Volkswagen Sweepstakes Offers Winner the Chance to Drive the Golf R at the 'Ring

The Volkswagen brand is lifting the stakes with a freshly launched competition to mark the arrival of its new 2012 Golf R hot hatch in the United States.

Named the “Golf R Ultimate Fan Experience” Sweepstakes, the contest will offer one lucky winner an all-expenses paid trip for two in Germany this September.

The week-long trip will include, among other things, a tour of VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg but more importantly, the unique opportunity to drive the Golf R at the Nürburgring racetrack.

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Superchips Gives Volkswagen Polo GTI an Electronic Boost

European owners of the Volkswagen Polo GTI looking for a relatively inexpensive solution to improve the performance of their cars will be interested to know that Superchips has released a new ECU tune for the German hatchback.

The Polo GTI is powered by a direct injection 1.4-liter gasoline four-pot featuring both a supercharger, which boosts the engine until 3,000prm, and a turbocharger that kicks in afterwards, for a maximum output of 180PS (177.53bhp) and peak torque of 250Nm (185 lb-ft).

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Volkswagen Recalls 2012 Passat TDI Over Fuel Leak Risk and 2012 Routan Because Wheel May Separate

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) announced on its website that Volkswagen is recalling two models for different reasons in the United States.

More specifically, the Germany automaker is recalling 153 diesel-powered 2012 Passat sedans built from January 18, 2011, through June 1, 2011, because the diesel fuel filter element may not have been sealed correctly.

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Watch a VW Scirocco R Chase a Ford Focus RS on the Nürburgring Track

Here are two of Europe's finest hot hatches (that you won't be able to buy in the States, at least not in their current generation…) racing each other on the Nordschleife.

The VW Scirocco R is the flagship model of the series and is powered by a specially tuned 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that churns out 261hp (265PS) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft).

Like the Volkswagen model, the Focus RS is front wheel drive but instead of a four-banger, it sports a 2.5-liter force-fed inline-five generating 300hp (305PS) and 440Nm (324.5 lb-ft).

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2013 VW Beetle Cabriolet Now Rumored to go on Sale Next Year, gets Diesel Option in North America

Originally thought to debut at the ongoing 2012 New York Auto Show, the next generation of the Beetle Convertible is now said to make its world premiere at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show this fall before it reaches dealerships in the first quarter of 2013, or at least that's what company officials told Car&Driver.

Volkswagen's North American execs added that the drop-top version of the new generation of the Beetle would be offered with the "same exact powertrain lineup as the coupe", which means a diesel option will also be on the table.

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MT Puts New VW Golf R and Mitsubishi Lancer EVO Head to Head

In its latest episode of 'Head 2 Head', MotorTrend magazine took the recently launched in the U.S. Volkswagen Golf R hot hatch and compared it against the latest generation of the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO.

While the two cars share many similarities including, but not limited to, their compact sized bodies that are motivated by 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines driving all-four wheels, they also prove to be very different on the road and the track.

Before you check out the video after the break, we'd like to remind you that the Volkswagen Golf R has 256hp and is priced from $33,900, while the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO gets 291-horses with prices starting from $34,495.

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ABT Reveals its Latest Tuning Take on Volkswagen's T5 Passenger Van

Most German tuning firms have a soft spot for Volkswagen's T5 series of vans and ABT is no exception. The VW Group specialist has presented a new package that treats the passenger version of the T5 with more power and upgraded looks.

ABT offers an engine kit for all diesel versions of the T5 starting with the 83hp (84PS) engine that's bumped to 109hp (110PS) and continues with the 101hp (102PS) unit that gets a nudge to 129hp (130PS), and the 2.0-liter TDI with 138hp (140PS) that's boosted to 168hp (170PS).

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Killing Machine: 1973 VW Beetle with a Subaru WRX STI 2.0-liter Turbo Engine

If you believe that even with its run-of-the-mill 44bhp 1.3-liter air-cooled engine, the 1970's Volkswagen Beetle is a tough car to handle on the road, then you can only imagine what it would be like to try and control a Bug fitted with the zappy 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer engine from a Subaru Impreza WRX STi…

To make matters worse, the German dealer who listed the converted Beetle STi on a Romanian car sales website called 'Webcar' doesn’t mention anything about suspension upgrades.

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VW Drops Prices of UK Market Scirocco and Adds New R Line Trim

Volkswagen wants to increase the appeal of its Scirocco hatch in Britain by lowering the prices of the entry-level model by between £420 and £600, depending on engine, and adding new standard features and a sportier R Line trim grade to the range.

All Scirocco models, including the base variants, now come equipped with the firm's RNS 315 touchscreen satellite navigation, as well as a multifunction steering wheel and 17-inch ‘Long Beach’ alloy wheels, while the ACC Adaptive Chassis Control is now optional.

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Volkswagen to Test the Waters with Alltrack Estate at the New York Auto Show

What we came to know as the Passat Alltrack last year when Volkswagen revealed the high-riding estate at the Tokyo Motor Show before launching it in Europe this past February, will be displayed as the Alltrack Concept at this week's New York Auto Show.

The Alltrack is based on the facelifted version of the European market Passat Estate, and not the North American model built at VW's manufacturing facility in Chattanooga.

The German firm makes it pretty clear that the Alltrack is just a showcar for now to gauge market reaction to a potential future model similar in size that "combines offroad ability with wagon versatility".

