Tag Archives: volkswagen

MK7 Golf.

Lately i’m FAR more interested in modern cars than classics, and my appreciation of living in the now has created this buzz within me.  I’ve never owned a VW Golf, however i’ve come very close to by owning a MK1 Audi TT and an Audi A3—both of which share chassis with their respective Golf counterparts.  This new MK7 Golf looks SUPERB and has an exciting, crisp, and modern design without all the Korean/Japanese ‘overdesign’ elements flooding the automotive world.   What surprises me most, though, is how this MK7 takes cues from older Golfs more than the MK5 or MK6 did.  In fact, i see a lot of MK4 in the rear end.  Very interesting!

There’s nothing better than a nice, balanced hot hatch in my books.  Affordable, fun, and without care of status or pomp.  I am really excited about the new A3 and i’m also excited about this new Golf.   Here’s waiting for the S/RS and GTI/R versions of these cars!

Globally….it’s probably one of the most important car launches this year.  The Golf is truly an international car, and what a great overall car it is.

oh…and it’s 220 pounds lighter than the last generation (!!!).

src: egm

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art of the day. Beetle sculpture.

I’ve seen these wire-based car sculptures before, but I love that this VW Beetle wire sculpture is in the middle of the road!

src:  yatzer, via stipistop

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EA 276: 1969 VW Golf (MK1) prototype.

I remember seeing a photo of this ages ago…but just saw it again after a long time.  I find it interesting how the rear side view seems to have inspired the Peugeot 205 in many ways.  I also find it interesting that the front end design presented here in 1969 seems way ahead of its time!  As a whole though, I think it’s safe to say that the proper MK1 Golf which presented itself a few years later is a much more cohesive, proportional design than this one is.  This 1969 prototype is also FWD, front-engined as the production MK1 would be…

This car is currently stored at the VW Museum in Wolfsburg, Germany

src: historyOfCars

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foto of the day. Type 64.

arguably the first Porsche developed as the VW “Aerocoupe” by Dr. Porsche shown here in 1939.

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F1 4-cylinder Turbo vs. V6 Turbo…and how Audi influenced the FIA.

 

(rendering below, via Speed Arena–not actual car!)

By now i’m sure you have heard the debates about Formula One switching to a V6  Turbos OR  4-cylinder Turbos by 2013/2014.  The latest news being reported by ESPN is saying that Audi was one of the primary reasons why F1 had initially agreed to switch to 4 cylinder turbos.  Apparently Audi had originally said they would join, and the FIA obliged by accepting the idea of the 4 cylinder turbo.  After the decision was made, Audi then flipped and decided the finances weren’t working out for them to join F1—and changed their mind.  Following Audi’s uncertainty about joining F1, the FIA has recently decided that it is going back to the original idea of V6 Turbos.

I, personally, am a big fan of 4 cylinder turbos and feel they would have enhanced development of road going 4 cylinder turbos in street cars—-and am dissappointed that Audi retracted their original idea of joining F1.  I think it would have been great if they had joined—possibly filling the void that BMW had left when they retreated from F1 a few years ago.  Here’s hoping they change their minds again and decide to enter!

http://en.espnf1.com/fia/motorsport/story/52832.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

(thanks to Stampchez for the tip!)

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foto of the day. 208 CS

the gorgeous Siata 208 CS

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how the ‘big’ car blogs get things wrong.

How in the world can the car blogs and their respective commenters think that this VW Beetle mule is the actual production ready concept?  CLEARLY it is not…..i’m dissappointed in the petrolhead communities.  You guys gotta start THINKING!!  VW is not dumb enough to plop the same bumpers as the outgoing model on top of a lower roofline.  See the magnified pics for evidence of these being simply skins…i’m picking on Autoblog today, because i just so happened to see them carelessly assume this is the production version…

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/27/spy-shots-2012-volkswagen-new-new-beetle-caught-undisguised/

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Audi + Leica = Leica M9 Titanium Edition

Could this combination be any better?!?  my favourite carmaker and my favourite camera maker have come together, with one of my favourite auto designers Walter De Silva putting his hands on the redesign of the Leica M9 Titanium Edition. It will probably be too expensive, but it’s also too cool….what does “expensive” mean?  well considering a standard M9 costs $7000+, i’m guessing this limited edition will be at least $8000 or more?  OUCH OUCH!

As much as i love my Leica D-Lux 4, i must admit to daydreaming…..

more info: http://us.leica-camera.com/photography/special_editions/m9_titan/


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is VW trying to buy Alfa Romeo (!?)

