As part of Volkswagen’s group growth strategy, the German enterprise will invest a huge amount of money for an assembly plant in Mexico. Volkswagen’s Worldwide President, Martin Winterkorn, had given this announcement and said that they are planning to do the investment in the next two years. He had said that this is a significant and important step for the future. With Pueblo, Mexico as their only plant in North America, they have not yet decided exactly where in North America they will be building their new plant. “It could be in Mexico. It could be in the United States. It could be in Canada,” Winterkorn said. The one billion dollar investment in Mexico was for the purpose of increasing the output of Volkswagen’s current plant, to be more specific: the Jetta and Bora models.

Volkswagen remains to be one of Mexico’s most eminent employers, having sixteen thousand people employed in Puebla, eleven thousand more where the auto-supplier industry is concerned and around ten thousand in the company’s dealership network within the country. Nevertheless, Volkswagen is still concerned regarding the progress of Mexico’s domestic department, which is quite disappointing. Winterkorn said, “The negative influence of used car imports from the U.S. can’t be ignored.”

Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, stated that he had delivered a decree to manage the second-hand automobile market and to “reduce the unfair competition suffered by the Mexican automobile industry.” With this decree, the maximum age of imported automobiles which are legal was reduced from fifteen to ten years. This also subjects the vehicles to the full-standard value-added tax, unlike the previous cut down rate.

source: indiaenews.com

There’s a new Volkswagen in town: compact yet powerful, that’s the 2008 Volkswagen R32. Named after its engine, the Racing 3.2 L naturally aspirated VR6 engine with 236 ft. lbs. worth of torque, its 4Motion All-Wheel-Drive system and its Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) transmission makes changing of gears a lot easier. The 2008 Volkswagen R32 sits low on the ground but has a surprisingly spacious interior, giving the capacity of seating five. It has the length of 167.2 in and the width of 69.2 in; it stands at 57.7 in. It has an automatic transmission and comes with the optional Tiptronic shift-paddles. This option shift-paddles are there for the purpose of a “virtual manual” experience.

The brake calipers are painted blue. It’s hard to miss behind the 18-inch alloy wheels. The “big, bad, brake calipers” are supposed to handle deceleration well, especially when the driver is zooming past. The chrome-plated tailpipes are incorporated into the rear bumper and are uniquely placed in the center, making a bold statement. This clearly distinguishes 2008 Volkswagen R32 from the other cars. The arrangement of the engine is front mounted and revered. This compact but powerful car runs on a six-cylinder gasoline engine with the stroke of 3.78 in (95.9 mm). The engine horsepower is 250 at 6,300 (184 kW at 6,300). Its maximum torque is 236 at 2,500 to 3,000 (320 Nm at 2,500 to 3,000). The recommended fuel for this is Premium Unleaded to ensure maximum performance. Speaking of performance, whether manual or automatic, it is zero to sixty-two mph, 6.5 seconds. This particular model has a 3-way catalytic converter with oxygen sensor, secondary air injection pump.

The price of the 2008 Volkswagen R32 starts at $32,990 and comes with the following warranties:

1. Anti-Corrosion Warranty
2. Powertrain Warranty
3. Vehicle Warranty

source: Automobile mag

It has been a successful year for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The year 2007 marked the eighth successive year of sales and said sales which were greater than before. Aside from that fact, there are a total of 27,777 commercial vehicles registered and the market share Volkswagen owns increased to more than eight percent. With the company’s total sales of 30,427 units of vehicles (units which included the Caravelle and Shuttle passenger carrying derivatives of the Transporter) in United Kingdom in the year 2007, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles were able to give rise to their sales by more than thirteen percent as compared to 2006. It showed that there was twice the UK sales volume if you will compare it to the sales eight years ago. That time eight years ago, Volkswagen sold 15,069 vehicles at the end of the last millennium.

Robert Hazelwood, the Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, had spoken regarding the increase in sales and their eight successful years. He said, “Achieving the milestone of 30,000 vehicle sales for the first time is a fantastic achievement…In a competitive market place, the quality, comfort and competitive whole life costs of Volkswagen vans make them more desirable than ever. Together with the high levels of customer service we can deliver through our national network of specialist van centers, plus new models such as the Caddy Maxi being launched this year, we plan on 2008 being even more successful.”

