-
Volkswagen Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News
Published on 04-27-2012 12:12 AM
The VW group continues right along making money hand over fist. Results beat analysts expectations thanks to higher profits from Audi. How much higher? Well, a 10% increase from last year with profits getting up to 3.21 billions Euros from 2.91 billions Euros at this same point last year. Shares rose more than have in 5 months and despite all of Europe's economic problems the VW group continues to thrive. ...Published on 04-25-2012 12:52 AM
We love what APR does, really, we do. Well designed and tested products with solid reliability. Recently the development car for their K04 turbo software in the UK was able to put down some impressive times turning low 12's at Santa Pod Raceway in the UK and also hitting high 11's on a VBOX. We do not consider VBOX times the equivalent of a timeslip but clearly the APR software and associated mods are capable of powering a car into the 11's in better conditions (wet out when the runs were made). Good stuff continues to come from APR. ...Published on 03-28-2012 04:38 AM
This is some very, very nice power available for the 2.0 TSI motors as shown in this MKVI Golf. 405.6 horsepower at the wheels on 93 octane pump gas certainly is impressive. Especially when put in context of the stock horsepower numbers which are 200.4 at the wheels. The factory horsepower was more than doubled by the APR Stage III+ kit. Dyno courtesy of AP Tuning. ...Published on 03-27-2012 04:31 PM
This whole VW and Porsche saga just keeps getting more and more confusing. Porsche is facing numerous lawsuits that Volkswagen does not want a part of due to the financial liability that would be involved. Deutsche bank analyst Jochen Gehrke stated that a meeting between the parties, “confirmed our view that a merger of Porsche and VW is not possible." So the merger is off but the manufacturing ties will continue and become more involved. Yes, this is all confusing and who knows what will happen. ...Published on 03-19-2012 11:41 PM
It is no secret Volkswagen wants to improve its model share and creating another model is a good way to do that. VW sees the opportunity to create an entry level four-door coupe done in the same style as the CC but based on the cheaper Jetta platform (instead of the Passat like the CC). This car would be a natural competitor to the upcoming Mercedes CLC which itself is a cheaper, entry level version of the CLS. ...Published on 03-14-2012 02:41 AM
It is a good time to be an executive as the Volkswagen Group. $23 million is a lot of dough and we can argue about if it is warranted. Martin Winterkorn is the CEO and his 2011 salary was about $12 million. His 2012 salary? Almost double at $23 million thanks to bonuses and incentives. Winterkorn sure is making an incentive laden contract look good and we would love to know the deals as to what bonuses he gets for what goals. Regardless, all board members have earned a 94.2% pay increase since 2010, wow. ...Published on 03-06-2012 11:40 PM
A Volkswagen off-road pickup? Don't like the idea? Well, we think it is pretty sweet indeed. Introducing the Amarok Canyon concept truck. The standard Amarok is a truck produced by VW commercial vehicles designed mostly as a mid-size work truck. The Canyon concept takes the basic Amarok and adds a lift kit with off-road suspension. Tread plates that are electronically actuated are added as well as 275/65 tires designed for off-road use. A 2.0 liter TDI Diesel powers the vehicle producing 178 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Too bad we will never get it as this is pretty damn cool. ...Volkswagen doubles their profits from last year ($9.1 billion) with $20.5 billion in revenue in 2011
Published on 02-28-2012 05:34 AM
Well Volkswagen sure looks in position to meet their goal of world domination. VW exceeded all predictions by industry analysts considerable with a total of $20.5 billion in revenue for 2011. This more than doubles up on their impressive $9.1 billion in 2010. So where did this extra revenue come from? Well, sales went up 15% but the Porsche merger is also factored into these earnings. We will see what happens as the merger gets finalized in 2012, especially with the pending lawsuits against Porsche. ...Published on 02-25-2012 02:14 AM
Introducing the Revosport Razor R titanium exhaust for the MKVI Golf R. As we all know titanium offers considerable weight savings. This exhaust weighs only 4.9 kilograms or 10.8 pounds. Additionally, the blue tips just plain look cool. In addition to the titanium rear section, a downpipe is available although it is not made of titanium. No dynos were provided (vendors need to get out of this habit) but claimed gains are 10 horsepower at the crank for the rear section and 15 at the crank with the downpipe. ...Published on 02-11-2012 01:13 AM
A convertible Golf? Kind of cool. Volkswagen released a Golf GTI cabrio concept last year but we did not think we would actually see a production version. VW intends to now actually build this concept. A GTI is a given but a Golf R cabriolet may also be built which would be sweet indeed. This would likely be the last MKVI GTI model before the upcoming MKVII. Expect to see the official thing next month at Geneva. ...Published on 02-05-2012 04:21 AM
