Opel Increases Market Share in Europe, GM Still not Happy

Opel has increased its share in Europe this year, with sales rising 6% up to May, giving the brand a market share of 7.4%, compared to 7% in 2010. So mother company GM must be satisfied, right?

Well, not entirely, according to Automotive News. And that’s because Opel’s cars are technologically advanced and due to high German working rates, are quite expensive to manufacture. However, they cannot be sold in prices similar to direct competitors such as Volkswagen because they lack their rivals’ image.

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2013 VW Golf GTI and Golf R Mk7 Test Mules Scooped in Germany

Never mind the body of the current, 6th generation Golf featured on these test two Volkswagen prototypes snagged by our scoop photographers in Germany; these are test mules for the upcoming Mk7 Golf GTI and its more powerful sibling, the Golf R.

Despite the fact that both vehicles look alike at first, a closer glance shows that the GTI is the one with the twin tailpipes while the R features a quad exhaust outlets. Another important detail worth mentioning are the rear wheel arch extensions that suggest a wider rear track for both models.

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VW Fields a Trio of 450-hp Golfs for the Nurburgring 24h Race

Volkswagen will participate with three 450-hp Golf24 cars in one of the most grueling endurance races in the world, the famed 24 hours of Nurburgring that will take place this weekend at the renowned German circuit. Read more »

Alleged Dealer Employee Slams Ferrari 456 into an Oncoming Volkswagen Gol

A violent accident between a Ferrari 456 and a Volkswagen Gol that took place in Martinez, an affluent city located near the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires was caught on tape by a nearby security camera.

The video shows the blue Ferrari 456 after the driver lost control of the car as it heads slideways towards an oncoming Volkswagen Gol hatchback. The impact, as you can see for yourself in the security footage, is severe. Both drivers were taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Although we could not confirm this, media reports from the country citing police sources state that the driver was not the owner of the car but a dealer employee who was taking the Italian supercar for its technical inspection.

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A Photo Tour of the VW Group’s 2011 Wörthersee Festival with 150 Images

For the past thirty year, tens of thousands of enthusiasts of Volkswagen Group cars assemble on the shores of Lake Worthersee in Austria to participate in the largest festival of its kind in the world. Over the years, Volkswagen and the other brands of the German group including Audi, Seat and Skoda, have used the show to unveil special concepts, new models and studies that hint at future production versions or accessories.

At this year’s event (June 1 to 4, 2011), the VW Group prepared several vehicles for the festival including the production VW Golf GTI 35 Edition with 235HP, the VW Golf Cabriolet GTI and R concepts, the wild 503HP Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro study, and the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Convertible prototype. As you may have noticed, the company didn’t show much love for its Seat brand which was left to display its current lineup.

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VW Golf GTI Cabriolet Concept Live from Wörthersee. Should it be Built?

Yesterday, we brought you the first images of Volkswagen’s Golf GTI Cabriolet study but today we have live photos from the car’s world premiere at the Wörthersee meeting in Austria along with official information on the concept.

The hotted-up convertible is based on the standard Golf GTI with power coming from the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 210-horsepower and 280 Nm (207-lbs/ft) of peak torque at 1.800 rpm.

Volkswagen says the open-air model’s performance matches that of the closed-top GTI with a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 7 seconds and a top speed of around 240km/h (149 mph).

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Volkswagen Unwraps Two More Golf R Concepts at Wörthersee Tour

If there’s one thing die-hard Volkswagen fans visiting this week’s annual Wörthersee Tour in Austria aren’t going to complain about, is the lack of Golf concepts. We have already shown you the Golf GTI Cabriolet and Golf R Cabriolet and now we bring you two more studies based on the flagship Golf R hatchback. The two Golf R Color concepts were first shown at the Geneva Salon this past March and were created to demonstrate the numerous customization possibilities. Read more »

Volkswagen Brings Golf GTI Cabriolet Study as well to Wörthersee Meet

And the news just keeps dropping in from the largest annual GTI Meet in the world at lake Wörthersee in the southern Austrian state of Carinthia. Aside from the 270-horsepower strong Golf R Cabriolet concept that we told you about earlier today, Volkswagen also brought along a GTI study of the recently launched drop-top model.

We’re still short on information as Volkswagen has not yet published any details, but it’s safe to say that the Golf GTI Convertible is powered by either the standard Golf GTI hatchback’s 210HP 2.0-liter TFSI or the Golf GTI 35th Anniversary Edition’s 235HP 2.0-liter turbocharged unit sourced from the Golf R. Obviously power is transferred to the front wheels either through a six-speed manual gearbox or VW’s DSG transmission. The car also appears to be riding on a lowered suspension.

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VW Releases Golf GTI Edition 35 Specs and Price, Says it gets a Detuned Version of the Golf R’s Engine [with Video]

Developed to celebrate 35 years since the launch of the original Volkswagen Golf GTI in 1976, the GTI Edition 35 will make its premiere at the Worthersee Tour (June 1-4) in Austria. A 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine that develops 235-horsepower and 300 Nm of torque (221 lb-ft), 25HP and 20 Nm more than the standard GTI, powers the limited edition hot-hatch.

However, Volkswagen says the engine is not an upgraded version of the standard GTI's unit but a detuned version of the AWD Golf R's four-pot, adapted for a FWD setup. With 25 more horsepower than the standard GTI and a power-to-weight ratio of 6 kg/hp, the Golf GTI Edition 35 reaches a top speed of 247 km/h (153 mph) and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.6 seconds (gains of 7 km/h and 0.3 seconds respectively).

