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Volkswagen has launched a new range of aftermarket accessories for the Touareg SUV. Among other features, there’s a new underbody protection kit for the front and the back of the Touareg. Available in a two-tone design (black and silver), the kit promises to protect the underbody of the SUV from solid objects as well as from heavy dirt. Buyers can also opt for wide plastic protections for the wheel arches which are available either in black or in the same color as the vehicle.

We reported on the unveiling of the all-new 2012 Beetle yesterday, but since then we got our hands on a slew of fresh photos shot during the presentation of the car in Shanghai, as well as in Manhattan, New York, and Berlin in Germany.

For the most part, the first reviews on the ‘less flower, more power’ styling direction of the New Beetle’s replacement in general do appear to be on the positive side, but for Volkswagen, this needs to translate into consumer spending when the car goes on sale this fall.

New VW Beetle 2012
Volkswagen AG held a party in three continents. Inter-continental feast marks the rebirth of the model that had become an icon and make VW famous, the Beetle. "The world is home Beetle," VW's statement in a release. Means, Beetle will be marketed to the world!

In many countries, the VW Beetle had its own designation: the fans very much and until now still exist. While in other countries, according to VW, it is called, among others, Käfer, Vocho, Coccinelle, Fusca and Maggiolino.

VW Beetle 3rd Generation
The latest version of the newly introduced, is the 3rd generation or second generation of New Beetle. The first generation born in 1938 and second 1998. The second generation has achieved sales of 21.5 million. Khsusu for the second generation of one million more!

The third generation remains despite appearances to the identity of the original Beetle: It consists of three half-spheres, namely the front and rear wheels and the middle or cabin. Further, between the generation-2 and 3 total different.

New VW Beetle Typical Characteristics
Although performed on Beetel Revitalization Generation-3, but features the original Beetle remained knetal. The main forms of the headlamps, fixed round. Nevertheless, the technology is present. This can be seen from the side of the main light comes bagia 15 units of LED that serves as a light lunch and parking. Especially for big lights, VW also offers the option, bi-xenon.

According to VW's original features remain preserved for all to easy menggenal cars when passing. "Upon seeing blur, people can ensure, Ohh .. the Beetle! As people recognize the Coke bottle, iPhone and Ray Ban Aviator, "beber VW.


The other is the model of a sloping rear, although the glass is now more broadly. No less interesting, now equipped with a rear spoiler which is under the base glass. For wheels, VW has been prepared, will be fitted with a diameter of 19 inches to the top!.

Because marketed worldwide, VW tried to make it affordable, although until now there has been announced. The latest technology embedded engines (petrol and diesel) with the most advanced technology, security systems, information systems and advanced navigation and entertainment.

New VW Beetle Shorter
According to VW designer Klaus Bischoff, now looks Beetle dashing, dynamic and more manly. "Compared with the Beetle, 1998, versions of which are now neat and sporty. Version is more flat, wide, hood (bonnet) machines longer, more sloping windshield to belakag. This is the dynamics of the VW Beetle, "said Bischoff.

The concept is a continuation of flat recognized Ragster VW showcased at the Detroit Auto Show 2005. The latter car is "hot rod" with the base New VW Beetle. This New Beetle Dimensions: Length 4278 mm (length over 152 mm), width 1808 mm (84 mm wider), height 1486 mm (over flat 12 mm).

New VW Beetle Interior
Beetle cockpit design now considered unique, calm and classical. The use of color in the dashboard panel to make appearances such as Kevlar and is designed with style first-generation Beetle. The entire cockpit and interior redesign experience.

Another feature of the car are the three round instruments are prepared in front of the driver (tachometer, speedometer and fuel indicator), was incorporated in the speedometer (in center), on a multi-purpose screen. Same with the original Beetle, the new version is equipped box (glove box) that incorporates additional dashboard and folded up. Another classic feature is an additional instrument on the audio and navigation systems, namely the oil temperature, clock with stopwatch function and turbo pressure indicator. Steering wheel also comes with a new design!

Since it is flat, the interior height is now 1044 mm (previously 1082 mm). Despite the reduced 39 mm, according to VW does not cause problems for passengers who berubuh tall. Because the interior is made with the concept of the cathedral. Hence, the rear passengers, because the roof is now longer, get more space in relief. Space, increase, from 290 to 310 liters.

