Volkswagen

Volkswagen is testing its upcoming T-Roc Convertible, and this is the very first set of shots showing a camouflaged prototype of the drop top. The vehicle will replace the VW Golf Convertible in the range, and like that car, it will feature a soft top and frameless and pillarless doors.

It is going to be a four-seater vehicle with decent room in the back for passengers, powered by a range of mostly gasoline and probably diesel engines and at the moment it has no real crossover rivals in the same size and price bracket.

The soft top it uses looks like it’s very similar in shape to that of the current Golf Cabriolet, and it will pretty much offer the same experience as that car but will sit slightly higher off the ground and better off-road capability. But make no mistake, it is designed to spend most of its time on the road, and we doubt anybody will want to do serious off-roading in one of these.

This summer, Volkswagen conquered the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race with their fantastic I.D. R prototype, which was driven by Romain Dumas up the mountain in a record time of 7:57.148, 16 seconds under Sebastien Loeb’s 5-year-old record.

Motorsport is still a relevant marketing tool and battle-scarred Volkswagen decided the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the perfect place to showcase its electric technology. The race, which has been going since 1916, sees competitors climb up the 12.42-mile-long course all the way to 14,000 feet. Nowadays, there’s no more dirt at Pikes Peak, but that doesn’t make the challenge itself any less daunting.

Technology is evolving at an insane pace in the automotive world. With some new tech added to our cars literally every day, it’s no more a buy-off-the-counter scene for automakers. That is one of the many reasons why automakers and technology companies are collaborating, the latest of which are Volkswagen and Microsoft.

Volkswagen breaks new ground with its foray into the virtual world as an avenue to test its new driver assistance systems faster while also reducing expenses. Is it a double-edged sword, though?

As automakers worldwide make leaps and bounds towards a brave new world of automation, green energy and efficiency, German manufacturer Volkswagen set about trying a new way of testing its driver assistance systems that will be part of the new I.D. lineup of vehicles. Lengthy real-world tests where prototypes are taken out on the open road or on test facilities will be a thing of the past, thinks Volkswagen, who wants to replace all of that with virtual simulations. They should, in theory, be programmed to feature as many scenarios as needed to get the systems through their testing phases.

The process to move testing from the real-world to a computer-generated virtual one is complicated, but Volkswagen is already trying out the idea with virtual parking simulations where all the parameters can be altered to suit the needs of those conducting the experiments. This all sounds great, but can computer-generated simulations, regardless of computing power and intricacy, really provide the same randomness that actual testing on the open road gives? Will cars that go on sale with systems that went through virtual testing be as well prepared as those that had a bigger chunk of their testing done on the roads? Volkswagen did not officially say they plan to eliminate real testing from the procedure of introducing new driving assistance systems, so we have to wait and see.

Read on to learn more about Volkswagen’s new virtual testing and more

High-riding vehicles, like crossovers and SUVs are at the height of popularity right now, but they’re not the only way to go if you want practicality and some off-road capability. Crossover style raised wagons are a great alternative and while they can still drive you over a rough field or rutted road with ease, they’re better to drive on road and actually pretty stylish.

They are essentially the wagon versions of different cars which have gained extra ride height and plastic cladding on the outside to protect them from scratches in their most vulnerable points. These vehicles usually have standard all-wheel drive and are usually a higher trim level, so they are not cheap (compared to the vehicle they’re based on) but they also come with a lot of equipment.

Here’s a list of the 13 coolest crossover-style wagons you can buy today.

The Volkswagen T-Roc R is not yet officially unveiled, but we know what it looks like thanks to a fresh round of spy shots. The car has been spotted at the Nurburgring numerous times where it’s undergoing high-performance tests while giving us a clue of what to expect. Spy shots reveal the T-Roc R sans any camouflage, and it looks largely similar to the regular T-Roc with just a few minor updates to make it stand out.

Retro styling done right in the automotive world can result in a car that buyers instantly feel drawn to because they remember the original from their childhood. Granted, if done wrong, it can look really hideous and out of place, but you won’t find any of those here.

When mainstream manufacturers do it, they spend a lot of time and money to get it just right, and it really shows. Many of these retro-styled cars are bought first and foremost for the way they look, but they are actually just good cars overall. I’ve assembled the ones you can buy new right now, in the list after the jump.

Volkswagen recently unveiled the 2019 Jetta, and the itch to see the sportier version is getting worse day by day. Guess our prayers just got answered. Speaking to Autoblog, Volkswagen Brazil’s Head of Design, José Carlos Pavone, hinted that the Jetta GLI might be coming soon. And, by coming soon, he means the upcoming Detroit Motor Show in January.

Every automaker is in the race to become the leader of the new revolution in the auto world known as electrification. While some are inculcating this into their current infrastructure, Volkswagen has gone a step ahead and is set to have an all-electric plant in Germany. Given how the Dieselgate scandal turned out for VAG, will this help them save face and reclaim the lost trust amongst its customers?

