Volkswagen News

  • 2014 Volkswagen XL1, 2013 Geneva Motor Show

    The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) target of 54.5 mpg by 2025 has caused cheers from some people, and jeers from others. In reality, that target won't be as difficult to hit as the numbers suggest, as the average on EPA window stickers will be lower--closer to 40 mpg in reality. For some though, that's still a little too much, too soon--and the standards have faced accusations that meeting them will damage business. Volkswagen is hoping to smash those limits in Europe, and far earlier than 2025--setting itself a target of nearly 60 mpg in Europe by 2020. Euro emissions standards In...

  • Volkswagen Golf TDI BlueMotion
    Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion: 70 MPG Hatchback... U.S. Won't Get

    If you were to associate Volkswagen with one particular fuel-efficient technology, it'd probably be diesel. VW's range of diesels is expanding in the U.S, but it's massive in Europe--accommodating a market where over 50 percent of buyers choose diesel vehicles. As a result of Europe's love of...

  • Volkswagen up! first drive photos
    Volkswagen Up Minicar To Get XL1's Ultra-Frugal Drivetrain?

    The Volkswagen Up is one of our favorite 'forbidden fruit' cars. Sold in Europe, it's a rival to vehicles like the Chevrolet Spark in the 'A' segment. It's lightweight, simple, economical and inexpensive to buy--everything a small car should be. Some of those parameters could be about to change, as...

  • Volkswagen XL1 plug-in diesel hybrid
    261 MPG Volkswagen XL1 Production Confirmed, Debuts Geneva

    Volkswagen has toyed with the idea of cigar-shaped ultra-eco cars for some time now, but a production car is finally on the way. The Volkswagen XL1 is a plug-in diesel hybrid with a body seemingly beamed in from a future time. It's the physical representation of the benefits of reducing weight and...

  • 2014 Volkswagen Golf GTD
    2014 Volkswagen Golf GTD Diesel Hot Hatch Returns 50+ MPG

    Following yesterday’s leak of the new e-Golf electric variant of Volkswagen’s latest MkVII Golf, comes the first photos and specs for the latest Golf GTD diesel-powered hot hatch. Volkswagen has been offering high-performance Golf diesels since 1982, but so far none have ever been...

  • Volkswagen up! production version
    VW Developing $8K Budget Car For Chinese Market: Report

    To the average U.S. car buyer, the Volkswagen Up minicar will seem pretty basic. Deliberately designed to compete at the bottom of the European market, it always feels like a quality product--but always like a minimalist one too, with few of the bells and whistles found on most cars--unless you pay...

  • 2013 Toyota Prius liftback

    Are you in the market for a hybrid car? You probably want great gas mileage, without switching to diesel fuel, or taking the next step into plug-in vehicles. The good news is, plug-ins aside, virtually all the most fuel-efficient cars on sale right now are hybrids. Whether you're after a spacious subcompact or a sleek sedan, there's a hybrid to suit most needs. Below you'll find our run-down of the ten most efficient, rated by EPA combined mileage. Click on each vehicle title to go to its review page, or simply use it as a handy guide to the hybrids with the best gas mileage. 1) 2013 Toyota...

  • Large switch at photovoltaic solar power field at Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee
    Volkswagen Installs Huge Solar Array At Chattanooga Plant

    Volkswagen flipped a large ceremonial switch yesterday that signaled the official launch of a huge array of photovoltaic solar cells at its Chattanooga assembly plant, which builds the Volkswagen Passat mid-size sedan. The new solar field can supply up to 12.5 percent of the plant’s total...

  • Combined Charging System plug for DC fast charging
    VW, Eaton Show New CCS Electric-Car Charging Station

    Volkswagen Group of America and Eaton have together unveiled a new single-port Combined Charging System (CCS). The CCS meets the approved standard for charging from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and combines one-phase AC charging, three-phase AC charging, DC home charging and DC fast...

  • Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo concept
    VW: Plug-In Hybrids 'A Long-Term Trend', Steps Up For 2013

    If 2012 was the year that several companies realised the importance of hybrid and electric vehicles, 2013 will be the year that we see the fruits of their labor. Volkswagen, initially reluctant to dabble in the plug-in market, is set to launch at least two new high-volume plug-in hybrids over the...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Oct 2012
    Green Car Reports 2013 Best Car To Buy: Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid, Honorable Mention

    Volkswagen has sold small numbers of its Touareg Hybrid crossover utility vehicle for two years now, but it's never had a mass-market hybrid entry. That will be the role of the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid, a new entry this year that complements VW's long-established line of fuel-efficient TDI...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Oct 2012
    2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid: German Sales Start, Buy Soon In U.S.

