Volkswagen

Darth Vader briefly rules for young boy, VW in Super Bowl

There’s not much better in life than the relationship between father and son, particularly if the father can help his son realize the powers of Darth Vader during the Super Bowl. And so it was for the automaker while promoting the 2011 Volkswagen Passat during the Green Bay Packers’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. During the commercial, the son, dressed in Darth Vader attire, can’t get the family dog, a doll, a sandwich, a treadmill to react or the family’s washer and dryer to operate despite persistent attempts to engage “The Force.” When the boy (actor Max Page, age 6) hears his father’s arrival home in his new Passat, he rushes to the front yard to

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Volkswagen goes buggy with Super Bowl Beetle commercial

The new 2011 Beetle is never seen, but Volkswagen likely had the most compelling 30-second car commercial in Super Bowl XLV replete with speeding insects and a cover version of the Ram Jam classic rock anthem “Black Betty.” The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion covers the famed Black Betty tune while Volkswagen simultaneously markets its new Beetle. In the high-paced commercial an insect (beetle) races through the forest, on the highway and then in a power slide like Volkswagen is hoping the new Beetle will do. The ad’s final frame provides a tease to what the new Beetle may look like. Volkswagen‘s more extensive advertising campaign for the new Beetle is expected soon. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for

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Volkswagen XL1 futuristic concept gets 260 mpg

The Volkswagen XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV) concept, unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show, features pioneering construction techniques, an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain and innovative packaging. The result is an estimated 260 mpg, a benchmark for vehicle efficiency. Powering the XL1 is a compact 800cc TDI two-cylinder common rail diesel engine developing 47 hp. It’s linked to an electric motor producing 27 horsepower, resulting in a total of 74 horsepower. It’s a modest output, but more than sufficient considering car weighs only 1,753 pounds. The TDI engine is linked to an electric motor and a seven-speed DSG gearbox with an automatic clutch mounted between each unit. The electric motor can either work independently of the TDI engine or in tandem

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Volkswagen unveils diesel/electric in Qatar, 313 mpg rating

Volkswagen is debuting a concept car at the inaugural Qatar Motor Show the manufacturer says can travel 313 miles on a gallon of diesel and emits only about 1.5 ounces of carbon dioxide per mile. The XL1, which seats two adults, combines a 0.8 litre, two-cylinder diesel engine with an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery. It’s constructed around a carbon fiber reinforced polymer monocoque to reduce the weighs only 1,750 pounds. Volkswagen says the futuristic car negotiate the standard 0-60 mph test in 11.9 seconds. Speculation has Volkswagen beginning production of the XL1 in 2013. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver

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Volkswagen Jetta 2011 car review

Under any of its sorted names around the globe, the Volkswagen Jetta has been around since 1979 as a small, family sedan. It’s been called the Atlanta to Vento, Fox to Sagitar. But the Jetta is the current name in the United States and the 2011 edition adds to the car’s more than 30-year legacy. The 2011 Jetta is newly designed with larger exterior and interior dimensions and new styling. As Volkswagen‘s best-selling car, it’s more than 3.5 inches longer and 2.6 inches more rear legroom than the 2006-2010 Jetta. Trim levels include S, SE, SEL, and the diesel-powered TDI. The Weekly Driver Test Drive For my week with the 2011 Jetta, I drove the 170-horsepower 2.5-liter 5-cylinder, which remains

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Volkswagen debuts bigger, cheaper, greener 2012 Passat

The 2012 Volkswagen Passat, a close sibling of the resigned Jetta in 2011 but larger and with a substantially lower price than last year’s model, was unveiled at the Detroit auto show. The vast changes will include a transfer of manufacturing locations to the new U.S. VW plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. The new Passat is VW’s latest attempt to infiltrate the former dominance in the midsize family sedan market shared by the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. In addition to its U.S. production, Volkswagen has dropped the Passat’s starting prices to around $20,000, about $7,000 less than the previous model. According a report in USA Today: “VW says it hasn’t cheapened the car for the lower price, and hopes to

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Volkswagen Jetta 2011 Car Review

The Jetta is Volkswagen’s top-seller, so the 2011 version has been substantially redesigned in the face of increasingly stiffer competition. The new front-drive Jettta sedan is sleeker, longer, roomier, quieter and more refined. Older Jettas have attracted customers across a wide range of age groups, being equally appealing to men and women. Volkswagen has found buyers believe the Jetta costs more than it does. That’s one reason it has lowered the price of the base 2011 model. The new Jetta was a blast to drive on winding Highway 1 along the winding Pacific coast during a San Francisco-based media preview of the car. The new compact Jetta looks like a costlier upscale European model. It has an extended wheelbase and

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Ferrari, Aston Martin, VW top NY Times' 2010 best cars

Ferrari, Aston Martin and the Volkswagen GTI top the New York Times automotive critics’ 2010 top-10 Cars of the Year list. Lawrence Ulrich, one several journalists who regularly report on the automotive industry for the newspaper, was direct in his top pick for the year, the Ferrari 458 Italia. “The world’s best sports car, a racing video game come to life in three gorgeous, thrilling dimensions. This is the car I would buy tomorrow if I inherited $250,000 today.” Jerry Garrett selected the Aston Martin Rapide: “The exquisitely executed Rapide is, like the sleek Jaguar XJ, a product of Ian Callum, designer extraordinaire. A sedan is a new offering for Aston, a tiny builder of British sports cars, as is

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Hyundai, VW share top 2011 safety institute honors

Hyundai and Volkswagen combined to earn 18 of 66 Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the independent nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to reducing the incidents on American highways. Hyundai and Volkswagen each had nine winning models, the most of any manufacturer. The IIHS introduced more difficult standards for 2010, adding roof strength to its criteria by testing protection in rollover crashes. “In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria for Top Safety Pick,” said Adrian Lund, the Institute president. “That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV — from economy to luxury models — plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms.

