New Volkswagen Golf GTD with 181HP Priced from £25,285 in the UK

A little over a week after VW released UK pricing for the new generation Golf GTI, the German carmaker did the same for the diesel-version of the sports hatch, the Golf GTD that is available to order now in Britain, with prices starting at £25,285 on the road (OTR).

The starting price is £310 more than the previous GTD, with VW stating it comes better equipped, while it's £560 less than the base 217hp (220PS) version of the gasoline-powered Golf GTI Mk7.

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Skydiver Jumps into VW Beetle Convertible from Plane for Promo

The ways in which manufacturers promote their cars vary greatly, and when they go all-out and do their own ad campaign for one model, then you know they’re serious and are going to pull out all the stops. For instance, VW has launched the "As Sun As Possible" campaign for the new Beetle Cabriolet, which talks about the stories of "six sun seekers," while also showing off the car. Read more »

MT Pits the All-New 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel Against the VW Touareg V6 TDI

Jeep seems to be really proud of what it has achieved with the Grand Cherokee, now that it has been redesigned for the 2014 model-year. It can be seen in the way they show it off, the style of writing that they use to promote it, and in the fact that that they gave it a credible SRT version. Now, fuel-conscious buyers can rejoice, because Jeep's flagship offering can be had with a torquey and efficient diesel engine. Read more »

VW-Audi Experts Visit Fiat Plant, Italians Say Has Nothing to Do with Alfa Sale

Recent developments suggest there could be more than just rumors to the supposed sale of Alfa Romeo to the VW Group. Following a report late last month saying Fiat and VW are negotiating a sale of Alfa Romeo and the Pomigliano d’Arco assembly plant, news broke out today from Europa Magazine that Volkswagen and Audi experts visited… the Pomigliano plant near Naples, in southern Italy. Read more »

Oh, My...Topless Female Activists Flash Putin and Merkel at VW’s Hannover Stand [NSFW]

Warning: Some readers may find the following images and video offensive. Those who don't, are welcome to complete the bubble thought in the opening picture in the comments after the break.

If you read our earlier story about Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to VW's booth at the Hannover Messe Industrie 2013, you’ve probably noticed a grin on his face. While we assumed it had something to do with the XL1, it seems that the reason may very well have been a bizarre scene that occurred a little earlier…

Just as Putin and Merkel were preparing to get in the XL1, three topless activists from Ukraine’s FEMEN group rushed into the hall screaming and calling the Russian leader a “dictator”, among other names.

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Russian President Putin Checks Out VW’s XL1 Together with German Chancellor Merkel

Whether he’s criticizing the Russian auto industry for not being able to provide him with a decent limousine or test driving Russia’s latest models before they go on sale, Russian President Vladimir Putin is always in the news when it comes to cars. Read more »

New Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk7 Priced from £25,845 in Britain

Volkswagen has just opened the order books for the seventh-generation version of the Golf GTI, which was first introduced at the Geneva International Motor Show in March, before it headed to North America for the ongoing New York Auto Show, in the UK where prices start at £25,845 on the road, or £195 more than the previous model. Read more »

VW Adds Extra Equipment and New R-Line Style Trim to Polo Range in the UK

When automakers present new models, more often than not, the cars sell themselves, but as the years go by and the initial enthusiasm wears down, they have two basic options to boost sales: perform a facelift or make changes to equipment and trim levels.

For the VW Polo Mk5 that has been in the market in its current form since 2009, it’s about time for a refresh, but for now, VW is opting for the second approach with the addition of extra equipment and the introduction of a new R-Line Style model in the UK.

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VW to Hire 50,000 Workers by 2018, Mostly Outside Europe

Volkswagen plans to employ 50,000 people by 2018, in its quest to become the world’s largest carmaker. Currently, Europe’s biggest automaker has around 550,000 employees worldwide. Most of the new jobs are expected to go outside the Eurozone, which has been affected by economic uncertainty for the past few years. Read more »

Volkswagen Pulls the Plug on the Routan Minivan, Will Anyone Miss it?

VW will discontinue the Routan minivan, which is a rebadged Chrysler Town & Country built under contract since 2008 by the U.S. carmaker. Volkswagen Group of America CEO Jonathan Browning said the Routan will be phased out this year, with most remaining units to be used for “internal purposes” such as VW’s corporate fleet. Read more »

Next Volkswagen Scirocco will be Radically Different, Says Walter de Silva

When Volkswagen revived the Scirocco name, back in 2008, people were pleased to see that the Wolfsburg manufacturer was capable of making interesting and different cars. It really stood out in a positive way in the VW range, and while it was not to everybody's taste, it did manage to sell 10,000 units in its first two years of production, thus deeming itself worthy of a place in the range. Read more »

America, This is Your All-New 2015 VW Golf and Golf GTI!

The seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf and its GTI performance version are making their North American debut at the New York International Auto Show today. Set to hit U.S. dealerships early next year as a 2015 model, the new Golf will be available with three engines, just like the current sixth-generation model sold in the U.S.

As you probably have already noticed, the US-spec Golf looks just like its European version, both inside and out, so we’ll focus on technical aspects in this article.

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Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Camper Is the Camping Van for the Masses

Volkswagen has launched the new Caddy Maxi Camper in the UK, the most compact and affordable model in the carmaker’s camper range behind the California Beach and SE models, and the Caravelle with “sleep pack”.

Based on the Caddy Maxi, the Camper edition is 4.8-meters (15.75 feet) long and 1.8-meters (5.9 feet) high and is priced from £23,397 (€27,600) in the UK. Specific standard equipment includes basic camping equipment, such as a fold-out double bed, two deck chairs, portable table, electric cool box and awning.

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1947 VW Beetle-Based V2 Sagitta is More Aerodynamic than New Golf, Mercedes CLA!

Can you imagine a 24-hp car that could reach a top speed of 140 km/h (87mph)? If you think such a performance is hard to achieve now, imagine what it was like in the 1940s. Because the car we’re talking about was developed toward the end of World War II by a German engineer by the name of Kurt Volkhart.

In the early 1940s he started work on streamlined versions of VW’s Typ-60 Beetle, as he wanted to explore Baron von König-Fachsenfeld’s aerodynamics studies. This is how the “V2 Sagitta” project was born.

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VW Recalling 384,000 Cars in China for Faulty DSG Transmissions, May Cost Over $600 Million

Volkswagen will recall 384,181 vehicles sold in China to fix a gearbox problem about which the automaker has taken some heat within the last 12 months. The recall was announced by China’s quality watchdog, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, with VW confirming it in an email statement. Read more »