The decision to make a new generation of Volkswagen Phaeton has been made and the new car will emerge in three years.

Just as the first-gen Phaeton was the legacy of Ferdinand Piëch, the new one will be current CEO Martin Winterkorn’s last hurrah before leaving the company.

The Phaeton is a luxury saloon which offers what you get from a Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8, and it is engineered like a Bugatti Veyron, the same level of craftsmanship and attention to details. It is an unbelievably good car. But, it has never been as successful as its fellow German rivals.

That’s largely because of the badge. People wealthy enough to buy a car with the standards of Phaeton like to get a badge to show if off a bit, so they go and get a Mercedes.

With the new Phaeton, VW is setting its sights on the Jaguar XJ.

They say the new Phaeton will be for those who find the XJ ‘bit too avantgarde’ and want something more understated. The car will be light and efficient with a body made largely of aluminum.

Sadly the W12 will be gone by then and won’t be offered for the new Phaeton. Instead it will get forced induction engines to provide satisfying performance, and will utilize stuff like cylinder deactivation to meet economy targets. There will also hybrid and plug-in powertrains available for it.

via: MotorTrend

Paying tribute to the success of the Scirocco GT24 race car, Volkswagen announced a new limited edition model.

This specially-equipped version of the handsome coupe comes with revised front and rear aprons as well as the side skirts, gloss black accents, smoked lights, tinted windows and Lakeville 18-inch wheels.

Inside the cabin it’s fitted with sports seats, sports steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, aluminum pedals, as well as piano black trims. In terms of features and equipments, it gets a few more goodies over normal models, such as sport suspension, dual-zone air con, tire pressure monitor, and commemorative plaques.

The Scirocco is offered with the 1.4-liter TSI engine developing 160hp, and ca be had with both the manual (€24,820) and the DSG dual-clutch transmissions (€26,140).

Now, If you want this car prepare to move to Greece, because they will only make 118 units of it and all of them are for the Greek market. You don’t want it that badly, do you!

VW chose 2012 Chicago Auto Show to unveil the TDI Clean Diesel version of the new Beetle. It does 39 mpg highway and 29 mpg city.

The Beetle TDI is powered by the 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injection Clean Diesel engine developing 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. It picks up where the old 1.9 liter diesel Beetle left off in 2006.

The engine can be had with either a six-speed manual transmission or VW’s innovative, dual-clutch DSG six-speed automatic.

To meet emission standards in all 50 states, the Beetle TDI is fitted with both high- and low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation over all engine speeds, as well as an exhaust system that has a particulate filter and no fewer than three catalytic convertors: for oxidation, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and hydrogen sulfide.

Visually, the diesel-powered Beetle is pretty much the same as the petrol models, and only comes with unique 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, TDI badging, and a chrome trim line that caps the top of the door’s sheetmetal. Inside the cabin all TDIs gain a supplementary instrument pod that has oil temperature and turbo boost gauges and a stopwatch.

All Beetle models have standard anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brake pressure distribution (EBD). The Volkswagen Beetle TDI has 11.3-inch-diameter vented front discs and 10.7-inch-diameter rear disc brakes. The TDI also gets standard RCD310 audio system has an AM/FM radio, CD player, Bluetooth®, and eight speakers, and can be had with sunroof and navigation as optional extras.

Pricing for the diesel Beetle TDI is yet to be announced.

Modular Transverse Matrix (Modularer Querbaukasten) or MQB for short, is the name Volkswagen’s new paltform that will underpin various models from VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat.

Technical details of the system are catastrophically boring, but it results in a significant cost saving for VW group.The first cars to use this system are the successor to the Audi A3 and the next generation Golf, the Mk7

At the Volkswagen brand alone, it will cover Polo, Beetle, Golf, Scirocco, Jetta, Tiguan, Touran, Sharan, Passat and Volkswagen CC. MQB enables the manufacturer to practically build all these models on the same production line. They might differ in wheelbase and track width, but the flexibility of this technology makes it possible to produce all models together.

Within the Group, the MQB developed under the auspices of the Volkswagen brand is supplemented by the Modular Longitudinal System (MLB) from Audi, the Modular Standard System (MSB) with Porsche as the competence centre and finally the ‘New Small Family’ – the most compact vehicle model series with the Volkswagen up!, SEAT Mii and ŠKODA Citigo.

