Topic: VW / Audi / VW Group Tidbits

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I priced the balancing new build for Peter VW last week, so will probably done next spring

I have ask people I know what that place is, no one knows for sure
I would think it is a Acura has you would almost have use Honda lot to get to it
I personal think it is a shitty location

I think it has blue glass which makes me think Mercedes-Benz. The current not-too-old Ajax location is quite small and limiting, especially next to the new BMW Durham going up.

The building itself and where signage would be looks very new Lexus-like though.

Maybe I'll ask the Honda boys next door.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

VW expects even more Jetta diesel sales

Automotive News
October 3, 2008 - 10:18 am ET

PARIS -- A top Volkswagen executive predicts that as many as 30 percent of U.S. Jetta sedan buyers and half of Jetta wagon purchasers will opt for diesels.

Dealers already are sold out of this year's allocation of about 1,300 "clean" diesels. But the automaker probably will get a bigger allotment to sell, says Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Inc. The cars, available in all 50 states, went on sale in August.

About a month ago, VW was predicting that diesels would make up 25 percent of Jetta sedan sales in the United States and a third of all wagon sales.

Because VW's diesel lineup has a loyal clientele in the United States, VW will offer a diesel-powered Rabbit when a redesigned version goes on sale next year. A sporty GTI version was shown in concept form here at the Paris auto show.

Although VW promotes the fuel efficiency of its diesels, "we are not competing with Prius," Jacoby said.

VW, though, might import an even more fuel-efficient diesel called the Jetta Blue Motion. With a fuel economy of 40 mpg in city and highway driving, its efficiency is comparable to a hybrid.

Jacoby also said the new mid-sized sedan that VW will build at its new factory in Tennessee beginning in 2010 will be larger and cheaper than today's Passat.

[inco]

Jetta TDI Wagon, Subaru Forester, New American built Passat TDI, or maybe an ML 320. Too early to tell yet, but right now my radar screen has them as possibilities. Looking good for my future.

[tpl]

Diesel Golf coming then... good.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

VW CEO Winterkorn shows zero tolerance for poorly made parts

Mark Appleton
Automotive News Europe
November 10, 2008 06:01 CET

Exhibitors at the next International Supplier Fair (IZB) in 2010 should make sure that the products on their stands are flawless.

Either that or they should not show less-than-perfect parts until after Volkswagen group CEO Martin Winterkorn finishes his Messerundgang (tour of the exhibition). Winterkorn's walkabout is a popular part of the fair in Wolfsburg.

Visitors are invited to join the CEO on a show tour and listen as he critiques the products that the suppliers hope will someday be in VW group cars.

At the first stand on his schedule, Winterkorn showed that the Messerundgang is not a public relations exercise.

After listening to a brief presentation from the supplier's CEO and chief engineer Winterkorn inspected a component.

He asked the executives whether they thought the part could get into a VW product.

"Possibly," they replied.

Winterkorn dropped a bombshell. He said there was a risk of corrosion on the part and this quality would not be acceptable to Volkswagen.

The two men looked horrified, but worse was to come.

A visibly rusting item was on display on the stand.

"Unacceptable," Winterkorn told the exhibitors, whose chance to impress VW's top man was turning into a disaster. Mercifully, Winterkorn and the rest of the group moved to another stand.

After Winterkorn was gone the shell-shocked exhibitors began their own inquiry. They photographed the offending items and agreed that they were not presented as they should have been. When it was suggested that Winterkorn had been hard on them, they disagreed. "That is good," they said. "This is what we need if we are to succeed."

Other suppliers faced candid comments from Winterkorn during his assault on poor quality. One item was "Nicht in Ordnung," (not correct); another component was deemed "Nicht gut" (not good).

It was an uncomfortable experience for those on the receiving end but also a revealing insight into VW group's corporate culture: There is no room for sentiment when it comes to quality.

If Winterkorn's observations were a harsh lesson for those whose products didn't measure up, they were perhaps also intended to be for the benefit of the assembled media. VW's reputation for quality and reliability is in safe hands, he seemed to be saying. Safe, but also brutally direct -- some might say excessively so.

[vdk]

Volkswagen Sets September 2009 U.S. Arrival Date for New GTI and Rabbit

Date posted: 11-18-2008


WOLFSBURG, Germany — Volkswagen headquarters has told Inside Line that the all-new sixth-generation GTI and Rabbit will go on sale in the U.S. by early September 2009. The new models start production for North America in late June. European buyers started taking delivery of the new Golf/Rabbit last month and will get the GTI next summer.

