Volkswagen

Can the newcomer to the segment, the Hyundai i30 N, take on an old dog like the Volkswagen Golf GTi? Well, it certainly can, and it does it well, but everything isn’t always as it seems since the Golf GTi used in this video isn’t the highest-producing dog in the stable. As such, the I30N had a good 45 horsepower on it. So, it wasn’t exactly fair, but it’s still fun to watch the Hyundai cream the Volkswagen back-to-back-to-back. Check out the video below for yourself!

The Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak racer is no joke. The German automaker finally unveiled its all-electric time attack racer and, judging by the technical specifications; it looks like it’s ready to conquer the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The I.D. R Pikes Peak has a serious amount of power at its disposal. More importantly, all that power translates to performance abilities that make it quicker than a Formula E race car and a Formula One racer.

As of the time of this writing, the Volkswagen Golf R is the only car offered by VW with an R badge. All of that is apparently about to change, as reports indicate that VW will be giving the R treatment to a big portion of its lineup, beginning with the T-Roc R, Tiguan R, and Arteon R. Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard this rumor, but there’s more to it.

In theory, battery-swapping is a good way for electric vehicles to remain on the road longer. Depleted battery packs can be removed in favor of a fully charged replacement, and EV owners won’t have to worry as much about the amount of range they have left in the batteries. The whole process is quicker than charging a depleted battery and the process of replacing and installing sounds easy, or so it seems. Reality, however, paints an entirely different picture. Battery-swapping comes with a much more complicated procedure behind it, so much so that Volkswagen has no intention of offering the technology in the U.S. or any other market in the world. The only potential exception? China.

A logo is the easiest way to identify a brand. Some of the biggest companies in the world have logos that are easily identified. Nike has the swoosh, Apple has the bitten apple, and Volkswagen has the round logo with a ‘V’ sitting on top of a ‘W’ inside of it. The German automaker, though, is looking to update its iconic logo, the first time it’s doing so since 2012 when it made the lettering more silvery and three-dimensional.

Volkswagen’s new man at the top is looking to shake the auto giant’s assets up. Newly appointed CEO Herbert Diess made that point clear in his first news conference as the head honcho of the world’s second-largest automaker. While he didn’t dive into the specifics, Diess confirmed that the company will be reviewing every brand it owns. If it comes down to it, the German automaker will be open to selling some of its assets in an effort to streamline its portfolio by only keeping its strongest brands.

Unveiled earlier this year, thenew Volkswagen Jetta is a big step forward from the nameplate, as it looks more elegant and features a more upscale interior. On the flipside, it lacks the sportiness of its predecessor. This will change soon with the Jetta GLI model, which is rumored to arrive with the same engine and suspension setup as the Golf GTI. Needless to say, this is great news!

The Touareg and Tiguan have been so successful in their first years on the market that Volkswagen decided to expand its crossover lineup with at least three new models. One of them is the T-Roc, and it’s the company’s smallest SUV until the T-Cross arrives. Built on the ubiquitous MQB platform, the T-Roc slots under the Tiguan and it’s related to the Audi Q2 and Seat Arona. Developed to compete with popular subcompact crossovers like the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur, Toyota C-HR and many more, the T-Roc is now also available in R-Line spec, Volkswagen’s top trim outside the GTI and R models.

Now available on a wide range of cars, the R-Line package is both sporty and stylish, creating a unique look that you can’t get with the usual options. This is available for the T-Roc too, which gets sportier bumpers front and rear, while a the body-colored elements from the sides and around back make the crossover look less rugged. It’s a bit far-fetched to say that the T-Roc R-Line is more elegant than the standard model, because not many SUVs are, but I must admit that the small SUV looks really well with body-colored side skirts and rear apron. As usual, the engines are shared with the standard model, but Volkswagen added a bespoke suspension setup for a sportier ride. Let’s find out more below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Volkswagen T-Roc R-Line.

The Volkswagen Atlas Tanoak Concept wasn’t supposed to appear at the2018 New York Auto Show. But as the story goes, VW execs liked the design study so much it made an 11th-hour decision and brought the Tanoak Concept as a surprise debut. Now that we’ve seen it, we’re glad Volkswagen made the audible because the prototype pickup received such a favorable response that there’s a groundswell of support building on turning the concept car into a full-blown production vehicle. It’s too early to tell if Volkswagen is going to give the people what they want, but don’t be surprised if that light bulb turns on soon.

