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At the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, Volkswagen will reveal the most fuel-efficient version of the new Beetle in the States, the TDI, which is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine producing 140 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of peak torque. The same powerplant is offered on the North American Jetta and Passat TDI models. The diesel engine can be mated to either a six-speed manual gearbox or VW�s dual-clutch DSG six-speed automatic, with the German automaker predicting a fuel economy of 29 mpg city and 39 mpg highway. 
That's a significant improvement over the base 170HP 2.5-liter gasoline engine that returns an estimated 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway with a five-speed manual, and 22 mpg city and 29 mpg highway with the optional six-speed auto.
Volkswagen is no stranger to the art of designing snow sleds as the German carmaker has marketed some nifty pieces modeled after its automobiles over the past few years. For 2012, the Wolfsburg-based company has released two new sleds that are currently available for order exclusively from its official German website.
Instead of taking the usual route of an international presentation at a major car show, Volkswagen chose to organize a special happening at Times Square New York to lift the wraps off the all-new 2011 Jetta sedan.
And being a NYC party, Volkswagen brought along hot singer Katy Perry to help out with the presentation and draw some extra attention to the car. Dressed in a pastel rubber-like outfit, Perry sang her hits 'I Kissed A Girl' (and she liked it) and 'California Gurls' dancing barefooted on top of the Jetta's hood. Obviously, she likes that too.
The new Jetta will go on sale in most parts of the world this fall. Larger and better looking than its predecessor, VW's Chevy Cruze and Honda Civic rival, will be offered with a variety of gasoline and diesel engines, with prices in the U.S. to start from $15,995 for the entry-level model.
RDX Racedesign, a German tuning house, has completed a new styling package for the Volkswagen Scirocco coupe. The tuner modifies the Scirocco's appearance with a comprehensive body kit that includes a front apron, beefier side skirts, headlamp covers, a rear apron that incorporates a protruding diffuser and an extra-large roof spoiler. All components are made from PU-ABS thermoplastic. The car's looks can be further enhanced with a set of multispoke alloy wheels. Full gallery after the jump.
Found on the trademark office, are these patent drawings of the Volkswagen Jetta Coupe, or as the German automaker named the concept version of the car at the Detroit Auto Show in January, the NCC (New Compact Coupe).
Those skimming the photos may notice a couple of changes over the concept model that was motivated by a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. These include the more production like grille and addition of fog lamps up front, and the visible exhaust tail pipes at the back.
So, how do you show off a car's redesigned interior without following traditional advertising guidelines? The answer to that question for VW's Brazilian ad agency, AlmapBBDO, was to turn inside-out (apparently via photoshop) the revised South American market Fox city car. If their goal was to get our attention, then they definitely succeeded.
Following on from its world premiere at a special event at New York's Times Square in June, Volkswagen has released more details and photos of the new 2011 Jetta sedan. Designed in Germany but built at VW's plant in Mexico, the sixth generation Jetta goes on sale in the U.S. in October with prices starting at US$15,995 (�12,450 at today's exchange rates). VW said European prices will be announced when ordering begins in individual countries.
The new four-door saloon has grown in dimensions measuring 182.7 inches (4.64 meters) long, 57.1 inches (1.45 meters) tall and 70.1 inches (1.78 meters) wide, making it 3.54 inches (90mm) longer than the previous Jetta, while the styling is sharper adopting VW's new design language. Buyers in the U.S. and Canada will have a choice of three petrol engines, a 115HP 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a 170HP 2.5-liter inline-five (if it makes you feel better, VW notes in the press release that this powerplant is derived from the Gallardo's V10...) and a 200HP 2.0-liter turbo four, plus a 140HP 2.0-liter turbo diesel.
In Europe, the Jetta will be offered with four petrol engines, all featuring turbocharging and direct-injection technology, producing between 105HP and 200HP, as well as two direct-injection turbo diesels with 105HP and 140HP. More details on performance and fuel economy figures in the press release after the jump.
Recent rumors have suggested that Volkswagen may introduce a high-riding, faux-crossover Variant of its latest generation of the European market Passat, as early as at the forthcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. And while we can�t confirm the rumormill, what we can do is show you a very well executed rendering of the VW Cross Passat made by a talented reader of Autoblog.nl.