Around the world the Beetle will be offered in three fixtures, with the name "Beetle", "Design" and "Sport" (details announced later). Another interesting feature, the glass roof that can be opened . Glass roof on the new Beetle is 80 percent larger than previous versions, capable of absorbing 99 percent and 92 percent of ultraviolet radiation of heat energy.

The 2011 VW Routan combines German sensibilities in design, fit and finish, with refined ride and handling characteristics, all while delivering outstanding value.

The 2011 Routan is equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission.
To accommodate the needs of today’s families, the Routan features standard 12V power outlets and an available 115V AC outlet for powering up phones, MP3 players, and game consoles. New perforated front row seating with pillow top armrests and second row captain’s chairs offer an increased level of luxury and comfort. For extra sunshine and fresh air, the SEL and SEL Premium add a power sunroof.

For 2011, the Volkswagen Routan gets the new, more powerful and efficient 3.6-liter V6 that now powers its Dodge and Chrysler minivan siblings. To kick things off in a positive way, the 2011 VW Routan inherits the Dodge's (and Chrysler Town & Country's) new 3.6-liter V6 that produces more power and gets better fuel economy than both Chrysler-sourced V6s found in the Routan last year. Beyond this, the Routan continues to provide the sort of interior layout and space expected by American minivan customers, while also offering family-friendly features like power sliding doors, a DVD entertainment system, heated rear seats and an iPod interface. The 2011 Volkswagen Routan is a minivan available in S, SE, SEL and SEL Premium trim levels. The SE gains 17-inch alloy wheels, a roof rack, upgraded exterior trim, power sliding doors, power-adjustable pedals, an eight-way power driver seat with lumbar adjustment, heated front seats, leatherette premium vinyl upholstery, second- and third-row sunshades, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, an overhead storage console, a trip computer, Bluetooth and a six-CD changer. A Garmin navigation system can be integrated into the touchscreen audio interface included with the RSE package.

The SEL adds to the SE's equipment automatic headlamps, a sunroof, a remote ignition, a rearview camera, automatic three-zone climate control, leather upholstery, heated second-row seats, a power-folding third-row seat, the touchscreen audio interface, a Chrysler-sourced navigation system, real-time traffic, voice controls, digital music storage, satellite radio and an iPod interface. The rear-seat DVD entertainment features are optional on the SEL. The SEL Premium gets xenon headlamps, foglamps, keyless ignition/entry, auto-dimming exterior mirrors, additional chrome exterior trim, driver memory functions, an eight-way power passenger seat, interior wood trim, an advanced trip computer and a nine-speaker sound system.

The 2011 VW Routan is powered by a 3.6-liter V6 that produces 283 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.

Safety
The 2011 Volkswagen Routan comes standard with traction and stability control, antilock disc brakes and brake assist, front side airbags, a driver knee airbag and side curtain airbags. The Routan has not been rated using the government's new, more strenuous 2011 crash-testing procedures.

Interior Design and Special Features
Now that the interiors of the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan are much improved for 2011, the Routan's advantage over its siblings has shrunk considerably. The Routan lacks the Caravan's Stow 'n Go seats that allow you to drop the second-row captain's chairs into the floor, not to mention the removable middle seats found in the Odyssey and Sienna.

The base $26,930 Routan S includes manual sliding side doors, cruise control, an AM/FM/CD with auxiliary audio jack, cloth seats, and power windows/locks/mirrors.
The $37,390 VW Routan SEL tops the range with its standard sunroof, automatic climate control, navigation system, satellite radio, USB port and real-time traffic. Options include the DVD system, and a premium package with a megawatt audio system and dual power front seats.

Dreaming of a new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle? Well, if you live in Europe or North America, you’ll have to wait until this October and September respectively to grab one, but for those of you in a hurry to see what your 2012 Beetle could look like, VW’s configurator is available for everyone to play with on the firm’s German website. Unfortunately though, at the time, the options are limited to a choice of exterior colors and alloy wheel designs.

In addition to the news on the configurator, we’ve also found a fresh batch of photos of the latest generation of the Beetle, which you can ogle on in the gallery after the break. For more details on VW’s newcomer, check out our previous post here.

Ladies and gents, say hello to the all-new, third generation Volkswagen Beetle that was unwrapped today ahead of its world premiere at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show and New York Auto Show. The newest interpretation of the Bug comes 73 years after the launch of the original Beetle in 1938, which sold an amazing 21.5 million units, and 13 years after the debut of the New Beetle in 1998 that managed to sell a little over 1 million units until production ended in 2010.

