggest company as short sellers' panic drives shares Volkswagen briefly overtook Exxon as the world's biggest company by market value as panic buying by short sellers to cover positions drove the shares up 93pc. By Roland Gribben Last Updated: 2:16PM GMT 28 Oct 2008 Volkswagen briefly overtook Exxon as the world's biggest company by market value after its shares hit 1,005 euros as short sellers closed positions. Photo: Reuters Europe's largest vehicle manufacturer was valued at €296bn (£236bn), against $359bn (£227bn) for Exxon, after its shares hit €1,005 in early trading in an ongoing reaction to details...

FRANKFURT, 28 Oct (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) briefly became the world's biggest company by market value on Tuesday, as short sellers continued to pile into the stock on weekend news Porsche had bought up much of VW's remaining free float. Shares in the German car maker hit an intraday high of 1,005.01 euros, valuing the company at 296.06 billion euros ($370.4 billion) based on ordinary stock, more than that of worl'd number one company Exxon Mobil Corp's (XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) $343 billion market value at Monday's closing price. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSLS14365720081028?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0 for the rest

Volkswagen’s shares more than doubled on Monday after Porsche moved to cement its control of Europe’s biggest carmaker and hedge funds, rushing to cover short positions, were forced to buy stock from a shrinking pool of shares in free float. VW shares rose 147 per cent after Porsche unexpectedly disclosed that through the use of derivatives it had increased its stake in VW from 35 to 74.1 per cent, sparking outcry among investors, analysts and corporate governance experts. Max Warburton, analyst at Sanford Bernstein, said it had brought the German market into disrepute. “It is a huge question for regulators...

Volkswagen has a number of firsts for its 2009 Jetta TDI. It is the first new diesel powered passenger car on the market in the U.S. to qualify for sales in all 50 states under the Tier 2 Bin 5 (T2B5) emissions standard. And now it's also the first diesel car to qualify for a federal income tax credit under the Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle income tax credit program. The Internal Revenue Service has certified that the 2009 Jetta TDI qualifies for a one-time tax credit of $1,300. That is the same amount that buyers of General Motors...

German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) has chosen to locate its new US car plant in Tennessee, a move that could pump $1bn (£498m) into the local economy. VW opted for a site in the city of Chattanooga in preference to possible locations in Alabama and Michigan. The euro's rise against the dollar has made it costly to make cars in Europe and export them to the US, leading VW to explore manufacturing again there. The move is good news for a US car industry shedding thousands of jobs. New car Earlier on Tuesday, GM said it planned to make further cutbacks...

Volkswagen announced this morning that it would build a manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. where it will build a vehicle specifically for the North American market. The plant will employ 2,000 workers from the tri-state area and is expected to invest $1 billion in the local economy. The plant is an integral part of Volkswagen's plan for expansion in the N.A. market, with sales expected to crest 800,000 units by 2018. The 1,350-acre site will produce 150,000 vehicles annually – specifically a midsize sedan – in 2011.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The U.S. State of Alabama will be the likely home of a new Volkswagen (VOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) manufacturing plant, beating two other states, German industry newsletter Automobilwoche said on Saturday, citing senior company sources. A VW spokesman said that a decision on the location of the plant had yet to be taken and that Alabama, Tennessee and Michigan remained in the running. A decision is expected by July 21, the spokesman said. Daimler's (DAIGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) Mercedes Car Group has had a manufacturing plant in Alabama for years and ThyssenKrupp (TKAG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), an...

At the International Vienna Motor Symposium, which starts today, Volkswagen is announcing that its next-generation turbo diesel engine, BlueTDI - developed especially for the North American market - will initially be available in the U.S. version of the Jetta. The Jetta BlueTDI will come to North America sometime in the middle of this year, followed at some point by the Touareg BlueTDI. BlueTDI is the cleaner version of the already pretty clean TDI engine that VW uses in its European diesels (starting with the Tiguan last year). TDI meets the Euro-5 standard and BlueTDI is ready for the stricter...

Tim Dutrow transforming used vegetable oil into cost-effective fuel. SANTA ROSA BEACH — Tim Dutrow brews biodiesel for his Volkswagen in his back yard. Dutrow, 44, got interested in alternative fuels a few years ago as a way to help the environment, but mainly to keep money out of the pockets of Middle East nations. “I save some money, quite a bit, but that’s not why I do this,” he said. “We are in bed with people that don’t care about us. We are really over a barrel with them.” Dutrow went to several workshops in 2006 and surfed the...

Volkswagen Up! Concept Wolfsburg, September 2007. There are cars that endure for all times. They are icons of their type, masterpieces of craftsmanship and technology; they put ideas into motion, make progress tangible and sometimes quite simply make everyday life better, more practical and enjoyable. Many of these cars carry the VW logo. “Bug, Beetle, New Beetle”, “T1, Bulli, Samba bus, California”, “Golf, GTI”. Now Volkswagen is presenting – as a world premiere at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt – a concept car that once again has the right stuff needed to move more than just one...

