Volkswagen cars

2013 Volkswagen Polo R WRC Street

Volkswagen went to Wörthersee earlier this year with a concept car designed and built for the street. This new Polo WRC Street Concept was based on the Polo R WRC announced last year and was designed as a preview version of an extremely sporty small series due to be launched in late 2013.

At the Polo R WC’s unveiling in Monaco, we finally got a look at the production mode. Of the Polo WRC Street, but it, like its racing counterpart, dons the “R” badge.

The new Polo WRC Street will feature a highly unique and distinctive design language distinguished by a rear spoiler, a diffuser, a sports suspension, and an inscription with R-WRC logos. Volkswagen will adopt the same white exterior paint combined with blue and gray elements as seen on the rally car.

Along with its unveiling, VW also revealed all of the pertinent specifications related to the model. We still have yet to hear everything, but enough to wet our whistles. As time passes, VW will slowly get us all of the details.

To read all about the 2013 VW Polo R WRC Street, click past the jump.

2013 Volkswagen Polo R WRC Rally Car

When Volkswagen said that it was entering the World Rally Championship in time for the 2013 season, it stamped the announcement by revealing the Polo R WRC Concept, the prototype model of what would eventually become VW’s production series race car.

Over the weekend at Monaco, Volkswagen finally pulled the covers off of the latter, giving further indication that it’s ready to take the WRC by storm next year.

Judging by the overall look of the car, the high-performance sports hatch appears to have retained most of the design and performance characteristics of the concept. The rally-inspired lower front spoiler with large air inlets are still there, as is the spoiler on the rear edge of the roof and the rear diffuser. Some new additions on the body are purely aesthetic, including the “WRC” badging on the rear and the “R” logos on the front and rear.

The race version of the Polo R WRC also receives a set of 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 215/35R18 tires. Helping bring it to a halt are 16-inch disc brakes. Inside, the rally car comes equipped with a race-spec interior, highlighted by a black roof liner, race-style pedals, an Alcantara steering wheel, and the typical insanely long rally transmission stick.

Overall, the car only weighs 1,200 kg (2,645 pounds), which Volkswagen accomplished by using carbon and Kevlar on the doors, tailgate and wheel arch extensions. The svelte weight even accounts for the wider frame of 1,820 mm (71.65 inches), which is around 138 mm (5.43 inches) wider than the production model.

In terms of performance, the Polo R WRC Edition is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged TSI four-cylinder engine that has been limited to only produce 315 horsepower. This engine mates to a six-speed sequential transmission with a 0-to-100 km/h (62 mph) time of just 3.9 seconds.

The Polo R WRC Rally Car will make its long-awaited debut at the Monte Carlo rally this coming January with Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala taking the helm. The event should be a good barometer for the company and the team to gauge how ready the car is when it makes its WRC debut later that year.

2012 Volkswagen Golf VI R by SchwabenFolia

Only a day after Cam Shaft released a program for the soon-to-depart Volkswagen Golf R VI, another aftermarket specialist is giving the VW sports hatch its own distinct tuning program.

Just like Cam Shaft, SchwabenFolia earned its stripes in the industry for its car-dressing capabilities. SchwabenFolia put that to good use on this one, wrapping the Golf VI R with Urban Taupe Matt Metallic foil courtesy of Platinum Wrapping Film.

But what makes this project impressive is the way SchwabenFolia ventured out of its comfort zone to give the Golf VI R a significant bump in performance. Sure, it enlisted a little help from others, but this is still a work of art.

Helping the Golf VI R bump its performance credentials is the installation of a custom, handmade 130 db "Atomic Warbird" exhaust system with a 90 mm downpipe by F-Town Street Machines. This exhaust carries a pair of Capristo exhaust valves, both of which are controlled by the MFA XP in the speedometer. The end result is an increase in pony power to the tune of 330 horsepower, a nice bump from the standard model’s 267 horsepower.