Now buckle up for some deep technical details. We tried to read it all, but we nodded off half way thorough!

One of the prominent characteristics of the Modular Transverse Matrix is the uniform mounting position of all engines. Two systems integrated in the MQB strategy which play a key role here are the modular petrol engine system (MOB) with the new EA211 engine series (60 to 150 PS) – this range includes the world’s first four-cylinder engine with cylinder deactivation (ACT) – and the modular diesel engine system (MDB) with the new EA288 engine series (90 to 190 PS). In one fell swoop, the new engine series will reduce the Group’s engine and gearbox variants in the MQB system by approximately 90 per cent, without a detrimental effect. On the contrary; in addition to standardising conventional internal combustion engines, the MQB also enables an identical mounting position for all current alternative drive concepts without limitations – from natural gas and hybrid versions to the pure electric drive. Volkswagen has already announced the launch of the latter within the MQB in 2013 in the new Golf Blue-e-Motion.

The MQB opens up new opportunities at the Volkswagen Group, allowing it to produce high-volume and niche models at the highest quality and extremely competitive costs over the long term and worldwide – vehicles that are individually tailored to the requirements of very diverse markets such as Europe, China and America, as well as emerging markets such as India. In parallel, the Volkswagen Group will significantly reduce vehicle weights with the launch of the first MQB model series and will introduce 20 innovations in the areas of safety and infotainment, which until now were reserved for higher vehicle segments.

They include the new multicollision brake; after an initial collision, it helps to reduce the intensity of secondary collisions by automatically initiated braking. Very recently, ADAC awarded this system the ‘Yellow Angel’ award for innovations. The multicollision brake will be standard equipment in the next generations of the Audi A3 and the Golf.

After watching this brilliant teaser, and given VW’s last year’s Super Bowl ad, we were expecting something unbelievably good this year. Well, here’s the 2012 Game Day commercial, and it boasts the new Beetle with a bit of help from a dog named Bolt. It’s not really that good, but that’s the thing. VW themselves know this, which is why at the end of the ad they switch back to the Star Wars theme where characters from the movie argue which commercial was better, this or the Vader kid. That saves it.

The new five-door version of Volkswagen up! city car has been revealed in full production form.

The three-door version of the up! is a brilliant city car which has won many awards, including What Car? and Top Gear small car of the year. The five-door up! has all the same features, with a bit more practicality brought by the rear doors.

The car has a 2.42 m long wheelbase and offers 251-litre boot space, 947 mm of headroom in the rear and 993 mm in the front, and 789 mm of legroom. It is powered by an efficient three-cylinder engine.

The up! comes with advanced safety features and a great infotainment system. The Maps & More infotainment system is a mobile Personal Infotainment Device that was developed to organise navigation, telephone, information and entertainment. The car also features front and side airbags, ABS with Hydraulic Brake Assist, Isofix child seat preparation in the rear and standard ESP (on all but the entry level Take up! model).

As for the options, there’s a City Emergency Braking system, which uses sensors to scan the space ahead of the vehicle, applying the brakes automatically if it detects that the car is about to hit an object in front. It costs £225.

The five-door up! will be launched in the second half of 2012, with a base price of £7,995 in UK.

Right on schedule German tuner B&B come up with an upgrade package for the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle.

Visually, there’s not much to it. You only get a set of 19 or 20-inch wheels and some stripes and graphics. It’s the engine lineup that’s been keeping the tuner busy.

Starting with the 1.4TSI engine, B&B fiddles with the ECU software and offers an upgrade from 160 hp to 210 hp & 285 Nm (136 lb-ft) or 225 hp & 310 Nm (228 lb-ft). The next stage includes using a better turbo system and sports exhaust system, for a total output of 240 hp & 340 Nm (251 lb-ft).

The 2.0 liter Turbo engine also receives a thorough upgrade program with no less than five stages. Through a series of ECU, turbocharger, intercooler and exhausts modifications, the standard 203 hp output is raised to 240 hp, 250 hp, 265 hp, 295 hp and 320 hp. The latter enables the car to hit 00 km/h from zero in 5.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 250 km/h.

B&B also provides a high performance braking system.