When it goes on sale in North America and Europe in the fall of 2011, and the rest of the world from early 2012, the latest model will be known simply as the ‘Beetle’ as Volkswagen dropped the ‘New’ from the car’s name.

If someone asked us to summarize the qualities of the 2012 Beetle in a few words, it would be: larger, more mature and unisex. Starting with the design, VW’s goal was to make the 21st century Beetle appeal to both genders. As a result, the VW Group’s chief designer Walter de Silva and his team offered the Beetle a meaner and lower-slung look that draws on cues from the Beetle Ragster concept shown in Detroit in 2005. The overall styling is far less bulbous and more chiseled compared to the New Beetle, while keeping the retro feel of the series.

In 1986, the Porsche 959 was the world’s fastest street legal product car. Some 337 of these road-going monsters were built but not one of them was a factory-finished convertible. Regardless of what you may have heard or seen on forums, such a vehicle was never sanctioned by Porsche. There was a one-off “Speedster” built by Auto-Becker for the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show but that’s about it.

So is this done and dusted? Of course not; this is the internet we’re talking about. 959 Speedsters are sighted by Porsche enthusiasts as much as Elvis Presley or the Loch Ness monster. If you believe what you’ve read, these things are everywhere. And I do mean everywhere, even in New Zealand.

So our seller throws in the usual platitudes we’ve come to expect from this sort of posting like, “This is one very rare and special car,” and that it was “professionally built”.

Skoda is a brand with a long tradition in motorsports and this has inspired Czech designer Pavel Hruby to draw a study of a modern Skoda world rally car. Hruby took inspiration from the Skoda Vision D Concept shown by the Czech brand at this year's Geneva Motor Show.

The VW Group’s subsidiary was not involved in any way in this project, with the sketch having been commissioned by Czech Magazine AutoDesign&Styling. The Skoda Vision WRC project shows Hruby's ideas of what a new rally model from the Czech automaker could look like. Based on the new design language launched by the Vision D concept, the rally car features the new corporate grille, underlined by a massive air intake in the lower part of the bumper.

The wait is finally over. A mere week after the release of the teaser sketches, Audi has come out with official photos and details on its new Q3 compact SUV, which will receive its first public outing at the Shanghai Auto Show.

The Q3 is Audi’s third SUV model after the larger Q5 and Q7 and will compete against the BMW X1. Those familiar with the VW Group’s strategy won’t be surprised to find out that the Q3 is based on the platform architecture of the Volkswagen Tiguan. Audi’s interpretation of a compact SUV model measures 4.39 meters in length (14.4 ft), 1.83 meters in width (6.0 ft), and 1.60 meters (5.25 ft) in height with the roof rails, meaning its 240mm shorter, 50mm narrower and 53mm lower than the Q5.

The exterior styling is pure Audi with the design loosely inspired by the Ingolstadt firm’s Cross Coupe Quattro Concept from the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show. Compared to the Q5, Audi’s smaller SUV model introduces a sharper front design with wedge-shaped headlamps and a roofline that slopes gently towards the back for a more dynamic profile.

If Geo had asked Isuzu to design them a car that would appeal to California’s surfer crowd in the mid-1990s, chances are it’d look a lot like the Thunder Ranch Riot. A fibreglass bodied, Volkswagen Beetle-based turnkey kit car, the Riot looks like a Geo Storm that’s been cut, shut and had Dodge Viper parts tacked on to its exterior. And it can be all yours for the low, low price of US$12,000.

You may think of the Volkswagen Caddy as a workhouse van or a people carrier, but the German company believes the compact-sized model is also great for racing. In fact, the Caddy Racer has been competing in the Volkswagen Racing Cup since 2004. The introduction of the redesigned Caddy series last year brought a newer competition version that was unveiled today at the Commercial Vehicle Show at Birmingham’s NEC in the UK.

When I was in high school, my teacher had the front half of a mid-‘80s Mitsubishi Sigma (sold stateside as the Gallant) that he used for teaching students car maintenance. It was blocked off behind the front seats with wooden slats and had two castor wheels at the back so it could easily be moved around.

