The Volkswagen Diesel Polo has been declared as the no.1 car that promotes greener motoring, cutting down the best-selling hybrid Toyota Prius as a mere runner-up in the environmental fight for clean air.

The new Volkswagen Polo Blue Motion produces a meager 99 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, which is five grammes lesser than the petrol-electric Toyota Prius. This new Volkswagen model, while still not available in the market, is already set for release in Britain this October of this year.

Until such record of the Polo Blue, the British government in its act to preserve the environment, have continuously encouraged its public over the use of Diesel and Petrol cars; as Diesel cars are more advisable for those individuals who are predominantly driving outside cities, while those who are driving mostly in urban areas are fit to use Petrol models. This is due to the fact that diesel engines are normally the carriers for toxic pollutants, such as Nitric Oxide and Nitrogen Dioxide. And clearly, this does not bode well for the future of Britain, as diesel cars now dangerously occupy an estimated 6.1 million units or an equivalent of 22 percent of units in their vehicle population.

However, with the emergence of the Volkswagen Diesel Polo, consumers are given the option to choose a Diesel car without worrying on its negative environmental effects. Built with a diesel particulate filter system, the Volkswagen Polo Blue Motion is one of the first conventional-engine cars to be exempted from road tax because of its surprisingly low emissions. Volkswagen further declares that this new model, with its quality engine, low weight and superior aerodynamics, can be considered as the most efficient car of its class in all of Europe.

Unlike the sales record of its US counterpart, Volkswagen Commercial vehicles are doing exceedingly well in the United Kingdom. In fact, for the past six consecutive years, Volkswagen has been quite successful in continuously fulfilling its annual sales requirement. And now midway to their seventh year, it seems to give no indication of stopping its triumphant run, since financial statistics reveal that registrations for the first six months of Volkswagen commercial vehicles have surpassed that of the incurred total during the first half of the previous year.

Records declare that the first six months of 2007 has entered 14,185 volkswagen vehicles, a leaping 12.2 percent increase from last year’s first six months worth of 12,635 units.

The Transporter, branded for its safety and comfort, maintains its label as the most popular model of the Volkswagen commercial vehicles in the UK. As of this period, this particular van model is already enjoying a 22.4 percent increase in sales, as compared to the figures of 2006’s initial six months.

The same could be said for the Caddy, Volkwagen’s most compact van, as it has garnered one of the most productive sales revenue so far in this year. Still in comparison from last year’s statistics, an additional 800 transactions were already generated for this year, resulting to a booming 27.1 percent jump in the model’s sales records.

When asked for a statement in reference to its Volkswagen line, UK Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ Robert Hazelwood has this to say: “The stage is set for another record sales year in the UK in 2007. Our vans are proving more popular than ever, not just because of their quality and comfort, but also because stronger residuals and the service and support from the unique Volkswagen Van Centre network means they make sound business sense, too.’

As it turns out, it is not only in UK where sales of Volkswagen Commercial vehicles have remained in top mark. The whole of Europe and the rest of the world have also contributed to Volkswagen’s revenue success.

Harald Schomburg, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles board member for sales and marketing further accentuated: ‘We are continuing our success and have again achieved the best results for a first half year in the brand history. We have been successful with all models in both European and overseas markets.’

This is in reference to the worldwide sales of the Caddy with 66,800 units sold or equivalent to a 7.4 percent increase; and the Transporter models with 93,350 vans sold or a 3.7 percent sales improvement. The Volkswagen Crafter, just recently launched last year, has also shown its market-competitive streak, with an improved revenue by 1.5 percent to 20,600 vehicles.

As these are just financial records for the first half of 2007, the management of Volkswagen is confident of higher record-breaking sales percentage for the entire year.

The German automaker Volkswagen AG became more confident with future sales after getting the second quarter profit surged of 42 percent, thanks to the company’s reduced costs and Audi and Skoda models’ successful sales.

Famous for its bug-like cars, Volkswagen’s net income rose to a whopping $1.6 billion (1.22 billion euros). This has been made possible because the company’s plant in Germany was able to make its employees go with working 4.2 more hours with no extra pay. Aside from the workforce cost-cutting move, sales from Audi and Skoda went up high the ceiling. People started to clamor for the new models like Skoda’s small car called Fabia and Audi’s TT Roadster and Coupe.

“We’re definitely now seeing the effects of the restructuring measures,” said Nathan Kohlhoff, an analyst at Unicredit in Munich. “The results are better than everyone was expecting.”

Since Volkswagen was able to reach its 2008 profit goal, the company is expected to at least reach a pretax profit of 5.1 billion euros before the year ends.

“This shows that we are on track to obtain and sustain a new level of profitability,” said Volkswagen Chief Financial Officer Hans Dieter Poetsch. “Our goal is to grow with the current headcount.”

Although the other Volkswagen market is doing well, the German automaker has to do establish a U.S. Factory for Volkswagen of America vehicles especially if the dollar continues to weaken against the euro. Manufacturing of car parts and assembling these into new models in the U.S. Will cut a lot of money.