If this is only a teaser, we sure can’t wait for the actual commercial VW has made for this year’s Super Bowl! They’re sticking with the Star Wars theme, simply because it worked great last year. This time though, it’s a bit different and unusual, it’s named The Bark Side after all. You have to watch it – and hear it – to get the picture. It is fantastic, and proves Volkswagen still makes the best car commercials.

Volkswagen released details of the Euro-spec CC, plus new images of this gorgeous saloon.

The new CC as you know, is not called a PAassat anymore. VW has purified the car’s bloodline and moved it upmarket by giving it a fancier, less sporty, design, and greater build quality and equipments.

In many ways the new CC is like the Phaeton. They’re both fabulous cars, beautifully made and generously equipped with amazing features. But they’re not as popular as their rivals from Stuttgart, Munich and even Ingolstadt.

The grown up CC will go on sale in February 2012 in Germany, then in stages across Europe, America, Russia, China (local version starting in 2013) and all other sales regions relevant to this vehicle class. The car comes with a rich lineup of diesel and petrol engines. All of the diesels (TDI) are equipped with a Stop/Start system and a battery regeneration mode (which recovers braking energy) as standard equipment. All petrol engines also have battery regeneration functionality.

The TDI engines output 103 kW / 140 PS and 125 kW / 170 PS. The petrol engines of the European CC versions develop an impressive 118 kW / 160 PS, 155 kW / 210 PS and 220 kW / 300 PS of power.

The European six-cylinder version (300 PS) is delivered with DSG and 4MOTION all-wheel drive as standard equipment. In the case of the 280 PS US-CC that also sports all-wheel drive, a torque converter automatic is used. All engines go to work with excellent efficiency: the 140 PS TDI offered in Europe, for example, together with a manual six-speed gearbox consumes just 4.7 l/100 km (equivalent to 125 g/km CO2); with DSG fuel consumption is 5.3 l/100 km. The 200 PS TSI – a popular engine in America – attains a fuel economy of 21 (City) / 33 mpg (Highway) with manual gearbox and 22 / 31 mpg in the DSG version.

The 2013 CC comes with two individual seats at the back, but you can opt for 3 seats if you need it. Another new option is a brown interior; this includes the dashboard, which coordinates especially well with the also reconfigured wood accents and colours of the leather seats.

Standard features on the car include dual tailpipes, 17-inch alloy wheels with mobility tyres, sport seats, various cupholders, chrome surrounds on switches and air vents, air conditioner, sport chassis, ‘Auto-hold’ function, hill start assistant, automatic control of running lights with ‘Leaving home’ and ‘Coming home’ functions, automatic bootlid opening from the interior, DCC dynamic chassis control (from 125 kW / 170 PS) and, of course, the ESP electronic stabilisation programme and 6 airbags.

Prices for different countries are yet to b announced, but in the UK it starts at around 25,000 GBP.

UK market absolutely loves special editions, even if it’s just a commercial vehicle like VW Caddy.

So the first special edition of the car called the Caddy Match has been prepared for British customers, featuring many improvments over the standard model, including Air conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity, Trip computer, Electric windows, Electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors, Cruise control,Body-coloured bumpers and wing mirrors and Wheel trims.

Available with a range of 1.6 and 2.0-litre TDI engines plus BlueMotion Technology, the Match treatment is available for both the standard Caddy and the long wheelbase Caddy Maxi (except 4MOTION and EcoFuel models). Prices start at £14,110 and £16,060 respectively (VAT not included).

The Caddy Match is available for a limited period only, until 30 April 2012.

VW also offers competitive finance with the Caddy range from £199 a month (plus VAT and Initial Rental) and fixed-price servicing and maintenance contracts from £250 (plus VAT).

The E-Bugster is probably the coolest car unveiled today at the Detroit Motor Show, just because of its awesome chopped-up roof! It has a Speedster sort of design, which is funny, as it’s actually an electric car with only 85 kWh of power, and 0 to 60 mph in 10.9 seconds. The E-Bugster might some day become a reality in form of an electric Beetle. More on the car here and the video after the jump.

Volkswagen unveiled the new Jetta Hybrid at the Detroit Motor Show Today. And first things first, it’ll do 45 mpg, probably.

We say probably because that’s what VW reckons it can do. We have to wait for the official EPA certification to be sure of that. But that’s what you should be getting from a hybrid system consisting of a 1.4-litre TSI 150 PS petrol engine and a 20 kW zero-emissions electric motor.