All well and good, but what use would be the other, engine-less half? I mean, it’d just be a steel shell with a generous (if not altogether compact) lockable storage area. This is the question posed by this rather interesting automotive oddity: a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle “Front End Display”.

Volkswagen will unveil a new generation of the New Beetle on April 18, in three different locations around the world almost simultaneously. The world premiere of the New Bug's second remake will take place at the Shanghai Auto Show, and in New York and Berlin during MTV World Stage events.

For the launch of the New Beetle, VW has teamed up with MTV, with all three appearances of the car being linked to the music TV station. In Shanghai, the Beetle will revealed by an MTV DJ who will host an exclusive MTV Sound System event, while in New York and Berlin the car will make its first appearance during World Stage events, with live performances of The Black Eyed Peas and 2manydjs respectively.

Argentina's Industry Ministry signed an agreement with Porsche importer Grupo Pulenta according to which, the company will have to offset all car imports with equivalent exports of wine and olives.

The deal complies with local regulations that allow companies to import cars for sale only if they export goods of the same value. Grupo Pulenta, which aims to import 100 vehicles worth around $8 million this year, will therefore have to export wine and olive products to 18 countries, including the U.S. and neighboring Brazil.

VW has released the first aftermarket accessories for its facelifted Eos coupe-cabriolet in the form of new aerodynamic, styling and practical accessories. In particular, VW proposes a tailgate spoiler, stainless steel muffler tips and a rear protection bar finished in high-gloss chrome. The spoiler is applied directly to the bootlid and promises to improve the car’s aerodynamics at high speeds

VW North America announced a recall for repairs (recall) of the VW Jetta 2011 with a total production of 71,043 units. The model is a sixth-generation Jetta sedan manufactured from March 2010 to March 2011.

The problem is, the producers wanted to rearrange the cabling system associated with an alarm and horn. Indeed, until the news was announced, there were no casualties or who had an accident and the owner will be notified by mail.

In this case, means the Jetta has been exposed several times to the recall. Ever experienced in 2009 with Eos. Then, in late 2010 that reached 300,000 units, in addition to Jetta when it was also a Golf, Rabbit, New Bettle, and the Jetta Sportwagon.

2011 Jetta sold in America today consists of four variants. Of the four variants that include injection turbodiesel engine (TDI) 2.0-liter with 140 HP power, 2.0 liter (115HP), 2.5-liter (170 HP), and a 2011 2.0 liter TSI (200 HP) .

VW's Spanish subsidiary is expecting a 10 percent rise in sales this year and aims further growth in 2012, when it will launch four new models. According to CEO James Muir, new products such as the Ibiza ST and the Alhambra will boost Seat sales in 2011.

"We want to increase our 340,000 unit sales from last year – by 8 to 10 percent – thanks to existing models. We aim to sell 45,000 units of the Ibiza ST (station wagon) this year. And the Alhambra already is well above plan so we expect a full-year volume of 20,000 units. This proves that our brand is gaining strength," Muir was quoted as saying by Autonews Europe.

For 2012, the company has even bigger plans, fueled by the launch of four new models. "We will launch four new cars: the new Leon, a totally new entry-level model, a four-door sedan and a major Ibiza facelift," said Muir, who was appointed head of Seat in 2009.

Volkswagen has announced a voluntary recall for its 2011 model year Jetta sedan in the USA due to a defect in the wiring system controlling the anti-theft alarm system and horn. The German company said that in some instances an electric short in the horn could, which in turn could cause the engine to stall, adding that no injuries or accidents have been reported as a result of this problem. Read more »

If the Volkswagen Scirocco coupe doesn’t look wild enough for your taste, you may want to take a look at CSR Automotive’s aesthetic treatment. The exterior mods include a new honeycomb lower grille in a matte black finish, a front apron, headlamp trims, side skirts and a rear apron with a diffuser that houses the new exhaust outlets. There’s also a rear spoiler and a matte black foil wrap in a carbon fiber look that partially covers the hood and the roof, as well as the exterior mirrors. Read more »

If there’s one car that has withstood the test of time, that’s the original Volkswagen Beetle. And even though more than 21 million Bugs were built between 1938 and 2003, it’s not often that you stumble upon a pristine example with only delivery mileage on the odometer.

The one you see pictured above is a 1978 Beetle Jubilee with a mere 40 miles on the clock that has never been registered. It’s up for sale by UK-based CVA Auctions.