In the steep uphill race wars, Michigan-based olkswagen of America, Inc. proved that it has the strongest contenders as it bagged the top seats in the 85th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) last weekend.

The Germany-established automobile company entered two V10 TDI Touaregs with professional drivers Ryan Arciero and Mike Miller behind the wheels. Another Volkswagen entry was the V6 TDI Touareg driven by Chris Blais. All three participants were able to get the top three spots in the High Performance Showroom Stock division of the said event. Arciero, which marked a new record for the diesel engine ride at 13:17:703, went home with the title, while Miller (13:25:247) and Blais (15:48:312) took the second and third places, respectively.

“The Volkswagen team put in a lot of hard work during practice and qualifying and it paid off in this historic race,” said Arciero. “The V10 TDI is an amazing motor, and the Touareg chassis is so well balanced that it performs more like a true race car than a premium SUV. Shaving nearly a minute off last year’s record time is a true testament to this vehicle’s capability.”

All went well during the event proper, however, motorcycle racer Blais encountered a pre-mechanical setback in the first practice session on the mountain. The Volkswagen team immediately backed up and helped Blais and was fortunately still able to compete.

“Working with Ryan, Mark and the entire Volkswagen Team to compete at Pikes Peak was an incredible experience,” said Blais. “The Touareg is an impressive vehicle, and no doubt the all-wheel drive system helped me with the transition from two to four wheels. I was really pleased that my times improved with each run up the mountain.”

A first-hand point of view of the race can be seen at http://www.vwvodcast.com. The Touaregs successfully reached the summit of Pikes Peak which has an elevation of 14, 100 feet.

For off-road adventures or for a cruise on a seemingly perfect road, the German automaker Volkswagen has something right at its sleeves – the Volkswagen Touareg.

Geared with the ABSplus system, the Volkswagen Touareg is more than the tough yet sophisticated look of a sports utility vehicle. A Volkswagen innovation, the ABSplus system is able to detect loose surfaces such as sand or gravel and shortens the braking distance up to 20 percent. Through the means of controlled locking of the brakes, braking distance is shortened.

This four-wheel drive SUV Touareg, which was able to pull a 155-ton Boeing 747 jet, has the standard the transmission system of a six-speed tiptronic auto with manual mode and sports function. Not only that, like other Volkswagen vehicles, this SUV wonder is also equipped with the fuel efficient 3.0 TDI engine.

The Desert Dingo Racing team has approximately less than four months left to revitalize the old and beaten Volkswagen Beetle in time for the annual fast and furious war called Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 off-road this November.

About 1,300 miles of dusty and rocky adventure will be the main ingredients for the race that will run through the Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. Desert Dingo’s vintage Volkswagen Beetle will be in for a hell of race treat for the first time. The 10-member Desert Dingo team, which will also put together the Bug’s engine, has to make the bug-like car to run as fast as possible in the race tagged as the “24-hour plane crash”.

In the Baja 1000, the Desert Dingo’s Volkswagen Beetle will be entering the lowest Class 11 category, which is for the stock Volkswagen cars. Although this category has been considered the cheapest of them all, it has rather the toughest and most hard-core underdog racers in the said event. Only the Volkswagen Beetles that had minimal modification and were released before 1982 will be allowed to enter the Class 11 category.

“I like the challenge,” said Charlie Reynolds, a driver with Class 11 experience and a mechanic for the Desert Dingo team. “It is more about figuring out problems and overcoming hurdles than it is about driving fast. You’re more interested in not getting stuck and defying the odds of making a little car go a thousand miles it’s not supposed to go.”

Aside from the promise of a thrilling race, the Desert Dingo team is in for a whole lot more as it has teamed up with the International Diabetes Federation. The cars of the team will be used to promote diabetes research and awareness. Desert Dingo grabbed this opportunity to do some community help at the side since a team member Mike “Skid” Aquino has type 2 diabetes.

About 3.8 million die because of the ravaging effects of diabetes, which has its World Diabetes Day celebration every November 14, according to the International Diabetes Federation. With this alarming demographic at hand, Desert Dingo’s founder Jim “RJ” Graham wants to use this event to spread the word about the disease and at the same time raise funds.

“I would love to set a goal of at least $100,000 or more,” said Graham.

Now on its 40th year, Baja 1000 has various vehicle classes such as motorcycles, stock Volkswagens, production cars, buggies, trucks and custom-fabricated race vehicles.

The Volkswagen Group aims to create vehicles that are attractive, safe, and environment-friendly. True to form, the German automakers’ models, like the Volkswagen Jetta, exude these qualities that never fails to meet or even exceed expectations of patronizers and enthusiasts alike.

Manufactured to achieve elegance and form, Volkswagen Jetta exudes of distinct look and feel that enable this car meet various demands of users. With its sporty radiator grill and high-quality chrome strips, the Volkswagen Jetta radiates sophistication with an edge. Aside from the model’s stylish exterior, Jetta boasts of quality and upgraded interior that makes the car environment-friendly. Equipped with the TDI engine, Jetta offers high fuel efficiency that is saves a lot of money because it only uses 3 liters per 100 km.

