VW Fields a Trio of 450-hp Golfs for the Nurburgring 24h

Volkswagen will participate with three 450-hp Golf24 cars in one of the most grueling endurance races in the world, the famed 24 hours of Nurburgring that will take place this weekend at the renowned German circuit.
The event, in which more than 200 contenders will participate, coincides with the 35fth anniversary of the Golf GTI (of which VW has created a special edition), and Volkswagen Motosport has developed a pure racing version.
The Golf24 is powered by a turbocharged 5-cylinder 2.5-litre engine sourced from the Audi TTRS and RS3 models and features four-wheel drive and a sequential 6-speed gearbox. However, the three uber-Golfs won’t be the only VW entries in the race, as the company will also field two Scirocco 24 CNGs.
Interestingly, one of the two 330-hp bio-gas powered Sciroccos will be driven by the winners of the Dakar race for the past three years, namely Nasser Al-Attiya, Carlos Sainz and Giniel de Villiers.

The Volkswagen driver line-up for the 2011 Nürburgring 24-hour race:
#35 – Golf24 – white / red
Peter Terting (D) / Nicki Thiim (DK) / Franck Mailleux (F) / René Rast (D)
#135 – Golf24 – white / blue
Thomas Mutsch (D) / Fredrik Ekblom (S) / Patrick Simon (D) / Edoardo Mortara (I)
#235 – Golf24 – white / yellow
Johnny Herbert (GB) / Patrick Bernhardt(D) / Mark Blundell (GB) / René Rast (D)
#116 – Scirocco GT24-CNG – blue / silver
Dr Ulrich Hackenberg (D) / Vanina Ickx (B) / Peter Wyss (CH) / Bernd Ostmann (D)
#117 – Scirocco GT24-CNG – blue / orange
Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q) / Carlos Sainz (E) / Giniel de Villiers (ZA) / Klaus Niedzwiedz (D)

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Volkswagen New Beetle With Black Turbo Launch Edition

The upcοming 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is being billed as a substantial departure frοm the cutesy car it replaces. And if yοu have been waiting fοr your chance tο put your name down fοr one οf the first examples tο hit the road, here it is. Called the Black Turbο Launch Edition, this limited-run Vοlkswagen will represent the first 600 examples οf the new Beetle tο hit American dealerships.

Packing a 200-hοrsepower 2.0-liter TSI inline-fοur with dual-clutch transmission, the launch edition is distinguished by such tοuches as 18-inch allοys packing upsized brakes with red calipers, a rear spoiler, fοglights, and includes an interior bundled with tri-cοlοr ambient lighting, Bluetooth and iPod cοnnection, eight-speaker sοund system, an extra glovebox, aluminum-allοy pedals and sport seats upholstered in clοth.

The special Beetle is the first mοdel tο use Volkswagen's new Vehicle Pre-Order (VPO) prοgram, available for pre-οrder online now fοr a $495 refundable reservation fee that will be applied tο the purchase price οf $24,950, plus a $770 destination charge.

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A Photo Tour of the VW Group’s 2011 Wörthersee Festival

For the past thirty year, tens of thousands of enthusiasts of Volkswagen Group cars assemble on the shores of Lake Worthersee in Austria to participate in the largest festival of its kind in the world. Over the years, Volkswagen and the other brands of the German group including Audi, Seat and Skoda, have used the show to unveil special concepts, new models and studies that hint at future production versions or accessories.
At this year’s event (June 1 to 4, 2011), the VW Group prepared several vehicles for the festival including the production VW Golf GTI 35 Edition with 235HP, the VW Golf Cabriolet GTI and R concepts, the wild 503HP Audi A1 Clubsport Quattrostudy, and the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Convertible prototype. As you may have noticed, the company didn’t show much love for its Seat brand which was left to display its current lineup.
The official cars joined an army of privately owned tuned and classic VW Group vehicles. To put it simply, if you are a fan of the Volkswagen Group and especially of the Golf GTI, then Wörthersee was the place to be. You can get a taste of what went on in Austria in our extensive gallery after the jump.
For those of you that would also like to see the girls of the show, stay tuned, as we’ll bring you a dedicated gallery later on today.
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2011 Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line

As part of our fresh look at VW’s line-up, we’ve picked up a 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TSI Sport&Style R-Line 4MOTION DSG. A facelift of this model has already been revealed, but it won’t differ much from this tester, aside from a new face. The ridiculously-long name also hints at several specifications, although all of it is not marked out with badges on the body.
The “Sport&Style” trim means this is the road-biased model, so it comes with a nicer front bumper, lower and aerodynamic.


The “2.0 TSI” and “DSG” bits mean it has the engine and gearbox from a Golf GTI. The “4MOTION” means it is all-wheel-drive. And the “R-Line” pack adds some exterior bits, 19-inch wheels and sports suspension.
The interior is suitably premium, given its price, with touchscreen navigation, panoramic glass roof, soft-touch upper trim and more R-Line bits such as aluminium pedals. Yet Bluetooth and USB are optional, and not fitted in our tester.