Volkswagen has been selling the Amarok pickup truck since 2010, but the midsize is still restricted to European, South American, and African markets as of 2018. This has caused great frustration in the U.S., where truck enthusiasts have been clamoring for a North American version since the Amarok’s introduction. VW still doesn’t show signs that it wants to sell the Amarok in the U.S., but American buyers may get access to a truck soon, as the company just unveiled a concept vehicle with a bed at the 2018 New York Auto Show. Called the Atlas Tanoak, it’s based on the relatively new Atlas SUV and could preview the brand’s next-generation pickup truck.

The highly-anticipated five-door version of the Volkswagen Atlas made its global debut at the 2018 New York Auto Show. But the new SUV is a bit different than we originally imagined it. For starters, the Germans unveiled a production-ready concept vehicle instead of the version we will find in dealerships starting 2019. Second, the Atlas Cross Sport looks nothing like the seven-seat Atlas. While the latter has a more utilitarian stance, this new SUV is sportier and shares some design cues with the Advanced mid-size SUV that Volkswagen just revealed in China.

The SUV and crossover market is about as jam-packed as it could possibly be and yet automakers still manage to cram yet another model into the mix. Case in point: the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas five-seater. Essentially a smaller version of the seven-seater Atlas we were introduced to in 2018, it promises to provide a slightly smaller footprint on the road with seating for five. Of course, this specific niche is already filled by the Tiguan, so there’s a bit of confusion here, but maybe not. See, the Touareg won’t be offered in the U.S. after 2018, so the seven-seater Atlas will become the range-topping “luxury” model while the five-seater Atlas will take its place above the Tiguan. We don’t know much about the five-seater as of now, but let’s talk a little more about it.

Volkswagen has been on a hard EV offensive as it prepares the world for its ID lineup, and yet here we are hearing rumors about VW showing up to the New York Auto Show with a midsized truck concept. The word comes way of Automotive News who supposedly got word from “sources familiar with the matter.” Even more important is that should the public show interest, VW is ready to shift said concept into production at VW’s Tennessee-based production facility.

Eyes watered and tears flowed when Volkswagen announced that it wasn’t going to build a next-generation version of the Volkswagen Beetle. But fear not, fans of the beloved Bug. The current-generation model isn’t going away anytime soon. Volkswagen spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said as much to USA Today, quelling fears that the iconic model is on borrowed time.

It’s the newest addition to VW’s lineup and it looks great, so why not feature it on your desktop for a few days?

Volkswagen has finally introduced the third-generation Touareg, and it comes to prove a point that Volkswagen isn’t playing around in the premium segment. The exterior gets a healthy restyle that brings it inline with more aggressive offerings on the market while the interior pushes technology to a whole new level. Of course, you can see some Audi and Porsche cues here and there but, for the most part, the Touareg stands on its own four wheels. The new Touareg will initially be offered with two variations of a diesel-drinking V-6 and a V-8. A gasoline V-6 is scheduled for the future while China is set to get a hybrid powertrain.

After years of speculation, the Volkswagen CC gained a successor after almost ten years on the market. But while the four-door coupe configuration carried on, Volkswagen decided to retire the CC nameplate. Fearing that the CC might not rebound from its slow-selling final years, the Germans gave the four-door coupe a massive makeover and renamed it the Arteon. Significantly more appealing thanks to its sporty design, premium interior, and more powerful drivetrain, the Arteon could finally establish VW as a powerful player on the premium market. With the Arteon set to go on sale by the end of 2018, Volkswagen expanded the lineup with an R-Line model.

Slightly sportier on the outside and fitted with a few extra features on the inside, the R-Line become the range-topping model of the Arteon family. That’s pretty much available for every VW model out there that doesn’t have a GTi or R version, so the move is far from surprising. Unfortunately, the "R-Line" badge comes with no drivetrain upgrades whatsoever, so you’ll have to wait a while longer for that performance-oriented sedan with a V-6 engine. Until that happens, let’s take a closer look at the Arteon R-Line, which breaks cover at the 2018 New York Auto Show.

Continue reading to learn more about the Volkswagen Arteon R-Line.

It wasn’t that long ago when Volkswagen proudly unveiled the hulking, seven-passenger Atlas SUV. It’s also not taking VW long to bolster its SUV lineup once again now that it announced plans to build a new five-passenger model that will serve as a smaller version of the aforementioned Atlas. Details are still scarce on what model this is going to be, but according to VW, it’s going to be designed and engineered for the U.S. market. As such, a concept version will be unveiled at the 2018 New York Auto Show next week.