Well this is a hell of a rumour, that has been getting louder and louder over the past few months.  Fiat has been whining about Alfa Romeo not making any money for the company for a LONG time now….and according to several articles I have been reading as of late, it seems that Walter De Silva (ex-Alfa Romeo design chief, now VW/Audi design chief) has been urging Martin Winterkorn to really go after buying Alfa Romeo should Fiat decide to sell the brand.  Walter De Silva is so excited about this all, that according to one article i found, it states: “Given what is assumingly the passion for Alfa design, de Silva has in thoughts already about 8 models for Alfa, along with designs as well as drawings.” Easy boy!

To be honest, as someone who is REALLY into Audis and their philosophy, I have been seeing Audi as the new Alfa Romeo for the past few years…..they’re making the cars that Alfa should be making….and the Volkswagen group buying Alfa Romeo could REALLY rejuvenate the brand.

Is there any truth to this? we’ll have to see!  It could just be substance-less, gossip…..or it could be the real thing.  Knowing the way Volkswagen works, i wouldn’t doubt they are after the brand.

here are some articles about it:

http://www.alfaamore.com/news/vw_aquisition

http://www.autosnewspaper.com/2010/08/01/volkswagen-to-squeeze-alfa-romeo-marchionne-to-sell-to-germans/

http://www.motobullet.com/news.php?id=10344

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3 reasons why IEDEI does NOT like the VW Scirocco.

I’ve grown quite tired of people gushing over the “good looking” VW Scirocco. I’ve seen several in person and I find it to be quite an ugly little machine.  A couple reasons why the Scirocco makes no sense to me:

1. It is a low budget, uglier, misproportioned, and german copy of the Alfa Romeo Brera.  Sure the Brera may suck to drive, but who cares!!! It is drop dead gorgeous.

2. The MK2 Audi TT is a better car; better interior, better proportions, and much more interesting to look at.  Of course I concede that the MK2 TT is a much uglier and nastier affair than the original MK1 TT which will go down as one of the 20th centuries landmark automotive designs; but the MK2 is close enough to the MK1 that it can carry at least a little bit of that over in legacy.  The argument that the TT is a “squashed Beetle” is countered by the fact that the Scirocco is a “squashed Golf”.

3.  The “new” Scirocco carries almost NONE of the passion the beautiful ORIGINAL Scirocco carried.  The original had very unique proportions in its time, different to the other notchbacks of the time (Audi Quattro, Alfa GTV, etc).  It was small and cool.  The new Scirocco is bulkier than a Golf, worse proportioned than a Golf (i much prefer the looks of the MK6 Golf to the Scirocco), and doesn’t really perform any different than a Golf.

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MTM Audi S3 for sale in Michigan!

Auto Europe in Birmingham, Michigan (a few miles from where i grew up!) has a 2009 Audi S3 MTM for sale at the moment with less than 5,000 miles.  I have inquired about the car and it comes with a full factory warranty (or remainder of), and is priced at $49,000.

After IEDEI brought you an exclusive article about Horschaus/MTM bringing european RS models into the US, it seems that this one is a US-spec Audi A3 2.0T Quattro which has been officially been converted from Germany to S3-spec.  MTM offers such an S3 conversion, which upgrades everything from suspension to wheels (MTM Bimoto wheels! sweet) to exhaust and even down to the S3 trim (door sills, badges, etc.).

What you end up with is a 270+ hp equivelant to a euro spec Audi S3.  Not bad at all!  $49k isn’t a bad price either, considering that IF the S3 did ever make it to the US officially, it would likely start in the mid-$40k range anyway.

The only issues i find with this car is (A) DSG instead of a manual, and (B) those absurd decals on the car (which i’m sure can be removed).  Otherwise, quite a car….and I have minimal experience with DSG, so maybe I can learn to love it as others have.

Check out the photos below, and if you’re interested go to the Auto Europe website linked at the bottom of the post for lots more photos and some specs:

from Auto Europe’s website:

The vehicle was bought via the Audi European Delivery Program and picked up from the factory in Ingolstadt and sent to the nearby MTM facility.  The conversion work was completed and the vehicle was shipped to America.  This particular vehicle has been featured in several magazines and is a very rare vehicle.

Audi Original S3 Bumpers and Side Skirts

Audi Original S3 345 x 30 mm Brakes

MTM 19 x 8.5 Bimoto Wheels with Pirellli P-Zero 235/35/ZR19 91Y

MTM 25mm Lower Springs

MTM Exhaust (Turbo-back, 70 mm stainless steel)

·MTM Chip Tuning (272 HP)

S- Line Trim

DSG Transmission

Panoramic Sunroof


AUTO EUROPE WEBSITE: http://auto-europe-sales.ebizautos.com/webdetail.aspx?iid=4574335

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EXCLUSIVE: MTM Horchaus bringing C6 Audi RS6s (and more) to North America!