This hybrid is of course on of them clever ones, and can engage or disengage either of the motors depending on the driving condition.

When running solely on electricity, the Jetta can reach speeds of up to 70 kmh (44 mph) and over a distance of two kilometres (1.3 miles). When you put your foot down, both units are at full alert to provide 170 PS for maximum acceleration. Of course, when you brake, the regenerative system comes to play recharging the batteries with the wasted energy of braking.

Power is directed to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual clutch DSG gearbox, which is efficient and lightweight, at 74 kg. Despite this, the Jetta Hybrid is a 100 kg heavier than the normal models.

Visually, you can tell the Jetta apart from non-hybrid ones with its new front spoiler, a rear diffuser and a rear spoiler that help to improve the car’s Cd value by 10 per cent.  There are also new headlights with LED running lights, LED rear lights and unique 15-inch alloy wheels with low rolling resistance tyres.

Standard equipment on the US-spec SE model – going on sale later in 2012 – includes: a 2Zone climate control system that works without the TSI engine running, a ‘Premium 8’ sound system, Bluetooth phone integration, MDI interface for iPod connectivity and a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel.  Moving up to SEL1 specification adds 16-inch alloy wheels, a glass sunroof, RNS 315 satellite navigation, electric driver’s seat adjustment, heated front seats and keyless entry.  The top SEL2 specification adds to this further, with 17-inch wheels, fog lights, bi-xenon headlights with cornering function, a reversing camera and a 400-Watt Fender sound system.

Volkswagen has turned up at Detroit Motor Show with a very interesting concept car based o the Beetle, called the E-Bugster.

As the name suggests, the E-Bugster is an electric version of the Beetle hinting at a possible production model in future.

As a general rule, the electric version of any production car is usually 30 or 40 percent uglier. But that’s just not the case with the E-Bugster. It looks much better than the standard Beetle, what with chopped up roof which is three inches lower, flared arches, 20-inch rims, and sporty bumpers with unique LED lights. We wish the production Beetle could look more like this.

As for the technicalities, the E-Bugster has a bot full of lithium-ion battery that power a 114 hp electric motor. Theoretically, the performance should be good as the motor makes a fairly remarkable 199 lb-ft of torque.

Volkswagen says it offers a range of 100 miles (160 km) on full charge. Recharging it, like every other EV around, is a tedious task that takes many hours. However, with a quick charger you can get it up to 80 percent in just 30 minutes.

That said, using a quick charger will wear the batteries out more quickly.

The new generation of Volkswagen Passat CC, known simply as the CC, is now available in the United Kingdom, priced from £24,200.

This good-looking VW is a cheaper alternative for those who want a Mercedes CLS but cannot afford it. The elegant four-door coupe 1.8-litre TSI 160 PS or 2.0-litre TSI 210 PS petrols and a 2.0-litre TDI common rail diesel with either 140 or 170 PS.

The CC you want is the 2.0-litre TDI 170 PS DSG with BlueMotion Technology and GT trim level, which costs £30,100, which is still good value, especially as it returns 51 mpg.

The new CC comes with a thoroughly upgraded design, featuring new headlights and radiator grille, reprofiled front bumper, completely redesigned bumper and new LED tail lights. All models with 170 PS or more also now get a standard XDS differential, an electronic cross-axle traction control system for improved traction and handling.

The car also comes with a comprehensive list standard and available features:

Standard kit on all models include RNS 315 touchscreen satellite navigation system, DAB digital radio, iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, 2Zone climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels, bi-xenon headlights and brake energy recuperation on all models.  Safety features include a driver alert system, ESP electronic stabilisation programme and four-way adjustable front head restraints, to reduce the risk of whiplash injuries.

Move up to GT trim and the equipment becomes sybaritic, with heated front seats, full Nappa leather upholstery, three-mode adaptive chassis control, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, 18-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights and heat insulating tinted glass from the B-pillar back all included as standard.

Options include High Beam Assist, which automatically controls dipping of the headlights; Side Assist, which monitors the vehicle’s blind spot; Lane Assist and adaptive cruise control with City Emergency Braking function; a rear-view camera; front climate seats with massage function; and an electrically deployed towbar.