Rounding out SchwabenFolia’s programs is the installation of H&R lowering springs, allowing the Golf VI R to be closer for better handling. Despite its low ride height, this Golf still has room to fit a set of 19-inch Dormant Fire Red High Gloss wheels wrapped in 235/35-19 Dunlop tires under it.

2012 Volkswagen Golf VI GTI "Last Edition" by ABT Sportsline

Now that Volkswagen has released the Golf Mk7, there’s a good chance that people will just as likely forget about the Golf Mk6 as they would a past-her-prime starlet.

Some folks like giving send-offs, and ABT Sportsline did just that with the Golf GTI Mk6.

It figures that ABT would have a soft spot for the Golf; after all, it’s been building programs for compact sports car since 1976. With its latest project, called the "Last Edition,” ABT continues that tradition with an extensive aerodynamic and performance program.

The expressive look of the Golf GTI "Last Edition" manifests itself in the deep metallic black paint finish that blends perfectly with the red accents. Add that a slew of aero components and the Golf GTI transforms itself into a true pocket rocket. A new rear spoiler and rear skirt add-on, side skirts, a modified front grill and skirt, and a diagonal 4-pipe exhaust system all make up the aesthetic upgrades. Completing it is a redesigned front lip that combines with the front skirt and the ABT daytime running lights to extract a look of sporty aggression to the Golf GTI.

In terms of performance, the Golf GTI "Last Edition" was treated to a significant power bump courtesy of ABT’s optimized engine management, improving the Golf GTI’s output from 211 horsepower to 260 ponies. If that’s not enough, ABT is also offering their Power S turbocharger that takes the Golf GTI’s output to 310 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.

Obviously, an increase of just less than 100 horsepower in a petite 4-pot engine is likely well worth the price of admission – a price that we don’t yet know.

Volkswagen to Discontinue the Eos

People that are disgusted with the VW Beetle Cabrio, but still want to enjoy open-top freedom with a VW badge on it, will sadly be stuck with the Bug as the only option. So what in the world is VW doing with its peppy VW Eos, you may ask?

Well, in recent studies held by the VW design team, VW concluded that that the market has lost sight of the retractable hardtop vehicles, and are looking for better and cheaper options. The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class and the BMW Z4 obviously think otherwise.

So, according to Bischoff, there will be no VW Eos in production from next year ownward, bringing misery to the Eos fans-not that we know of.

On the bright side, Klaus Bischoff, VW head of design, said that there will be a larger four-seat, two-door convertible with a soft-top, which is obviously something to compete with the upcoming BMW 4-Series Convertible. However, this will be far less costly than the outgoing EOS, but it will also be more luxury appointed than its predecessor.

Expect to see thislarger drop-top sometime in 2014, as VW unveils its new range of vehicles following its new “top-down” design format.

This is all that we have for you but we’ll keep a close eye once details emerge.

2013 Volkswagen Cross Up

At the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Volkswagen unveiled the Cross Up concept as a preview for the 5-door version of the Up. One year later, Vee-Dub-Ya is testing the production version of the Cross Up and our spy photographers managed to catch one in action without camouflage. To make things even more official, the prototype even has the Cross Up stickers on the rear doors – at least VW didn’t try to put pasties on a prototype this time around. This will be the fourth model in the Cross lineup, which includes the CrossPolo, CrossGolf and CrossTouran.

From these spy shots it looks like the production version will stay faithful to the concept car, with just the door strip being changed. Also, when compared to the standard Up, the Cross Up version will receive different bumpers, wider fenders, underbody protection and alloy wheels. Under the hood, we will most likely see the same engine lineup found in the Up.

We expect to see the Cross Up unveiled during the first half of 2013.

2012 Volkswagen Golf R "Electrified" by Cam Shaft

By reading the title, anybody will assume that this article is about an electric powered Volkswagen Golf VI, a daring project since VW itself hasn’t even made one. Sorry for those of you that were expecting a hot EV, but "Electrified" is simply referring to the questionable paintjob that Cam Shaft applied to this poor Golf R.