Well i’ve been gathering information about this for a few days, straight from Francois over at Horchaus (Official Canadian distributor of MTM (V.A.G. tuning company).

It seems that they have worked out a plan with Audi of Germany to be able to bring Audi RS6s (C6, current) as well as B7 RS4 Avants and R8s to North America directly from Germany! To any other Audi afficianados such as myself—this is HUGE news.  For a very long time, we’ve been stranded by the products being provided to the US market when it comes to ‘special’ Audis.  We did receive the previous generation C5 RS6, but only in sedan form (NO Avant in North America).  We also received the B7 RS4 sedan (NO Avant in North America).  We are not going to receive the C6 RS6 at all——until NOW!

After creating a working agreement with Audi of Germany in Ingolstadt, Francois and Horchaus have found a way for certain cars such as the current RS6 to be modified according to US Spec BY Audi themselves!  After these modifications, the cars are imported into North America (Canada OR the United States) and undergo customs, duty, etc….and are brought here as legal, street-ready versions of these European cars.  Since Horchaus is working directly with Audi to ensure the modifications are done to North American spec, this is a whole new way of getting these cars into the United States legally and safely.  The OEM spec cars will have an AUDI WARRANTY, since they are brand new from the factory.

The prices of these cars vary, however If someone really wants a brand new C6 Generation Audi RS6 Avant, it’s gonna cost them $115,000 CAD (Canadian dollars) and $125,000 CAD with the 730hp MTM upgrade (including  all import, shipping and duty fees).

******As of right now, they have already brought TWO C6 RS6s successfully; one into the US and another into Canada******

At the moment, they have another 4 cars on the way.  one R8 (sold), a B7 RS4 Avant (sold), and one C6 RS6 Avant and a C6 RS6 Sedan; which are both available to purchase.

A further reason to be excited, is that Horchaus is currently also evaluating the possibility of bringing other Audis in the same manner; cars such as the current Audi TT-RS and Audi S3.  Really exciting stuff, and groundbreaking progress in the world of importing Audis.

Stay tuned to IEDEI for further updates about this as I get more information.  So far I only have the pricing for RS6s, when I receive further information about pricing for others I will pass them along! Meanwhile, if you are interested in these cars, follow the link to the MTM/Horchaus website for more information and contact info.

UPDATE: B7 RS4 Avants are CEO company cars, and will be titled as 2nd hand.  They are $70,000 CAD (Canadian dollars) and the R8 V10 is $105,000 CAD (Canadian dollars) which is amazingly good pricing….the R8 V10 turns out to much less than a comparably ordered US version.

UPDATE 2: Some people have been asking “well why wouldn’t Audi bring these cars in the first place????”…..the answer was explained to me by Francois. Audi of Germany wants them to go everywhere, the reason why these cars don’t come to the US or Canada is simple; Audi of America and Audi of Canada don’t believe they have a market and do not readily import them here.

Horchaus Website: http://www.horchaus.com/Car_imports.html

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new Corrado? NO. new Jetta Coupe? YES.

While not as exciting as the idea of a ‘new’ Corrado, the Jetta Coupe images coming out are showing it to be a pretty damn attractive little coupe.  Definitely looks a bit like a baby Audi A5, which is definitely not a bad thing!

All in all, i think this is gonna be mad popular with Vdubbers everywhere. Nice one, VW.

more pics and info here:

http://blogs.eurotuner.com/6610166/editorials/vw-compact-coupe-debuts-in-detroit/index.html

CLICK TO GET HI-RES

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is VW releasing a ‘new’ Corrado this week?

Rumour has it that there will be a NEW Jetta-based Coupe introduced this week in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show.

BRING BACK THE C ORRADO!! stay tuned this week for more updates on this!


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sniff petrol makes us LOL

 

Sniff Petrol truly cracks me up.  If you’ve never read it…go check it out —

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/

VW Pranks Porsche (excerpt from)

“Volkswagen’s executive director of research and development, Dr Wolfgang Schiele, backs up his colleague’s Porsche prank story. ‘Oh man, did Rudi tell you about that? Dude it was awesome. All these Porsche guys are like, Boo hoo, you can’t cancel the 911 and we were like, we so can too cuz we, like, totally own your asses now, and they were all like “But it’s our core model and epitomises all our key values” and then like Tha K-man [VW executive director of engineering Dr Klaus Rieble] pretended to, like, use his phone and said “Wait, I’ll just call someone who gives a shit”. Man, it was so funny I almost puked’.”