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Volkswagen Group Nabs TeamRS and SVT Boss Jost Capito from Ford

In a surprising development, the Volkswagen Group has grabbed the much-famed Jost Capito from the Ford Motor Company.

The 53-year old will head the German company's Motorsport division effective May 1, 2012, replacing Kris Nissen, who will remain in the company to support Capito during the transition phase and consequently assist the Group in an advisory role, according to VW.

Capito, who is credited with overseeing the development of the original Focus RS as well as the current Focus ST and Fiesta ST models, was Ford's director of Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development. Both the North American SVT and European TeamRS performance divisions reported directly to Capito. It is believed that he will have a similar role in the VW Group as well.

It is not known who will replace him at Ford yet.

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VW May Start Selling MQB Platform to Other Carmakers after 2015

When you spend four years more than €60 billion (US$80 billion) in developing a groundbreaking new platform, then you better make sure that your investment will pay off for itself big time.

This is what the VW Group has done for its brand-new MQB platform, which is so flexible in terms of wheelbase, track width and seating positions that it will underpin a variety of different-sized models ranging from the Polo to the Passat – and everything else in between.

At the group’s profits announcement, it was revealed that in 2011, the number one European manufacturer increased its profits by more than 50 percent compared to 2010, to €11.3 billion (US$15 billion).

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Volkswagen Ad Extols the Merits of the New Up!'s City Emergency Brake System

We've all had our share of accidents running into things because we were distracted by something or someone and didn't pay attention to what was going on in front of us, be that on foot or in the car.

Volkswagen claims to have solved this problem in the Up! mini with its City Emergency Brake, which monitors the traffic ahead, automatically applying the brakes in the case that a collision is imminent (we wonder if it would have worked in this incident..).

To display how the system works, the Germany company has aired a new commercial named "Head Turner", which you can watch after the break.

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VW to Hire 800 New Workers at its Chattanooga Plant to Meet Growing Demand for Passat

Business is going good for Volkswagen and its new Tennessee manufacturing facility, which builds the North American Passat. The company today announced that it would be adding 800 new jobs at the factory to meet rising customer demand for the mid-size sedan model.

This latest move comes on top of a previous announcement this year of 200 additional jobs at the Chattanooga plant, bringing the total new jobs in 2012 to 1,000 and the total workforce to 3,500 by year-end.

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Volkswagen to Test a Fleet of Pure-Electric E-Golf Prototypes in the USA

It's no secret that Volkswagen is developing an all-electric version of the Golf as the automaker itself has confirmed that a production model based on the soon-to-be revealed Golf Mk7 is scheduled for an introduction sometime next year.

In the meantime, the German brand continues to evaluate the car's electric drivetrain on a fleet of prototypes based on the five-door version of the current Golf.

Today, Volkswagen announced that it will begin a pilot scheme to assess 20 prototype E-Golf Battery Electric Vehicles over a nine-month period in the States. The company said that twelve of these vehicles will be given for evaluation purposes to select Volkswagen employees.

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VW Reportedly Developing a Smaller CC Model Based on the Next Jetta

A four-door sedan is a four-door sedan regardless of the height and styling of the roof but automakers had to find some way to market their sportier looking saloons so they coined the somewhat ambiguous term "four-door coupe".

Among the many cars to sprout from this sub-segment are Audi's A5 and A7 Sportback models, BMW’s 6-Series Gran Coupe and of course, the founding Mercedes-Benz CLS.

In all cases, form takes priority over function as these saloons are merely more stylish and more often than not, less spacious and practical versions of the regular four-door models they are based on.

VW was the first mainstream manufacturer to introduce a four-door coupe with the Passat CC, which after its recent facelift, goes by the name of CC. Now the German carmaker plans to add a second, smaller model to its line-up of sporty sedans.

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Volkswagen Releases Pricing for UK Market Passat Alltrack

The new Volkswagen Passat Alltrack is now available for order in Britain with the first cars arriving in dealer lots on May 28. The high-riding, crossover version of the Passat Estate is offered in one trim level and a choice of two diesel engines, both of which are equipped with VW's 4MOTION four-wheel drive system as standard.

The base model is powered by a 2.0-liter TDI producing 138bhp (140PS) linked to a 6-speed manual gearbox and is priced at £28,475. It returns a combined fuel economy of 49.6mpg UK (41.3mpg US or 5.7lt/100km) with CO2 emissions of 150g/km.

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Volkswagen Up! for Sale in Britain, Starts from £7,995

After announcing preliminary prices for the Up! back in October of 2011, the most compact of Volkswagen models is now in UK showrooms. On the road prices for the three-door Up! start from £7,995 for the entry level model and rise to £11,180.

Buyers can choose from two 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine options producing 59bhp (60PS) and 74bhp (75PS) as well as a more fuel efficient 59bhp BlueMotion Technology version.

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CFC Adds a Lot of Ponies and Even More Color to the Volkswagen Golf GTI

German tuners were never shy to experiment with strange color combinations, even though most of the times, the results are questionable, to say the least.

CFC, which is short for Car Film Components, is a German firm that specializes on vinyl wraps but it also offers complete tunes. In its latest project, CFC has reworked a Volkswagen Golf GTI.

The hatchback's body is covered in a matte grey vinyl wrap, with the roof and the exterior mirror caps finished in carbon fiber, and the passenger side front fender, the GTI logos, the fuel cap and the inner part of the lower front grille featuring a comic strip-like wrap.

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