What is definitely worth looking forward to is what Cam Shaft has done under that orange-sherbet-colored hood. The standard Golf R is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 267 horsepower and 350Nm (258 pound-feet) of torque, which is pretty powerful for a hatchback.

Apparently, Cam Shaft disagreed and decided to optimize the ECU software and add in an aftermarket downpipe to allow the turbo to spool quicker and the exhaust top flow more effectively. As a result, this Golf R now produces 325 horsepower and 430 Nm (317 pound-feet) of torque. That’s a nice 22-percent horsepower increase and 23-percent increase in torque – not too shabby for some software and a downpipe.

To wrap up the upgrades, Cam Shaft also fitted it with a Tarox F2000 braking system to help you reel in this beast, H&R professional suspension for better handling — if you decide to play in the twist — and a gorgeous set of OZ Ultraleggera wheels with orange accents to complement the electrifying paint-job.

We think this is a great package for any Golf R owner interested in squeezing more horses out of the little engine. Please, for the love of your poor Golf R, skip that paintjob, unless, of course, you’re auditioning for the next Fast and Furious movie. In that case, the paintjob will suit it just fine…

Next Volkswagen Phaeton to Debut New Design Language

Come 2015 when Volkswagen announces the next-generation Phaeton, it will also debut a new design language that will influence the entire VW range, according to Design Director Klaus Bischoff.

The design boss himself admits that the new design language that debuted with the VW Golf VII was a mistake. Unlike most companies where the design of the flagship product influences the rest of product range — the "top-down" approach — with the Golf VII, VW used the bottom-up approach that, according to Bischoff, didn’t bode well with the market.

If there is something that we’d criticize about the current design language is that the entire VW lineup looks eerily similar. For the future design language, Klaus promises that there will be a specific look for saloons, one for the SUV lineup, one for the people carriers and one for hatchbacks. We hope this change flows over to Audi as well.

With Klaus Bischoff promising such changes, the future of this German giant looks bright. Though it’s easy to make promises, delivering them is the actual challenge.

Top 5 Launches at the Los Angeles Auto Show

This year’s edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show has witnessed some exciting and electrifying launches by most established brands.

Being one of the most important markets for the automobile industry, most car manufacturers see it fitting to debut their new models, variants and lineups in L.A. Every auto show has its stunners and duds, and some automakers just pull out ridiculous stuff to make us giggle – whether that giggle is intended or not is up for debate.

Sadly, the L.A. Auto Show’s biggest event is already over – the press days on the 28th and 29th of November – so we have pretty much seen everything that there was to see. The show does continue through December 6th, but those are general public days where the people that may actually buy these rigs can come and get a better look at them.

The L.A. Auto Show does, essentially, close the book on the 2012 auto show season, as just a few minor shows remain, but don’t fret; the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) and its headliner – the C7 Corvette – are just around the corner.

To help ease the transition between the ending of the 2012 L.A. Auto Show and the beginning of the NAIAS, we bring you the top-5 cars launched at the soon-to-close L.A. Auto Show.

2013 Volkswagen Beetle Cabrio

The new generation Volkswagen Beetle made its debut back in 2011 at the New York Auto Show and the cabrio version will arrive almost two years later at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. Sales on the US market will begin at the end of 2012.

The third generation Beetle Cabrio features a sportier and more dynamic silhouette - just like with the coupe version and is equipped with a traditional soft-top that can be opened and closed just in 10 seconds at the push of a button at speeds up to 30 mph.

When compared to the coupe version, the new Cabrio will be distinguished by strengthened A-pillars and an "Automatic Rollover Support System" that offers better protection in case of a crash.

The US customers will have to choose between three different engines, two petrol and one diesel with power ranging from 140 HP to 240 HP. The three engines can be mated to with either a six-speed manual or DSG automatic.

UPDATE 11/29/12: Volkswagen has released the pricing details for the Beetle Cabriolet and all its trim models. Check out how much they’ll cost after the jump. We have added a series of new images and two new video.