For the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, United Kingdom is currently their biggest export market. That is to say, outside their home market in Germany.

source: Contract Hire and Leasing

The largest car manufacturer of Europe, Volkswagen, has plans to set up a new plant in United States. In an interview with Stefan Jacoby, the Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen of America, he had said that the decision for building a plant in America was all about manufacturing the right vehicle with the appropriate price and that they would be producing the fitting volume. The plan was to create engines and transmissions in North America. The purpose behind this was to cut down its weak exposure to the U.S. dollar. Jacoby had said, “We (Volkswagen) will not be competitive unless we (Volkswagen) produce these components locally.”

No mention of the location of the upcoming Volkswagen assembly plant was made. It was not stated whether the plant would be situated in the U.S., Canada or Mexico. However, production would start within three years of when the proposal was made. The local production is the central aspect of the growth plan of Volkswagen where the U.S. is concerned. The U.S. sales for 2007 went down by 1.9% as compared to year 2006. The sales closed at 230,571 units in 2007. The current objective is to be able to sell 800,000 Volkswagen vehicles in the U.S. only. The company’s target due date for said objective is 2018. They already have vehicles lined up, which will be presented to the U.S. market this year. The line-up includes the new SUV, the Volkswagen Tiguan. This model will be priced starting at $22,490. Meanwhile, the new Routan will be unveiled from February 6 to 17 this year in Chicago. Yet another model joining them is the Volkswagen Passat CC, the sleek four-door car with a coupe design intended for comfort without compromising its impressive exterior.

Source: Top Speed

India is the place where Volkswagen is considering setting up their new base. They will be making cars there that are exclusive for world market. The Volkswagen production plant to be set up will cost millions of Euros and will be located in Pune. This Is for the purpose of manufacturing the B/B Plus segment cars. These cars are vehicles specially designed for India. The aforementioned car is expected to be unveiled to the public come 2009. The car will be based on the Polo model (the new generation). However, it will not be named the same. According to Mr. Andreas Prinz, the Managing Director for Volkswagen passenger cars in India, the car manufactured in India will have a “higher wheel base with better ground clearance.” Its engine will not exceed 1.3 lt. Not only that, but the car will also have a larger space for its passengers. This is for the reason that in India, small cars are the ones used for the most part and so they have to be constructed in a different way.

After Volkswagen starts to produce cars for the Indian market, their plans include the manufacturing of models. Those models will be exported to other countries. One of the car models which will be made available to the Indian market is the Jetta. The New Beetle and Phaeton are anticipated to be released after three months. The Touareg (the sports utility vehicle), on the other hand, is expected to be releases some time in the next year. Volkswagen is expecting to sell roughly around 400,000 car units for the next ten years. This estimate is expected in the Indian market. The eighty percent of the sales will be coming from the selling of small cars.

Source: Auto India

The Volkswagen EOS 2.0 TSI is a coupe convertible which received an award, two times in a row, in the “Best Open Top Car” category of the What Car? Award hosted by the magazine “What Car?” The EOS was voted by the majority, with the editors impressed by its engine – a robust 2.0 liter TSI engine – and its remarkable retractable folding roof. It presents a decent gas mileage of 30 miles per gallon (mpg). This certain model also offers to different engines: 2.0 liter turbocharged and intercooled double over head camshafts (DOHC) 4-cylnder engine and then there’s the 3.2 liter naturally aspirated VR6 engine.

Those are not the only good things about this Volkswagen model. It also has the Adaptive Front Lighting System that is standard with the trademark Bi-Xenon headlamps. These headlamps really turn up to the point of 15 degrees in the direction of where you’re headed, whether you’re driving down the road or cruising along the wide highways. The AFS also has an additional lightbulb. This lightbulb automatically turns on with the flick of the blinker when the car is going slowly.

Safety is not left out. The Automatic Lock Door ensures that the passengers are secured once inside the cabin. It automatically locks the doors as soon as the Volkswagen reaches 8 miles per hour. To unlock the doors, the handle simply needs to be pulled twice. Alternatively, you can push the unlock button. LEDS are also used here. The Light Emitting Diodes (LEDS) are located in the rear markers, brake lights and signal lights. They have three advantages: They illuminate instantly, they consume lesser energy and they definitely last longer than the usual lightbulbs.

The roof which impressed the editors is a convertible, hardtop roof – the world’s first hardtop – and comes with a sunroof. Its time in going down is just 25 seconds. It is not just sleek. It is fast as well.

Source: Korea Times

The Volkswagen Caddy is known for its aerodynamic design. Taking things further, the people at Volkswagen have introduced the new Volkswagen Caddy Maxi. It is a compact van with a well thought-out interior adapted from the Caddy, which is still able to reflect the sophistication in design. The all new Caddy Maxi is 47 cm. longer than the Caddy. It has seven seats with a lot of luggage space, bringing in a new definition for the word “comfort.” With an increase of space between the second and third rows by 500 mm, it presents a more spacious leg room for passengers in the second row of seats. Alternatively, the third row of seats can be removed completely by following provided simple and easy steps.