Space up front is excellent, and there are plenty of storage spaces. It is all very practical. The only ergonomic gripe is that the a/c vents, as many as eight individual ones, all point towards your face.
Rear space is also excellent, and the bench can move front and back. There are rear a/c vents and pop-out cup-holders near the middle. An odd addition are those fold-out airplane-style trays.
Cargo volume is pretty good, although not as much as larger competitors such as the Honda CR-V or the Chevy Captiva. The rear seats fold down to increase room.


The VW Tiguan, with the R-Line package, really is just a sporty hatchback on stilts, and drives like one too. More in the full review.
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Volkswagen Beetle 2012

Volkswagen took the wraps off their latest generation Beetle, affectionately known as the Bug, at the 2011 Shanghai Motor Show a few weeks ago. First introduced during the Mesozoic era, Beetle is one of the very few nameplates which has survived a long timeframe and still manages to be a favourite of many.

In comparison to the previous generation Beetle introduced in 1998, the new one is longer, wider and sports a roofline that extends further backwards while featuring an aggressively-raked front windshield and increased wheelbase. The Beetle shall host a range of new exterior and interior appointments including newly designed horse-shoe shaped tail-lamps, LED daytime running lights, Bi-Xenon headlamps, Panoramic sunroof and Keyless access through satellite navigation systems. Airbags and ESP, alongside the standard ABS and EBD systems, are available to assure safety.

Volkswagen offers a choice of three gasoline engines for the Beetle – a 1.2-litre TSI engine rated at 104 hp, a 1.4-litre TSI engine rated at 158 hp and a 2.0-litre TSI engine rated at 200 hp. A diesel-electric variant shall be available for the UK and US markets , with a 1.6-litre engine rated at 104 hp aided by start-stop battery regenerative systems for optimum fuel efficiency.

While the pricing aspects are unknown, the Beetle with the new face shall go on sale in the American markets during fall of 2011. UK customers have to wait a bit longer until early 2012. Expect a GCC launch somewhere around the same time.

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VW Releases Golf GTI Edition 35 Specs and Price

Developed to celebrate 35 years since the launch of the original Volkswagen Golf GTI in 1976, the GTI Edition 35 will make its premiere at the Worthersee Tour (June 1-4) in Austria. A 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine that develops 235-horsepower and 300 Nm of torque (221 lb-ft), 25HP and 20 Nm more than the standard GTI, powers the limited edition hot-hatch.
However, Volkswagen says the engine is not an upgraded version of the standard GTI's unit but a detuned version of the AWD Golf R's four-pot, adapted for a FWD setup. With 25 more horsepower than the standard GTI and a power-to-weight ratio of 6 kg/hp, the Golf GTI Edition 35 reaches a top speed of 247 km/h (153 mph) and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.6 seconds (gains of 7 km/h and 0.3 seconds respectively).
Like the standard GTI, the Edition 35 is equipped with the XDS electronic differential lock for improved handling and can be fitted with the optional six-speed DSG transmission. The average fuel consumption is rated at 8.1 liters/100 km (29 mpg) for the manual model and 8 liters/100 km (29.4 mpg) for the DSG version.
The VW Golf GTI Edition 35 has a starting price of €30,425 ($43,750) in Germany. To mark the debut of the new model, VW has released a commercial entitled "Are you GTI enough?” which highlights the intense feelings drivers get from the car. Scroll down to see the anniversary GTI raising the adrenaline levels of a female driver.
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Volkswagen Tiguan 2012

The new VW Tiguan is here. An SUV with design parallels to the larger Touareg. An SUV with powerful and at the same time fuel-efficient engines; fuel consumption is 5.3 litres per 100 km for the two front-wheel drive Volkswagen Tiguans 2.0 TDI with BlueMotion Technology (81 kW / 110 PS and 103 kW / 140 PS). An SUV that shuts off the engine completely whenever possible in city driving thanks to a Stop/Start system. An SUV that is an ideal, versatile companion for life on the move with its excellent all-round characteristics, great practicality, 1,510 litres cargo space, up to 2,500 kg trailer load (with 4MOTION all-wheel drive) and many cleverly designed features. A Volkswagen in the best sense of the word! In Germany, the perfected Tiguan will arrive on the market in mid-June 2011; other European countries will follow at the beginning of August, and overseas markets at the end of August.


In Volkswagen's line-up of four-cylinder engines, DSG has replaced the conventional torque-converter automatic transmissions. In the new Tiguan, an extremely fast and efficiently working 7-speed DSG version is used. Its most prominent design characteristics - two dry clutches whose pressure is regulated hydraulically. Engine power is transmitted to the dual clutch via the crankshaft and a dual-mass flywheel. Clutch I handles the odd-numbered gears, and clutch II the even gears plus reverse gear. The results of this sophisticated clutch management: when shifting, there are no gaps in propulsive power. Comfort and convenience are excellent, and the driver experiences an incomparably dynamic yet comfortable shifting feeling.

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