Of the roughly 42,000 Rabbits and GTIs sold in the U.S. during 2007, some 15,000 — or more than a third — were GTIs. That explains a quick schedule to get the new GTI to the U.S. after deliveries start in Germany next June. "In fact," a contact in Wolfsburg told IL, "in our desire to sell one million cars in the U.S. by 2018, there's no reason to doubt that over 100,000 of those need to be Rabbits and GTIs."

VW is also hinting at a very reasonable North American price increase for the new model compared with the current one — a decision in line with the pricing approach in the home market that adds the equivalent of only $250 to the base price of each model.

All North American GTIs will come with standard adaptive cruise control (ACC), adaptive chassis control (DCC) and 19-inch wheels. Base Rabbit engines will keep the current 2.5-liter in-line five cylinder. The GTI will get a 2.0-liter TFSI, and joining these will be the new 2.0-liter TDI. Word has it also that the 1.8-liter TFSI may come in to replace the old five-cylinder.

On the heels of the general North American market launch will be the arrival of a Rabbit 4Motion, the next incarnation of the R32, a TwinDrive hybrid version and a Rabbit running LPG natural gas.

As for full electric Rabbits, VW is known to be working on lithium-ion battery development with Münster University in Germany. A VW contact tells IL, "A truly desirable package that still leaves room for cargo and people, charges quickly and provides realistic range is perhaps seven or eight years off."

Inside Line says: With the Great Downturn in the world economy — led by the U.S. disaster — VW is getting its small wondercar to us more rapidly than it did with the last generation. — Matt Davis, Correspondent


The sooner the better and please bring the 1.8 please!

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Yeah, I might go for an efficient 1.8L over the diesel, hard to say without trying but would suit the car much better.

VW adds 3 sport models to Golf lineup

Henning Krogh
Automotive News
September 22, 2008 - 11:46 am ET

WOLFSBURG - Volkswagen will round out the sixth edition of its high-volume Golf with three decidedly sporty versions.

First out of the blocks is the 210-horsepower GTI, which will be introduced at the Paris Motor Show in October. Deliveries will begin before mid-year 2009 with prices starting at 26,400 euros, or about $38,150 at current rates.

The turbo-boosted GTI has a claimed 0-100 kilometers per hour (about 62 mph) time of 7.2 seconds and a top speed of 239 kph, or a whisker under 150 mph.

Next is the Golf GTD, due to go into production next April. Powered by a common-rail diesel generating 170 hp, it will start at 27,225 euros, or about $39,340.

The new Golf's range topper will be an all-wheel-drive "R" version from Volkswagen Individual. The in-house customization unit boosts the GTI to 270 hp and adds a gleaming black diffuser, among other features.

The production launch for the Golf R is early November 2009. Price has not been disclosed.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Short life for Golf VI: Successor now due in 2011

Henning Krogh
Automotive News
October 6, 2008 - 11:59 am ET

WOLFSBURG - Volkswagen will introduce a redesigned, decidedly more fuel-efficient Golf VII on a new platform barely three years after the launch of the new Golf VI, Automobilwoche has learned from management sources.

The sixth-generation Golf is due to go on sale this week, on Oct. 10. According to confidential VW files obtained by Automobilwoche, it will go out of production in December 2011.

The reason for the haste in bringing out a Golf VII is the rapidly rising price of fuel and the debate over climate change, the sources say. Key VW rivals such as Opel, Honda and Renault-Nissan plan to respond to these issues quickly with hybrid and electric models in the Golf class.

"In these areas, we will have comparatively little to offer with the Golf's sixth edition," a high-ranking VW executive confirmed. "That is why we have to, and we will, step into the field of alternative drives with more impact."

The Golf VII will switch to VW's new MQB, or modular transverse component architecture, from the PQ35 platform that has been proven millions of times.

"The MQB platform is opening up an even broader array of innovative powertrain options than before," said Ulrich Hackenberg, VW's development chief, in an interview.

He declined to comment on whether the company might present the Golf VII at the 2011 IAA in Frankfurt.