Here is one company that realizes the United States is not averse to diesels. Revealed ahead of the Chicago Auto Show here is the 2013 Beetle TDI. No surprises, it shares the same 2.0 liter diesel that the Jetta TDI and Passat TDI have. The motor is good for 39 MPG on the highway and 29 in the city, very nice. Horsepower is at 140 and torque 236 pound-feet. This is available mated to either a 6 speed manual or a dual clutch DSG transmission. ...Published on 02-04-2012 09:40 PM
Volkswagen introduced a new modular engine family called EA211 which encompasses three cylinder and four cylinder motors. The four cylinder motor is the world's first with cylinder deactivation meaning it is able to run on 2 cylinders to save fuel. The motors range in spec from 54 horsepower to 148 horsepower with the range topping 1.4 liter four cylinder direct injected turbo. The 1.4 liter turbo delivers 184 lb-ft of torque from just 1400 rpm. ...Published on 02-03-2012 10:10 AM
It is getting difficult to keep track of how quickly VW is changing its mind regarding this car. Last month we reported that the roadster was put on indefinite hold. This led to news that the other versions based on this same platform would be cancelled such as the Porsche 550 and Audi R4. VW has had a change of heart it would seem stating that there is in fact a business case for this car as American buyers are now more interested in entry level cars due to the economy.
...Published on 02-02-2012 04:00 AM
We really like the 2.0T motor due to all the tuning possibilities out there for it. The APR Stage III kit for example being a very popular upgrade option to boost the output considerably. The Stage III turbo upgrade takes the car up almost 200 horsepower from 216 stock to 405 on 93 octane. This particular car belongs to an individual that won the upgrade in a raffle from APR, very cool. Check out the photos and video of the build by Elite Motorsports below. ...Published on 01-24-2012 05:28 AM
Porsche and VW have been vying for control of one another for years now but it seems the battle is finally coming to an end. AutoNews Europe reports the takeover may finally be over this year. Volksagen already owns 49.9% of Porsche automotive and intends to buy up the rest of the shares and create a holding company in charge of Porsche to make for a smooth transition/acquisition. Why is VW making this move even with Porsche being sued by investors? The taxes from VW buying up so much stock would amount to over 1 billion Euros if they did not complete the deal before 2014. ...Published on 01-23-2012 11:51 PM
Volkswagen feels the Golf is getting away from its roots and becoming too big and expensive. As the Golf gets more sophisticated it leaves room for an entry level hatchback. Well, here it is, the VW Up! Not exactly an exciting car for enthusiasts but it is economical with a price of $13,295. Engine choices are a 60 horsepower 1.0 liter 3 cylinder or a 75 horsepower version of the same thing. We doubt this will come to the USA and that does not bother us in the least. ...Published on 01-22-2012 02:00 AM
Volkswagen isn't pulling any punches in its fight to become the world's top automaker. General Motors figures show that it has the greatest volume meaning it is once again the largest automaker in the world. Volkswagen intends to add commercial truck numbers to its total to combat GM's figures which apparently are inflated using sales number from Chinese subsidiaries which GM does not have a controlling interest in. We will let you know where the dust settles. ...Published on 01-19-2012 10:10 PM
It seems like we just got used to the MKVI Golf and the MKVII is already on the way. The car will officially be unveiled at the Paris Auto Show in September but we expect an earlier leak of the official product as seems to happen often these days. The MKVII Gold will be riding on a modular platform known internally as MQB. Expect the familiar 2.0 turbo to return in the GTI and the entry level Golf to have a new 1.8 liter turbo to replace the inline-5. ...Published on 01-14-2012 02:40 AM
We reported last month that VW is planning world domination, at least in auto sales. VW sold 8.16 million units in 2011 making it the first time it has ever crossed the 8 million unit mark. Toyota finished in what will likely be 3rd place with 7.9 million sales but the March earthquake affected their production. GM has yet to report sales but most analysts feel they will end up in first place overall retaking first place. Will VW be able to take first place? We will see. ...Published on 01-13-2012 02:30 AM
Remember the VW BlueSpot roadster concept? A very cool little roadster that was supposed to share its platform with the Audi R4 and Porsche 550 Spyder relaunch. Volkswagen is re-evaluating whether the BlueSport makes sense as they do not believe they will be able to sell the 50,000 units annually that would be necessary for the model to be profitable. VW engineering head Uli Hackenberg told AutoCar, “It’s not a technology problem, but of finding enough customers. I don’t have enough sales volume to get the go-ahead." ...
Today, 02:59 PM