Jetta is just one of the wonders of the bug-like cars innovator, Volkswagen.

There are those who claim that a second-hand car could still be a great catch. Among this good number of slightly used and beaten cars, which are truly still worth another ride? Aside from the still bearable facade of the vehicle and that little rumbling noise it makes, safety should still be one of the factors to be considered in buying a hand-me-down car. Amongst the 279 used cars tested, the Volkswagen Passat rated the safest in the 2007 Used Car Safety Ratings report.

The Volkswagen Passat bested the other 278 used cars, which included Volkswagen above average raters Volkswagen Golf and Bora, in the best and worst performing second-hand vehicles on Australian roads. The worst rated car in the 2007 Used Car Safety Ratings report was the Daihatsu Hi-Jet, which is the car where occupants are 26 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in this car.

From the 1.2 world-wide fatalities every year, how many were driving used cars? This is an alarming unknown factor that needs to be looked at. The report also gave statistics that showed 48 of the 279 vehicles were potentially gravely dangerous.

About 2.8 million or more vehicles that got entangled in crashes in Australia and New Zealand from1987 to 2005 were rated and used in the said report. Cars were rated on the likelihood of occupant death or serious injury in the event of a crash. A separate ratings category, however, was done to measure the chance of death or serious injury to other drivers and road users involved in the crash. Moreover, the report came into a conclusion that more expensive cars do not necessarily mean safer than the used cars.

“We are seeing a number of small cars, which are $10,000 or under, performing very well in terms of both their occupant protection and their collision partner protection,” said senior researcher fellow at Monash University Accident Research Center Dr. Stewart Newstead.

With this information at hand, it is better that car buyers would really look into the nitty-gritty of the vehicle – whether it is brand new or not.

Chief executive officer for Volkswagen USA will be in for a long haul when he sits for one the top positions this coming September 1. The German automaker, which is popular for its bug-like cars, is not doing that well in the United States.

With this alarming situation at hand, Volkswagen USA chief executive officer Stefan Jacoby flew into Auburn Hills in Michigan, which is the headquarters of Volkswagen, this month to meet the management team he is about to govern. Coming in two months earlier than his expected post will allow the 49-year-old CEO Jacoby, who worked for Volkswagen and Mitsubishi UK, to do something on the current status of Volkswagen sales in the US. For the last two years, Volkswagen lost an alarming $900 million in the US, thus it is no wonder that CEO Jacoby wanted to start things early.

In order to cut out the German automaker’s American operation, Volkswagen had to find more fixed costs. Not only that, US dollar is a little weaker than it was last year against the euro. These factors made it awfully difficult to reach new Volkswagen Chairman Martin Winterkorn’s target of breakeven in the U.S. by 2009.

Sales are off by more than 100,000 units a year from 2003. Sales of the Jetta are off 6.3 percent, and Passat sales are off 30 percent. Touareg sales are down 28 percent. The New Beetle is down 20 percent. The current problem Volkswagen US is facing can be far more difficult to solve. It could take years in order to alleviate the stand of Volkswagen, but VW Chairman Winterkorn is only giving CEO Jacoby two years to resolve this. The new VW US CEO Jacoby will be tasked to erase nearly $1 billion in annual losses in that restricted period given by Winterkorn.

Some of the factors seen as causes for the billions of losses of Volkswagen USA is that VW heavily relies on high-cost European manufacturing. VW has a plant in Mexico, where labor is cheaper, that makes Volkswagen Jettas and new Beetles, amongst others. Although Volkswagen is able to save on the work force, the plant still uses about 40 percent of European-made parts that cost too much after currency conversions. For this, CEO Jacoby is actually considering of having a highly-ambitious US-based plant for Volkswagen. If this up-to-the-ceiling plan will not push through, Jacoby is set to work things out with German bosses about making full use of the Mexico-based VW plant. Cars that will be made in that plant will utilize more Latin American- and US-made parts.

Known for its bug-like cars, Volkswagen AG is aspiring to increase sales in its production and services in the North American market, two years from now, according to company’s chief labor representative Bernd Osterloh.

This may be a difficult goal for the German automaker, but the company fervently hopes to achieve it. In order to increase sales in targeted US market, increase in productivity and reduce purchasing costs are greatly required for Volkswagen. By buying parts for the Volkswagen vehicles locally, meaning in the US, will be one of the first step for the company.

In the next few years, North America been seen to be one of the best markets for Volkswagen AG and for that, the company will be placing the best person to see through this huge project. Starting September 1 of this year, Stefan Jacoby will assume the post as the Chief Executive Officer for Volkswagen of America.

Known for its fuel efficient engine innovations, Volkswagen will be producing specific models for the US market in order to generate considerable sales. Volkswagen US models will be released before 2010 ends. Moreover, Volkswagen Passat and Jetta have been seen to possibly click in the US market.