VW conservatively expects a total production run of 1,589,117 units for the Golf VI over three years. The company bases the figure on a continued soft outlook for the auto industry. Fairly small markets such as Mexico and South Korea have not been taken into consideration, however. Through mid-2008, 2,344,182 Golf Vs had been sold.

The Golf V and VI are being assembled parallel to one another at the main Wolfsburg plant through mid-November.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

 

VW plans to sell Polo in U.S.

Jacoby: Polo larger than Toyota's Yaris, but smaller than Honda's Fit

Wim Oude Weernink
and April Wortham
Automotive News
January 16, 2009 - 6:26 am ET
UPDATED: 1/16/09 2:18 p.m. EST

DETROIT -- Volkswagen plans to sell its Polo small car in the U.S.

VW development chief Ulrich Hackenberg said the automaker plans to sell the car in the U.S. to take advantage of American buyers' increasing enthusiasm for smaller, fuel-efficient cars.

"The small-car segment is the fastest growing segment in the U.S.," Hackenberg told Automotive News Europe at the Detroit auto show. "Oil prices will rise again and that will drive small car sales up further."

VW has never competed in the subcompact segment in the United States. The smallest car it sells here is the Golf, also known as the Rabbit. The Polo would be larger than the Toyota Yaris, but smaller than the Honda Fit, says Volkswagen Group of America CEO Stefan Jacoby.

Jacoby says the Polo would be a "further alternative" to help VW meet its goal of more than tripling U.S. sales to 800,000 vehicles annually over the next decade. Once the economy begins to recover, oil prices will be more expensive than before the recession, Jacoby says, and VW has the "right products for that."

"With our European heritage, we are used to compact and subcompact cars. We are working right now to upgrade these cars for the American market," Jacoby said.

Volkswagen of America spokesman Jim Gill says he is not aware of a definite date for the Polo's U.S. launch.

"We are definitely looking at it and what would need to be done for it to be successful," Gill said.

The New York auto show on April 8-9 appears to be the front-runner for showing the Polo in North America. Gill said VW has not decided where it will show the Polo.

Some production vehicles shown at the New York show can go on sale in the U.S. later in the year.

Hackenberg said that U.S.-market Polos could be produced in VW's assembly plant in Puebla, Mexico. He did not say when U.S. sales of the Polo would start.

VW will debut its latest-generation Polo at the Geneva auto show in March.

[carcrazy]

This is very interesting news! Looking forward to it.

[dr_spock]

Any plans to sell it in Canada too?

[Thinking Out Loud]

They have to! 

The way VW is punching out new Mks of the Golf and Jetta every 24-36 months, the City Golf and City Jetta are getting longer in the tooth than a beaver on a no-hardwood diet. 

[JSCC]

These VW guys are tempting me again and again. 

[vdk]

i could dig a polo gti..

[safristi]

     IS IT IN MINT CONDITION...............oh that sucks..............

[locutusx]

How have VW's sales been in 2009 so far? Haven't heard much in the way of incentives from them. :/

[vdk]

How have VW's sales been in 2009 so far? Haven't heard much in the way of incentives from them. :/

http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publish/volkswagen_news/article_2560.shtml

Down 3.2%.. which is not bad.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Audi shrinks engines in A5, S5

April Wortham
Automotive News
March 2, 2009 - 11:25 am ET

MONACO -- As Audi expands its A5 and S5 family of vehicles, it's shrinking their engines.

The new S5 Cabriolet, which reaches U.S. dealerships this fall, will be offered with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, among other powertrain configurations. Also, the A5 coupe will get the same four-cylinder engine starting with the 2010 model, which goes on sale this summer.

"It's a strategy of downsizing that we're applying across the portfolio," Carter Balkcom, A5 product manager for Audi of America, said here yesterday at a press launch for the A5/S5 cabriolets, ahead of the Geneva auto show.

The A5 coupe now is available in the United States only with a 3.2-liter V-6 with direct injection. Its more powerful sibling, the S5 coupe, comes standard with a 4.2-liter V-8

But Audi will drop the V-8 from the S5 coupe at the end of the 2010 model year. Replacing it will be the same 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 that comes standard in the new S5 Cabriolet.

In both the coupe and cabriolet models, the S5 will be mated with Audi's new S tronic seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The S5 coupe also will continue to be available with a manual transmission.

"The idea is to get the same performance as the V-8 offers but be able to do it with a more efficient powertrain," Balkcom said.