    No longer is Volkswagen's Jetta sedan all about diesel engines--it's the hybrid which now wears that car's high-mileage crown. German dealers have just started taking orders for the car, and American dealers should also now be taking deposits, with the Hybrid set to arrive in U.S. dealers in the...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid

    Volkswagen has finally revealed estimated EPA numbers for the 2013 Jetta Hybrid. The latest, greenest addition to the Jetta range achieves a combined 45 mpg in EPA testing. That puts its combined rating 11 mpg above that of the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the previous economy champ in the range. Volkswagen has ensured that performance meets expectations for other cars in the range too. The 1.4-liter, turbocharged gasoline engine under the hood produces 148 horsepower. Torque is strong too, with 184 lbs-ft available from only 1,400 rpm. That engine is paired with a 20 kW (27 hp) electric motor...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI Convertible first drive
    2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI Convertible First Drive

    Despite the seemingly endless combinations of drivetrains, body styles, and features, there are still a few cars in the U.S. market that are unique in their makeup--and we're not talking about the Tesla Model S here. The 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible is the only convertible available in the...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Oct 2012
    2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid: First Drive

    The 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid gives VW something it hasn’t had before: a way to appeal to hybrid buyers who won’t consider its TDI diesels—no matter how fuel-efficient they may be. The result is a relatively sporty, conventional looking compact sedan that’s fun to drive...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid
    2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid: What Do You Want To Know?

    The 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid sedan was never going to match the 50-mpg combined fuel economy rating of this year's mileage champ, the Toyota Prius. When the new Jetta Hybrid was unveiled at January's Detroit Auto Show, VW executives predicted a combined rating around 45 mpg. According to...

  • 2012 Volkswagen Up minicar (German model), road test, Catskill Mountains, NY, May 2012
    Volkswagen Confirms Up Minicar Will Get 2-Cylinder Diesel Engine

    Last year, Fiat's 875cc, twin-cylinder turbocharged engine won the 'International Engine of the Year' award, seeing off competition from Ferrari, BMW and Audi, among others. The award highlighted the importance of the new breed of tiny, efficient engines, and rumors began to surface that Volkswagen...

  • Volkswagen Taigun Concept, Sao Paulo Motor Show
    VW's Tiny Taigun Shows Crossovers Can Get Even Smaller: Brazil Auto Show

    The car you're looking at is the result of German automotive giant Volkswagen filling another niche in the market. Among its portfolio of worldwide brands there are very few shapes and sizes not yet explored, and the Volkswagen Taigun Concept adds a compact crossover to the list. Unveiled at the...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible

    With the new VW Beetle launched last year, you knew there would be a ragtop, right? We now have photos of the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible, which includes a unique model: the only diesel convertible available for sale in the U.S. This is only the third all-new open-air Beetle in history; the first was in 1949, the second in 2003. This time, it's not called a Cabrio but simply a Convertible. Sticking close to the restyling cues of the hardtop Beetle (actually a three-door hatchback), the new four-seat convertible Beetle has a more upright windshield and a longer, flatter roof. But unlike...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid
    2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid: Priced From $24,995

    Volkswagen of America has finally announced pricing for the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid, set to be the most fuel-efficient Jetta in the line-up. Jetta Hybrids will start at $24,995, with the higher-specification SE models priced at $26,990. That means the Hybrid starts at $2,005 more than the...

  • 2014 Volkswagen Golf (European spec)
    2014 Volkswagen Golf Preview: Lighter, Larger, More Efficient

    The new, seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf was unveiled early last month in Berlin, but more models were added to the lineup at last week's Paris Auto Show. And while complete details weren't forthcoming, VW Group executives offered some hints on what we'll see when the 2014 VW Golf debuts in the...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion (European model), 2012 Paris Motor Show
    VW: Americans Won't Pay More For Gas-Saving Extras

    Last week, at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled its all-new 2014 Golf family, including the highly-efficient VW Golf BlueMotion diesel. A car, which as Volkswagen has already stated, the U.S. won’t be getting. That’s because Americans aren’t willing to pay extra for...

  • Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept live photos, 2012 Paris Auto Show
    VW, Audi, Porsche Lay Out Plug-In Hybrid Plans: Paris Auto Show

    After a brisk run-through of new models from all of its many brands, Volkswagen Group closed last night's preview event before the Paris Auto Show with a few words on its plans for plug-in hybrids. "Many companies are reducing their plans for electric vehicles," said VW Group chief Martin...

  • 2011 Volkswagen Golf TDI
    Volkswagen Bullish On Diesels For New Fuel Efficiency Rules

    Few people think of modern diesels as being noisy, slow and dirty any more, but diesel's traditional benefit--fuel efficiency--has been getting better all the time. Volkswagen is a manufacturer most associated with diesels, thanks to strong sales of Jetta and Golf TDIs. And thanks to strong...

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