The Caddy Maxi is not only a transporter van but it is a compact people carrier as well. It is also one of the largest models among the assortment of its kind. Its exact measurement is 4,875 mm in length, with its wheelbase now 3002 mm. Getting in and out of the vehicle will never be a problem with its 700 mm wide and 1,108 mm high sliding doors. The Caddy Maxi has a payload of 800 kg and 1,500 kg trailer load. With the panel version of the vehicle, there is 4,200 liters of stowage volume. It also has three different kinds of engines on offer. There are two diesel engines and one petrol engine.

Aside from the Caddy Maxi, Volkswagen had also come up with an environmental concept called the Caddy BlueMotion. Its fuel consumption is supposedly improved. Its diesel engine is supposed to help with lower emissions. The Caddy BlueMotion is designed to be environmentally aware without negating the car’s performance.

Source: World Car Fans

Volkswagen had an excellent 2007 as it bagged a record-high 6.2 million vehicles sold worldwide. Among its market, China, Europe, and Russia came out as the top Volkswagen buyers. This year, however, the company aims of making its market bigger, thus it is planning to make the Volkswagen Polo Subcompact available in the United States as a way of reaching out to its American motorists.

Such plan was stated in Handelsblatt, which is a German business paper. In addition, the German company Volkswagen, which is the leading European carmaker, is also considering to release the Volkswagen Space Up! Microbus in the US.

“I will meet with our 600 dealers in the USA this week and ask them ‘do you need the VW Polo’,” Martin Winterkorn, who is the chief executive officer of Volkswagen AG, told Handelsblatt last Tuesday.

Source: Reuters.

Volkswagen just added another feat under its established brand as it pocketed a sky-high 6.2 million Volkswagen vehicles in 2007, thanks to the continuous high demand of its models in Brazil, China, and Europe.

According to Volkswagen AG, the units sold last year jumped to as much as eight percent when compared to the 2006 record. China emerged as the country with the most number of VW models sold. This Asian republic received a strong 28 percent that translated to 900, 000 plus vehicles. Brazil came in second with 32 percent or 581, 000 units, while Eastern Europe bagged the third spot with as much as 20 percent or 496, 400 vehicles.

Not one but seven brands from the automaker made this record-high year possible. Volkswagen, Bentley, Skoda, Audi, Seat, Lamborghini, and Bugatti all contributed to the excellent record of the automaker.

To further strengthen its market scope, Volkswagen AG is keen in searching for the best location for its North American plant. This plant hopes to alleviate the 0.5 percent or roughly 530,000 units decrease of Volkswagen vehicles in the United States.

According to Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, the company hopes to sell even more units than 2007. Four years from now, the German company targets to sell at least eight million units and 11 million vehicles by 2018. Achieving that could be a step to finally overthrow Japanese automaker Toyota, which is just second to American company General Motors as the top manufacturer in the world.

Source: AFP.

Volkswagen, which is one of the leading European carmakers, is in for a big challenge as it is set to launch its famous Volkswagen Beetle in India before the third quarter begins.

More popular as the Bug or just plain Beetle, it will be colliding with its eventual rival Nano in the Indian market. Nano is a model made by Tata Motors especially for motorists of this country. Since it was introduced in the biennial 9th Auto Expo, which was held last January 10 to 17 in New Delhi, it has been getting good reviews and feedbacks both from the motorists and the media. Although competition might be waiting for the European passenger car, the company thinks that this market still has a space for this foreign model.

“Volkswagen is known as Beetle in India. We have studied the market and feel that there is space for Beetle,” said Adreas Prinz, who is the managing director for the passenger car division of Volkswagen. “We are planning to make it available in the middle of this year through imports.”

Aside from colliding bumper on to Nano, the Volkswagen Beetle is also expected to become more expensive compared to the Indian model. Under the regulation of India, those directly imported automobiles will likely increase their market price because of the taxes.

“The cheapest Beetle to be sold in European market is for around 17,000 Euros. Since we would be importing them into India, the car would be a little expensive for many,” said Prinz.

By mid-July to August, the two-door passenger car from Volkswagen will reach the streets of India. Equipped with a 2.5-L five-cylinder engine, this Bug-like car can produce a decent 150-horsepower. After more than six decades in the automobile industry, the Volkswagen Beetle has clearly established its name and penetrating the Indian market could be another feat for this original “People’s car”.

Source: Rediff News.