For example, he said, the "engineering objective" for the S5 coupe is to achieve the same 0-to-60-mph time with the 3.0-liter V-6 as with the 4.2-liter V-8. According to Audi, the supercharged V-6 delivers 333 hp and 325 pounds-feet of torque, compared with 354 hp and 325 pounds-feet with the V-8.

Audi isn't abandoning the V-8 altogether, Balkcom said. "But in a lot of our higher-volume applications, you're going to see that we will possibly be swapping V-8s for supercharged V-6s or other technologies in the future."

[vdk]

The Associated Press
March 2, 2009 at 3:16 PM EST
FRANKFURT — German car maker Volkswagen AG said Monday its 2008 net profit rose 15.4 per cent on record deliveries, but said the global economic crisis meant that 2009 earnings would not hit the same levels.

Wolfsburg-based Volkswagen said net profit for the full year rose to €4.8-billion ($6.4-billion U.S.) from €4.1-billion in 2007. Sales were 4.5 per cent higher, climbing to €114-billion from €109-billion.

The company, whose brands include Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda and Bentley, did not report fourth quarter figures. Its full earnings report is due on March 12.

VW said the company delivered 6.3 million cars worldwide in 2008, a 1.1 per cent increase over 2007 and a new record. It said annual operating profit was up 3 per cent, to €6.3-billion from €6.2-billion.

However, the view ahead was less rosy.

Volkswagen said that “the high volatility of market developments does not currently permit any reliable forecasts to be made for fiscal year 2009.”

“Based on the extremely weak business at the beginning of the year, earnings will not reach the high levels of previous years,” it added in a statement.

Sales will be lower in 2009, while “rising refinancing costs and a worsening in the country mix will serve as an additional drag on earnings,” it warned.

Volkswagen has said that January group sales fell more than 21 per cent to 382,000 vehicles from 485,300 a year earlier.

While it will be “unable to escape the downward trend,” Volkswagen said that, thanks to new models, “we believe that it will perform better than the market as a whole and will be able to gain additional market share during the crisis.”

There was another bright spot amid the gloomy outlook. VW recently said a newly introduced German government plan that offers a €2,500 bonus to people who scrap aging cars and buy new ones has given a strong boost to sales.

Other countries also have enacted auto sales stimulus plans.

VW shares closed down 0.5 per cent at €187.15 each after the earnings report, which beat analysts' expectations.

The results exceeded the expectations of 26 analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters who forecast full-year VW net profit at €4.4-billion. Twenty-nine analysts put full-year sales at €112-billion.

Tim Urquhart, an analyst at IHS Global Insight in London, said he thinks VW is in a better position than most of its competitors, especially with its strong product portfolio.

Despite recent sales declines, market shares have risen. He said VW has also made strong progress in emerging markets like China and South America, even while the over-all market has experienced a “global collapse.”

“They're the best compared with their competitors,” Mr. Urquhart said.

Stuttgart-based Porsche Automobil Holding SE is VW's largest shareholder, with a 51 per cent stake — a holding that it intends to increase to 75 per cent.

Porsche said earlier Monday that its August-January sales were 12.8 per cent lower than a year earlier. Porsche shares ended down 0.1 per cent at €32.60 each in Frankfurt.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/04/06/vw-will-bring-hybrid-vehicles-to-canada.htm

April 6, 2009
VW will bring hybrid vehicles to Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia - Volkswagen has confirmed that it will offer hybrid powertrain technology in Canada, under its new BlueMotionTechnologies brand. The company unveiled the new brand at the Vancouver International Auto Show.

“Despite a difficult economic climate, Volkswagen is well positioned with its lineup of fuel-efficient vehicles to weather the current storm and prosper in the future,” said John White, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada. “As such, Volkswagen has set out to become one of the world’s greenest automakers.”

Some of the company’s BlueMotionTechnologies already offered include direct-injection engines, dual-clutch gearboxes, and clean diesel engines. The new TDI Clean Diesel meets the most stringent emissions standards in North America and won the 2009 Green Car of the Year award from the Green Car Journal during the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Upcoming BlueMotionTechnologies will include start-stop engine idling, brake energy recuperation, clean diesel engines offered in future models such as the 2010 Golf, and the company’s first gasoline-electric hybrid, which it said it will bring to Canada in the near future.

It's about time more start-stop model went on sale in Canada - I'd like the technology in my next vehicle.