I prank, therefore I am Engineering students have pulled some amazing pranks over the years. But UBC's Golden Gate prank may have been the greatest everBy ERIN MILLAR -- Maclean'sAt about 3:40 a.m. on Feb. 5, 2001, a moving van stopped abruptly in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge. Although it was still dark, witnesses said they saw around a dozen figures emerge and push a large object over the side of the bridge. They then reboarded the van, and sped away into the night. Nothing to see here. Move along. A couple of hours later, as the morning...

LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today issued the following statement on Volkswagen’s presence in Michigan: “We are grateful that so many Volkswagen jobs are staying in Michigan. By choosing to continue their automotive and technology related functions here they will be retaining 600 of their employees in Michigan. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with Volkswagen in the years to come.” Granholm met with Stefan Jacoby, incoming President and CEO of Volkswagen of America last evening. In conversations and a formal letter to the Governor, Jacoby said Michigan is and will remain an important global center for...

Volkswagen Moving to Herndon U.S. Unit to Bring 400 Jobs From Michigan By Zachary A. GoldfarbWashington Post Staff Writer Thursday, September 6, 2007; Page D01 Volkswagen of America plans to announce today that it will move its headquarters to Herndon, as part of a new corporate strategy to for revamping its sagging auto business. The company said it would bring 400 jobs to the region and invest more than $100 million to set up operations in a new office building in Woodland Park near Washington Dulles International Airport.The move is part of a corporate restructuring that would eliminate 400 positions,...

BERLIN:The chief executives of German auto giant Volkswagen and US technology group Apple met in California recently to discuss a joint venture, a VW spokesman confirmed Thursday. He declined to say whether the meeting between VW's Martin Winterkorn and Steve Jobs of Apple was about the launch of an iCar, which German business magazine Capital said would follow in the footsteps of hit Apple products such as the iMac computer, iPod MP3 player and the new iPhone handset. "It is not about a specific car yet -- it is too soon for that," the spokesman said. Capital said the new...

Germany’s Automobilewoche reports that with the change in Volkswagen’s top management is coming a change in strategy for hybrids. Martin Winterkorn, who formerly headed the company’s Audi AG unit, became CEO after Bernd Pischetsrieder resigned at the end of 2006. Pischetsrieder had brought in Wolfgang Bernhard from DaimlerChrysler to run the Volkswagen unit. Berhard has now left (as of today), and Winterkorn will personally oversee the VW brand for the time being. Now, rather than target a mild hybrid Jetta for sale into the California market in 2008 as described by Pischetsrieder, Volkswagen will focus first on a full hybrid...

Wednesday October 25, 2006 By TOM KRISHER AP Business Writer DETROIT (AP) -- From July to September, GM, Ford and Chrysler racked up losses as large as the entire annual gross domestic product of Africa's Malawi. That's $7.5 billion. Despite the massive losses, company officials and some industry analysts say the Big Three can do little more than wait for drastic cost cuts to kick in and new products to take hold before they can staunch the bleeding. All three reported third-quarter losses this week, with General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group joining the misery Wednesday. A $1.5...

Volkswagen has struck a deal with unions to extend the working week of staff at six German plants without any increase in pay. In return for raising their hours by four hours a week to 33 hours, the 100,000 workers have been guaranteed job security until 2011. The carmaker promised to build the next generation of its flagship Golf model at its main factory in Wolfsburg. The company wants to cut costs for the production of its vehicles. Cars such as the Golf are selling strongly but are bringing in little profit. VW had been seeking a 35-hour week without...

Watch at the link above, and see the very best car for terrorists...the Volkswagen Polo. Once you watch, you'll see what I mean.

It has proved one of the most endearing of cinematic legends - a loveable car with a mind of its own that can drive itself. And for 40 years Herbie - or the 'Love Bug' - as the Volkswagen Beetle was dubbed in its first movie outing - has enthralled millions of families in a series of Hollywood sequels. But now German car giant Volkswagen has turned fiction into reality by unveiling a fully automatic car which really can drive itself - and at speeds of up to 150mph. It can weave with tyres screeching around tricky bends and chicanes,...

Volkswagen says it wants to lengthen its standard working week at plants in western Germany to 35 hours without raising salaries. The move - which would end a 28.8-hour working week in place since 1994 - is designed to improve efficiency. But union leaders oppose the move, which VW sees as key to a comprehensive agreement on pay and conditions. The car firm warned that longer hours might not be sufficient to safeguard future employment. It previously said that 20,000 jobs were at risk unless productivity could be increased. VW needs union approval to see the controversial changes through. The...