Volkswagen CC model line-up and pricing

A group of unidentified investors who backed Porsche in its VW takeover attempt back in 2008 are now suing the German automaker for damages they suffered from the failure.

Porsche itself has been suffering from the ramifications of its failed attempt since then, as they racked up more than 10 billion euros of debt and was forced to agree to combine with VW as a result.

And now this lot come along. Here’s their argument: “Porsche gained control over the price of VW common stock as it secretly built enormous derivative positions covering almost all of VW’s freely traded shares, then triggered a massive short squeeze, and finally released billions of euros worth of shares into the short squeeze for its own profit“

So they filed a lawsuit in the court of Stuttgart, seeking about 2 billion euros in damages.

Rueters has apparenlty identified the plaintiffs as Elliott Associates, L.P., Elliott International, L.P., The Liverpool Limited Partnership, Perry Partners L.P., Perry Partners International, Inc., DE Shaw Valence International Inc., and York Capital Management Europe (UK) Advisors, LLP.

Porsche’s only comment so far: “The accusations are not justified and we reject them“

Source: Autonews

Not sure exactly why, maybe for funsies, but MR Car Design has fitted a VW Caddy with a sophisticated air suspension system.

The system can adjust the ride height on both axles independently automatically or using a remote control. Some of the uses MR says can be imagined for this system is lowering the car in a few seconds for disabled people easy access, or keeping the car level while carrying heavy load.

To make the car look cooler when dropped, the tuner has also fitted it with Rotiform-alloy wheels (8.5 x 19 inches) with 225/35-19 tires.

Can’t wait to see what MR Car Design has in mind for the VW Amarok pickup truck!

The standard Golf GTI too boring for you? No problem. Schmidt Revolution has just the kit to spice things up a bit.

They start with the 200-hp engine and fit it with STO-chip tuning’s latest codes and algorithms, high performance air intake system, and some new exhausts with central 70-mm tailpipes like the Golf R32. That’ll do it for 275 hp max output.

This GTI also gets the R32 rear apron, and Schmidt revolution19-inch Gotham wheels (8,5 x19 inches front and 9×19 inches rear) with 225/35R19 Marangoni M-power tires on all four corers. The wheels are garnished with red detailing and clear outer lip.

Other features of this hotted-up GTI include front lip, side skirts, and an all-in-one Kenwood DNX520VBT  navigation system.

This new TV spot for the Volkswagen up! has a good plot, but the film doesn’t seem to be made with much care. It has a typo. Apparently the line above is supposed to say “The future belongs to the small.” Anyhow, they do have a point. Most of the big things have become extinct and these days it’s the light and small who rules. I don’t think everybody agrees with that, but here we are.

Check out the ad after the jump.

VW Cross Coupe was one of the most exciting cars revealed today at the Tokyo Motor Show. This four-door GT crossover might not look all that brilliant, but everything about it promises a very fun car. The powerful hybrid powertrain, 4×4 system, flexible interior, big wheels, low roof, it’s all very nice. We think Volkswagen should put this car into production. Watch some footage of the car in action after the jump.

Just out of the blue Volkswagen turned up at the Tokyo Motor Show with a new coupe crossover concept, called simply the Cross Coupe.

The plug-in hybrid coupe SUV thingy is the first VW to feature their new ‘modular transverse matrix’, whatever that is, and looks pretty much production ready. It seems like a sizeable machine in the pictures, but it is actually shorter than a Tiguan.

The car measures at 4,345 mm in length, with a width of 1,868 mm and height of 1,523 mm. But offers a 2,630 mm wheelbase which is 26 mm longer than the Tiguan.

The Cross Coupe is apparently a good off-roader as well, with short overhangs front and rear and high ground clearance. What’s more, front angle of approach is 24.2 degrees and at the rear 32.5 degrees, and it’s got a sophisticated all-wheel drive system with ‘electric drive shaft’.

The hybrid powertrain in this car consists of two electric motors (one front and one rear) which generate 40 kW / 180 Nm of torque and 85 kW / 270 Nm respectively, and a TSI direct injection turbo petrol engine. With a total output of 265 PS, the Cross Coupé can accelerate to 62 mph in just seven seconds and on to a top speed of 125 mph. Its EV range is about 40 km.

All around, a very nice package. But it’s not likely to give Range Rover Evoque any reasons to be worried.