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VW entering F1?

Well, at least the ENGINE portion of the game…..that’s what Autocar is saying.  I’m still waiting for the day that VW enters F1 completely and uses the name Bugatti on blue F1 cars…imagine that…or maybe even Auto Union.

“The imminent expansion of the grid and the reduced costs of the sport have caught VW’s eye, and the firm is not deterred by the pullouts of Honda, BMW and Toyota in the past 12 months.”

LINK: http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/245349/

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IEDEI Solutions: Hey Volkswagen! Buy Saab!

Yeah, that’s right.  I think VW should buy Saab.  Why? Here are my reasons.

1. SAAB hasn’t made a profit in years, and likely has debts.  VW has a huge amount of money at the moment, and is one of the only companies that can absorb the debt AND has the ability to bring Saab back into the global auto market with shared platforms, new engines, and most of all a brand identity.

2. Volkswagen’s global auto empire.  the Volkswagen Auto Group spans from Germany to Spain to Czech to Italy to all sorts of smaller conglomerates in China and South America, and what better international frontier than Scandinavia.  Yeah, VW needs a Swedish side to it.

3. F*ck Koeniggsegg….BUY THEM AS WELL if you want.

4. Relaunch a Saab 900 on the VW Golf platform, as a smaller, more practical solution built with a SAAB image……and with SAAB personality.

5. Launch the ‘new’ 9-5 (which i love the styling of….) on a VW/AUDI platform (A4 or A6?).

6. Make it a specialized brand with profitability and character.

7. Cancel silly developments like those Saab SUVs that GM was doing….

8. IEDEI told you to.

COME ON VOLKSWAGEN! you know you want some Swedish in yer.

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VW buys out Karmann & plans new car.

Karmann was of course made famous by the strange and interesting Karmann Ghia, which used Beetle underpinnings with a much prettier and more interesting body shell to create something interesting with.  Of course the company went on to build other cars with VW, and with other companies (Let’s try to forget that Karmann built the Chrysler Crossfire convertibles…which were truly terrible).

The company went bust recently, and now VW has announced that they will be buying all of the assets, and also will plan to build a ‘new’ car using their facilities.  Maybe they’ll bring back a ‘modern’ Karmann Ghia? That would be damn interesting.  Most likely suspect is the upcoming Bluesport roadster.

Full article here from Motor Authority:

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1038753_vw-announces-plan-to-buy-karmanns-assets-build-new-car

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Entry-level ‘new” Porsche 356? probable fail.

Based on a VW?? Sounds like another 914, to me….

porsche_356

Motor Authority seems to think it’s gonna happen, and they think it’ll be 356-ish….i think it’s all false.

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1037454_entry-level-porsche-roadster-rumors-hint-at-reborn-356

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Weird and bizarre VWs in the chinese market…

Yeah, there are some oddities in the VW lineup when it comes to selling stuff in China. Most of all is the super weird MK2 Jetta, which is still a huuuuuge seller in the chinese market!  How the chinese keep buying it is beyond me.  It looks absolutely miserable.  The original MK2 was actually pretty damn good looking for the time—-the revised one, as you can see below…..is just……weird.

Jetta_China

Then comes another grand surprise! VW still sells a version of the Quantum (yes, the 1980s VW Quantum!) under the name Santana Vista. How does it look? Well, again…it looks completely terrible.  Archaic technology, only the chinese could love….

vw_quantum_santana_vista_china

Next there are two cars i have NO IDEA about.  One is called the VW Lavida….which looks almost like a Daewoo/Chevy/Kia and the other is just a bunch of chinese letters i cannot read.  These cars are probably being made in China or Korea, and selling under the guise of VW.  I can’t be arsed to really look up what they are….but it’s strange to see two VWs selling under the badge, while completely unknown outside the Chinese market.vw_lavida

chinese_VW

for more information on these, ahem, GLORIOUS chinese VWs, go to: www.vw.com/cn

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Hmm….errr

I took this photo here in Brooklyn of a MKIV R32 parked on the street with a Quattro badge on the window, and Audi rings on the side.  I’m not sure what to really think of it.  The R32 DOES have a Quattro-like AWD system, and it also utilized the Audi-developed DSG gearbox (thanks for the correction, Bulgogibrothers!)—but it’s not an Audi!!! Debate…

(click on the photo 2 times to see the hi-res version)

L1070043

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