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This magazine marked the 20th anniversary of Earth Day in 1990 by exploring “future” technologies. [snip] VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI 7.0 gallons of B20 biodiesel at $2.749 49.9 mpg vs. EPA highway rating of 42 mpg Our fuel station was offering up B20 biodiesel, 20 percent veggie oil, which means that from an environmentalist’s perspective the German diesel didn’t just beat the Japanese hybrids, it trounced them. Not only that, it had more than half of its 14.5-gallon tank left at the end—it could have made the same trip again without refueling! Our example was pretty much a stripper, absent even...

Is this VW ad coming to our shores any time soon? Doubt it!

If anyone hasn't seen the hilarious new VW commercials, here are all three of them. Admin mods, please move if I posted it in the wrong place. http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/02/22/vw-strikes-again-un-pimp-my-ride-videos/

VW Will Start Selling Costly Bugatti in the U.S.; Zero to 62 in 2.5 SecondsAfter seven years of false starts, a $1 million car billed as the world's fastest factory-produced automobile is about to arrive on American shores. Volkswagen AG is launching early next year the Bugatti Veyron, a curvaceous two-seater with air-intake scoops and a large radiator grille that prominently displays the Bugatti badge. For the German car maker, it represents an unusual bet on the high-end market at a time of cost cutting for the company and as U.S. car makers continue to struggle with slow sales. The...

MOSCOW, December 2 (RIA Novosti) - The Volkswagen concern has confirmed its plans to open a car-manufacturing plant in Russia, an investment tentatively estimated at 330 million euros, the Ministry of Industry and Energy said Friday. "The details of the project have not been discussed yet," the ministry said. Volkswagen top managers said the plant would house full-scale production, the ministry said. The ministry said Volkswagen was ready to invest 330 million euros in the plant with a production capacity of 80-150,000 cars per year. The company will be producing the VW Pointer microcar, which sells for up to $10,000.

Stanley, the Volkswagen Touareg that won a $2 million desert road race all on its own — in a sense — bears a logo that plays off its manufacturer’s slogan. “Drivers not required.” The robotic SUV finished first in a 132-mile trek across the rugged and twisting Nevada desert, in what may be an early step toward getting vehicles to do their own driving for everything from war-zone supply missions to morning commutes.

OCT. 9 3:56 P.M. ET A driverless Volkswagen won a $2 million race across the rugged Nevada desert Sunday, beating four other robot-guided vehicles that completed a Pentagon-sponsored contest aimed at making warfare safer for humans. The race displayed major technological leaps since last year's inaugural race, when none of the self-driving vehicles crossed the finish line. Stanley the Volkswagen, designed by Stanford University, zipped through the 132-mile Mojave Desert course in six hours and 53 minutes Saturday, using only its computer brain and sensors to navigate rough and twisting desert and mountain trails.

PRIMM, Nev., Oct. 8 - Fifteen robotic vehicles sprinted through the Nevada desert Saturday afternoon, closing in on a $2 million prize from the Pentagon meant to spur development of technologies for 21st century automated warfare. The vehicles were the survivors from an original starting field of 23 teams fielded by alliances of computer, automotive and aerospace companies, university researchers and others. The competition, called the Grand Challenge, was organized by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, and was designed to tap into the talents of a wide range of researchers and innovators who might not otherwise be...

Porsche CEO's VW plan deals blow to minorities Mon Sep 26, 2005 12:31 PM ET By Christiaan Hetzner FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Wendelin Wiedeking, the outspoken chief executive of Germany's legendary sports car maker Porsche (PSHG_p.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), is anything but a devout proponent of shareholder value. But investors holding Porsche non-voting stock never dreamed the otherwise conservative businessman would spend billions to protect the independence of Europe's largest carmaker, Volkswagen (VOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), via a 20 percent stake purchase. Privately controlled but publicly listed Porsche has taken the Frankfurt Stock Exchange operator to court over requirements for index-listed...

GERMANY’S conservative opposition leader, Angela Merkel, is hoping to exploit a lurid sex and bribery scandal at Volkswagen to boost support for her plans to take on the trade unions if she wins a general election in September.Her Christian Democrat Union (CDU) manifesto, to be unveiled tomorrow, will outline measures to weaken the powers of the unions. The party wants to change the law to allow companies that have secured the support of two-thirds of their workforce to bypass union negotiators and deal directly with their employees. Merkel — known as Germany’s Iron Maiden — argues that the unions, which...

Germany is the home to an automobile industry that is admired and respected worldwide. Their products range from low to high end, with almost every manufacturer commanding respect in their target demographics. From the success of introducing the world’s first luxury marque at Mercedes-Benz, to pioneering the mix of luxury-sport at BMW AG, almost all German automobiles are revered. Lately, however, there has been one sore thumb in the almost exclusive group. That would be the long-heralded heritage of home-grown Volkswagen AG. Volkswagen, literally “people’s car,” has been producing vehicles in Germany since its original founder, Adolf Hitler, brainstormed their...

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