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VW Salesman Likes to Bang and Jump on Doors

As the adage goes, there is no such thing as bad publicity and it is better to be reviled and even mocked at than to be ignored. In the case of Larry Roesch Volkswagon (that’s how the name of the German automaker is spelled on the dealer’s Youtube account), making the automotive ridiculist was intentional to grab some media and customer attention. And since we’re here talking about it, you could say that their goal has been achieved…

The VW dealer has published a series of intentionally cheap and corny commercials starring one of the company’s salesmen, Nick Pontarelli. In two of the videos, Pontarelli abuses a Volkswagen Golf GTI and a Jetta by forcefully shutting and climbing onto the doors to prove the cars' ‘German’ strength and quality. His final statement is “try that with a Hyundai or a Honda”. Watch the clips after the break.

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2012 VW Beetle to Participate in New Car Sharing Scheme in Hanover

To be completely frank, what caught our attention in Volkswagen’s latest press release (and probably yours in this post) on the new pilot car-sharing program called Quicar, wasn’t the news itself but the special livery of the 2012 Beetle shown in the promotional set of photos. Nevertheless, since we already told you the headline here’s the rest of the story on Volkswagen’s new car sharing concept that will take place in the German city of Hanover (or Hannover). Read more »

New Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 35 Comes with 235-Horsepower

This year, Volkswagen is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the introduction of the original Golf GTI in 1976, and to mark the event, the German carmaker has unleashed a special version, named “Edition 35”. As with the “Edition 30” launched in 2006, the latest anniversary model benefits from an upgraded and more powerful engine as well as discreet styling tweaks that differentiate it from the standard Golf GTI.

Starting with the mechanical updates, the GTI's 2.0-liter turbocharged TSI engine is tuned to deliver an extra 25 horsepower, for a total of 235 horsepower. The increase in output should improve the hot hatch’s performance, but Volkswagen has not yet revealed any official figures, simply stating that the car will be more fun to drive. The automaker didn't say whether the “Edition 35” will feature a lower suspension than the stock car, as was the case with the “Edition 30”.

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VW Releases Mega Gallery of the New Golf Cabriolet

Following its Geneva show world premiere in March, Volkswagen has now released a comprehensive photo gallery of its new Golf Cabriolet. Featuring a fully automatic soft top that retracts in 9 seconds and up to speeds of 30 km/h (18.6 mph), the Golf Cabriolet continues the tradition of its three predecessors, produced between 1979 and 2002 in over 680,000 units. Read more »

VW Remembers its First Diesel-Powered Golf, we Compare it with its Modern Day Successors

In 1976, just two years after the introduction of the original Golf Mk1 that was designed to replace the Beetle, Volkswagen presented the first diesel version of its compact model, the Golf D. It was powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that put out 50HP at 5,000 rpm and 80Nm (59 lb-ft) of peak torque at 3,000 rpm.

The most economical Golf of its time returned a combined fuel economy of 6.5 lt /100km, equal to 36.2 mpg US and was able to complete the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in 19 seconds while reaching a top speed of 141 km/h (88 mph).

Over the years the Volkswagen Group invested in this particular engine technology and today, buyers of the current, sixth generation of the Golf can choose from a variety of diesel powerplants ranging in output from 105HP to 170HP. And the results are quite impressive when you compare the original Golf D from 1976 to its modern day successors.

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Kylie Minogue Promotes the 2012 VW Golf Cabriolet in New Ad

It appears that carmakers have a love-connection with Australian pop singer, Kylie Minogue. Following a recent collaboration with Lexus for the European launch of the Lexus CT200h, the Melbourne-born star signed an advertising partnership with Volkswagen to promote the new Golf Cabriolet. Minogue has already filmed the first TV commercial for Wolfsburg's new convertible model that aired in Germany this week. Read more »

VIDEOS: 2012 VW Tiguan Facelift and Golf Cabriolet Mk6

First shown in Geneva earlier this month, Volkswagen has now released video footage of its restyled Tiguan and all-new Golf Cabriolet. The short film dedicated to the compact SUV model depicts both versions of the Tiguan, one for on-road use and one with increased capabilities for off-road driving. The Golf Cabriolet video has a more laid-back, romantic approach, featuring a couple joyriding in the open top car on a sunny day. You can get a closer look at both models by watching the videos below the fold.

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VIDEO: Giant Sinkhole Swallows Two Cars in Wisconsin

A 10-foot deep, 625-square-foot sinkhole gobbled up two parked cars, a VW Golf and a Toyota Camry, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after a 42-inch water main ruptured in the area this past Saturday. Luckily, no one was hurt during the collapse. Watch the videos after the break.

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VW Launches New Body Kit and Other Accessories for Golf Mk6

Volkswagen has released a new set of accessories for its best selling model, the Golf. The most important of these is a new aerodynamic package, which includes slightly redesigned bumpers, side skirts and a larger roof spoiler. Other than making the Golf look sportier, VW claims these new components improve the car's aerodynamics.

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Geneva 2011: New Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet Mk6

The Golf Cabriolet series has been an on-off affair for Volkswagen ever since the introduction of the original model in the beginning of the 1980s. At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the Germans decided to give the Cabriolet another go with the presentation of a new model based on the 6th generation of the Golf that will be sold alongside the firm's Eos hardtop roadster.

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Geneva 2011: Volkswagen R Exclusive-izes the Golf R (four times)

Get ready for four new Golf concepts from Volkswagen, all based on the recently hotted-up Golf R. With these four Golfs, Volkswagen R GmbH hopes to explore the themes of "especially high-end" and "especially sporty".

The more luxurious Golfs feature unique paint (Oryx White and Carbon Steel Grey), 19-inch Talladegas, aluminum trim, and Nappa leather interiors crafted by Volkswagen R Exclusive. The white one wears St. Tropez over black leather, while the dark gray one dons Almandine Red over black.

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