Volkswagen is reviving the Type 2 Transporter Delivery Van of the ’60s with its new I.D. Cargo Buzz Concept which was presented at the IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hannover, Germany. As a sibling to the I.D. Buzz it uses the same MEB platform and will come as early as 2021 with a variety of battery options to suit anyone and everyone’s needs.

The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta has entered the record books after setting the land speed record for its class and displacement at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The Jetta set the record with a run that reached 210.16 mph, breaking the previous record of 208.472 mph. The achievement didn’t come with its share of problems, but ultimately, Volkswagen and the team behind this particular Jetta, THR Manufacturing, managed to troubleshoot their way into the record books, putting a successful lid on an attempt that was months in the making.

Other automakers need to learn from Volkswagen when it comes to how to keep a model fresh, no matter how old it is. Volkswagen introduced the 2019 GTI Rabbit Edition in the U.S., which feels like a tribute to the original iteration of the hatchback. It will be slotted between the base ‘S’ trim and mid ‘SE’ trim.

Volkswagen has unveiled the 2019 Beetle Final Edition a day after leaked VIN documents indicated that the German automaker was planning to roll out the special edition model to commemorate the Beetle’s three-generation, 70-year run. The 2019 Beetle Final Edition will be available in SE and SEL trims. It will also be available in coupe and convertible versions. Pricing for the SE and SEL coupe starts at $23,940 and $26,890, respectively, while pricing for the SE and SEL convertible versions starts at $28,190 and $30,890, respectively.

Additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, is usually utilized for the rapid production of prototypes and specialty parts. Now, however, Volkswagen claims a breakthrough development has readied this cutting-edge technology for mass production, opening up a slew of customer customization opportunities.

Continue reading for the full story.

Volkswagen may have inadvertently confirmed the end of the Beetle’s production run after a leaked VIN document revealed that its 2019 model lineup of the Bug will feature a “Final Edition” model. According to the document, Volkswagen will offer the 2019 Beetle in four different trim levels. While that itself isn’t interesting, two of the four trim levels are the Final Edition SE and the Final Edition SEL. The other two trim levels — S and SE — likely represent the lower-range versions of the 2019 Beetle.

I find it unsettling to call a car the 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI Rabbit Edition. The name Rabbit actually was an official designation in the U.S. for the car otherwise known as the Golf. In some strange world of mine, the name of this new car sounds like Golf GTI Golf Edition. Nonsense aside, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Rabbit Edition celebrates the Rabbit nameplate and it may be one of the last specials of the Volkswagen Golf GTI for this generation. In the name of exclusivity, Volkswagen announced it capped the Golf GTI Rabbit Edition to only 3,000 units (they’ll sell it all really fast) and it will make it available throughout the country. So hurry up.

Volkswagen has big plans for the next-generation Golf, one that could move the iconic hatchback upmarket to a new niche market that’s above the current competition and just below the compact luxury segment occupied by the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class. The potential move is an attempt by Volkswagen to lure buyers who are looking into downsizing from premium models like the 3 Series and C-Class with more affordable alternatives that offer more cabin and luggage space than is normal in this segment, as well as top-class refinement and exceptional fuel economy. Volkswagen wants the next-generation Golf — the Mk8 — to be the top choice among those alternatives.

Volkswagen has revealed the new Tiguan Offroad. It is a new version of the super popular compact crossover now drizzled with features and solutions that make it far more suitable for off-roading tasks than before. Revealed at the Moscow Auto Show, the Tiguan Offroad brought numerous improvements over the standard Tiguan which grant the small Volkswagen with some capabilities that I would only expect from SUVs and vehicles that actually intend to go where the road ends in the first place.

Volkswagen has teased its latest entrant in the crowded crossover segment – the T-Cross– through a video and a few sketches. Out of the four core properties that the car signifies; namely Practical, Cool, Intuitive, and Safe, this was the first trailer depicting the ’cool’ aspect. The car is indeed the T-Roc’s younger brother; drawing lots of styling cues and probably technology too. But what does it take to succeed when the competition is so damn strong? Well, spoil the customers for choice.

You think that the Ranger Raptor is cool? Look at this! It is a Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 TDI tuned up a notch by the fantastic Polish tuner Carlex Design. While the Poles are best known for their work on the interior of cars - something we have witnessed with their incredible Mercedes-Benz X-Class transformation - their latest works revolve around exterior mods as well. This is not surprising considering that specialists there have become well-known all over the world. They have to widen their business scope, don’t they?

I think we are lucky they did because the latest work by Carlex Design on Volkswagen’s mid-size pickup squeezes out the best of what the German pickup can offer. While we in the U.S. can’t actually get the Amarok, adventurous Europeans can go mad with it. All with a 3.0-liter TDI, V-6 that develops 268 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque. That is so much more than 210 horsepower from the Range Raptor’s 2.0-liter diesel mill.