Car buyers� preferences in China are shifting towards European models and away from domestic and even Japanese vehicles, according to a new study published today by JD Power Asia Pacific. This is the third year that the study takes place. The latest edition included 65 brands and 161 separate models in nine segments and is based on responses from 4,979 potential buyers of new-vehicles located in 53 cities.
Skoda revealed today that it delivered 454,700 vehicles in the first half of 2011, which represents an increase of 20.1% compared to the same period in 2010. The Volkswagen Group brand also achieved its best ever June sales, with 81,300 deliveries, compared to 71,300 units in 2010, scoring a new sales record for the fourth month in a row.
The Union of Concerned Scientist, a non-profit science advocacy group in the U.S., has released its second annual Hybrid Scorecard. The organisation criticised hybrid car manufacturers for not delivering on the technology�s promise, for placing performance above fuel efficiency and environmental benefit and burdening hybrids with features that put them out of the price range of average Americans. A total of 34 hybrid vehicles from the 2011 to 2012 model year were tested for their fuel efficiency, environmental impact, value-for-money and their so-called �forced-feature premium�. The latter is features that don�t improve fuel efficiency but probably make the cars more appealing to money-conscious consumers.
Some guys have all the luck. Like Jay Leno. Not only is he a famous and wealthy TV presenter, but he also gets to drive a bevy of new cars well before anyone else. After driving the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell, which won�t enter production for another two years, and the new SLS Roadster wasn�t enough, Leno was also invited to VW�s headquarters at Wolfsburg to try out the new Beetle.
Volkswagen announced today that it set a first half-year record in passenger car sales, with more than 2.5 vehicles delivered globally. This represents an increase of 11.8% compared to the same period of 2010 (2.26 million).
While VW�s 270-horsepower Golf R hatchback is hardly underpowered, the engineers over at the German tuning firm Siemoneit Racing felt like it could use some extra ponies. Siemoneit Racing calls its tuned VW Golf R the �Black Pearl�for obvious reasons- and it offers customers a choice of two performance packages. The first boosts the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine�s output from 270HP and 320Nm to 355-horses and 485Nm (357.7 lb-ft) through thanks to the updated ECU software, custom exhaust and a new air intake system.
Remember in Baywatch, how the cast used to tool around in canary yellow cute utes with jet skis strapped to their trays? Did you ever wonder why they didn�t just eliminate the middleman and employ WWII-era Schwimmwagens? German industrial designer Sebastian Toddenroth certainly toyed around with the idea and the result is the Volkswagen Rescue Rover concept you see pictured here.
Audi has decided to build a new car assembly plant in North America and is seriously considering adding an engine and transmission plant, probably at a later date. However, the German company has not yet come up with a final plan, as Audi�s CEO, Rupert Stadler, pointed out to Automotive News: �It is totally clear that we need new production capacity in the US. The only question is when�.
Many have tried, but few, if any that is, have succeeded. We�re talking about people who try to imitate the driving style of the Dukes of Hazzard, but who eventually end up in a situation that�s closer to what you�d expect from Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane than Bo and Luke Duke. In this video, we see the driver of Volkswagen Caddy small van getting off the road to use a knoll as a lifting ramp� Do we need to say more? Watch the clip for yourself after the break (for a better viewing experience we propose playing both videos at the same time).
Not that the 2012 Beetle needs it, but Volkswagen wants to keep its newcomer in the headlines until it launches into the market this fall starting with the U.S. in September, followed by Germany in October, the rest of Europe in November, the UK in January 2012, Asia in February 2012 and finally South America by the beginning of 2013. To do so, the German automaker came out today with a fresh batch of images as well some new info explaining some of the thinking behind the creation of the 2012 Beetle.
The 2012 VW Beetle tuning wars have began. Leaving aside the Beetle RS project with some very light styling modifications by the enthusiast website VWVortex that we showed you back in June, ABT Sportsline is the first mainstream tuning firm to take on the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, or as the company likes to call it, the Speedle. 
The noted VW Group tuner said it is still working on the performance upgrades for the latest Beetle, which won�t arrive in customer hands until September, but it can give us an idea of what to expect based on its current offerings.