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Volkswagen recalls 380,000 Jetta, Golf, Rabbit, Beetle models with fuel leak potential

Volkswagen has announced the recall of nearly 380,000 vehicles, including Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Golf and Rabbit models from the 2007 to 2009 because potential fuel leaks which could lead to a fire. A total of 266,936 of the above-mentioned models are affected as well as an 110,350 hardtop and convertible New Beetles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) official bulletin read: “The Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Golf and Rabbit vehicles may have a small plastic tab located on the windshield washer fluid reservoir that may chafe against an underhood fuel supply line. “The New Beetle and the New Beetle Convertible vehicles may have a fastening clamp on a hydraulic hose of the power steering system that may be located in

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Volkswagen to offer three 2011 Jettas for $5,995 on Gilt.com

Volkswagen of America is partnering with Gilt Groupe to offer three 2011 Jettas, on three consecutive days beginning Dec. 15, all for less than $6,000. The promotion, according to the carmaker, furthers its “Great for the Price of Good” message. Volkswagen is the first automotive brand to be sold on Gilt, or any flash sale site in the U.S. The price for each of the vehicles will be $5,995, or $10,000 less than the original price. The Dec. 15 sale, beginning at noon, will only be accessible through Gilt mobile applications on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android devices. On the following two days, the sale will take place on Gilt.com as well as through the mobile applications. Each

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Oprah reveals free 2012 Volkswagen Beetle to 275 audience members in 'favorite things' giveaway

Oprah Winfrey and Volkswagen have unveiled marketing genius by not unveiling the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, but making a collective promise to give the soon-to-retire talk show host’s 275 audience members a free new edition of the iconic car. The redesigned 2012 Volkswagen Beetle was selected as part of Winfrey’s wont for giving away some of her favorite things to audience members. Winfrey owns and drives a 2011 Volkswagen Beetle. She asked Volkswagen for the assistance and the carmaker said it would donate the vehicles. “Oprah Winfrey and the Volkswagen Beetle are two American icons, so when the “Oprah” show approached us with this incredible opportunity to share her Beetle experience with deserving viewers, we instantly wanted to be a part

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Ten great, cheap 2011 cars, Ford Fiesta to VW Golf

The automotive industry is flush with inexpensive, economical, quality cars. The online business site, CNNMoney.com has compiled an impressive list of 10 cars, the Ford Fiesta to Honda Fit, all with entry level prices of under $18,000. In its assessment of the Chevy Cruze, for example, the website editors write: “General Motors makes a really nice small car. The best thing about the Chevy Cruze is that it looks, feels and drives like a real car. It’s not one of those “be happy-you-even-have-a-car” tin cans on wheels. “The interior is made from better-than-you-paid-for stuff while the ride quality and performance are, likewise, a notch above. Most small car buyers are after practicality and comfort, not kicks, and the Cruze delivers

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Volkswagen Golf TDI, 2010: Roman Mica's Rambling Review (video)

Who says diesel-powered cars have to be economy cars that get great gas mileage but are a fantastic bore to drive? Not VW. The 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI is a perfect example of a fast, frugal and fun car. Matthew WildeMatthew Wilde is an automotive journalist with experience contributing to leading publications. He focuses on delivering clear, well-researched analysis of automotive industry news and vehicles. Growing up surrounded by a variety of cars, Matthew developed a strong foundation in automotive technology and design. His work emphasizes accuracy and depth, aimed at informing both enthusiasts and industry professionals with straightforward, precise reporting.https://theweeklydriver.com/

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Volkswagen Jetta TDI (Diesel), 2010: The Weekly Driver car review

After a two-year absence because of stricter emissions requirements, the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta lineup, for the second straight year, includes TDI versions of the sedan or wagon. It features a turbocharged, clean-diesel engine and superior fuel mileage. It’s like Volkswagen figured out all reasons why the Jetta and its siblings are so popular in Europe are the same reasons the diesel and the car’s other industry-leading standards would likely be successful in the United States. Electronic stability control and a cold weather package with heated front seats and steering wheel, for example, are standard on all 2010 models. The standard stability control system comes two years ahead of a federal mandate requiring all vehicles sold in the U.S. to have

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Best used cars under $3,000: Mazda Miata, BMW 3 Series, VW Rabbit On Popular Mechanics’ list

The Mazda Miata is the gold-standard, fun-to-drive used car — at least according to Popular Mechanics. The general-interest “umbrella” magazine for all things mechanical has published a list of cars it considers the best used cars available for $3,000 or less.The Miata, the best-selling sports car ever made tops the list. The publication offers: “For three grand, you’re probably looking at a first-generation edition (1989–1994) with the 1.6-liter four-cylinder. Mazda built tens of thousands of them, and many folks who bought them barely drove them, so plenty of low-mileage examples exist.” “They’re enormously fun, with a lithe feel, telepathic steering, raspy engine note and one of crispest gearboxes in the industry. They’re tough, too, as evidenced by the number plying

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