Volkswagen is an oddity amongst foreign automakers present in the U.S. market. The German company beat nearly every other overseas manufacturer to the market when the Beetle appeared in the 1950s. Later, the automaker expanded its product line, offering the Type 2 (Bus, Microbus), the Karmann Ghia, and eventually the … Read more
The VW Golf R is back and better than ever. Not since 2019 have we seen a Golf R, the ultimate expression in subcompact hatchback prowess from Volkswagen. This model along with the GTI is all that’s left of the Golf product line for the U.S. market as VW pivots … Read more
The Volkswagen Taos is a sizable entry-level model. Volkswagen has a new crossover and it occupies the entry-level position once held by the VW Tiguan. The 2022 Volkswagen Taos is the latest utility vehicle from this German brand, a subcompact model with room for five. The VW Taos slots beneath … Read more
The race is on! Automotive manufacturers the world over are transitioning to electric vehicles. Or at least that is the current plan. Mark “2021” as the year when automakers saw the light, by committing billions to support their electrification efforts. Almost daily, we are hearing new commitments from manufacturers that … Read more
The Volkswagen ID.4 brings electrification to this storied brand. The first-ever all-electric Volkswagen is here and it represents a strong entry in a rapidly expanding segment. Dubbed the Volkswagen ID.4, the name stands for “Intelligent Design” and the fourth series or size in the product line. A Volkswagen Golf ID.3 … Read more
The Volkswagen Arteon is a premium-class four-door sedan with a coupe-like presence. The Volkswagen Arteon is the “odd duck” amongst mainstream midsize sedans. Firstly, it really isn’t a sedan. Instead, the Arteon has a coupe-like roofline that ends in a liftback. Secondly, the Arteon is a class or two above … Read more
Volkswagen turns a chapter with the all-electric ID.4 Just a few years removed from “dieselgate,” which was Volkswagen’s infamous scandal where the company had a “defeat device” or software in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, rigging the results accordingly, the company has made good on … Read more
The Volkswagen Tiguan offers room for five or seven. Volkswagen has made great strides in recent years by bolstering its utility vehicle profile. In 2018, the company experienced a watershed year when the all-new midsize Volkswagen Atlas rolled out and the second-generation, as well as enlarged Volkswagen Tiguan, made its … Read more
Volkswagen’s Atlas offers ample room for seven. We love our crossovers as they seem to do everything we want in a family vehicle: hold passengers, haul equipment, tow a boat, offer top technologies and safety features, and simply supply a better ride experience than family movers of the past. The … Read more
Volkswagen was late to the game with utility vehicles, but this German automaker has made great strides in recent years with several new models. In 2018, Volkswagen rolled out the second-generation Tiguan, the same year it introduced the midsize Atlas. Along with the new Golf Alltrack, VW has subcompact, compact, … Read more
Years before the Volkswagen (VW) Microbus was associated with hippies, free love and protests against the Vietnam War, it served as a basic people hauler. It was just the second Volkswagen model built, following the Beetle to the market in 1950. Although this vehicle disappeared from the US market in … Read more
You may count yourself among the consumers who have shifted their new vehicle purchase decisions from cars to utility vehicles, but that isn’t stopping some manufacturers from offering new or updated car models. Indeed, Volkswagen continues to double down with its Golf, Jetta, and Passat lines, even as sales skew … Read more
The Volkswagen Jetta requires little introduction, a compact model with 40 years of history on tap. This vehicle is based on the brand’s modular platform, which includes such disparate models as the subcompact Golf hatchback and the midsize Atlas crossover utility vehicle. The seventh-generation model rolled out in 2018 and … Read more
The iconic bug bids us farewell with a pair of final edition models. The Volkswagen Beetle is on its final journey, ending an incredible run that began eight decades earlier. The Beetle is one of the best-known vehicles in the world, an enduring nameplate whose time has finally run out. … Read more
You would be hard-pressed to find another vehicle with a model name as well known or as even as old as the Volkswagen Beetle. Years before it showed up on our shores, the Beetle design was established, the work of Ferdinand Porsche. In 2014, Volkswagen marked the 65th anniversary of … Read more
VW’s bunny makes its third visit. This time as a limited-edition Rabbit trim. The Volkswagen Rabbit is set to return once again. This time, it isn’t a model name. Instead, VW has chosen to deliver a limited-run Golf GTI Rabbit edition, apparently for the 2019 model year only. 2019 Volkswagen … Read more
Volkswagen makes its midsize sedan case with the Passat. Volkswagen trailed the competition in utility vehicle options until last summer when it introduced its all-new Atlas midsize crossover, then followed a few months later with the next-generation Tiguan. Immediately, the 2018 Tiguan went from the smallest compact SUV to one … Read more
Updated on Oct. 26, 2017, to reflect this model’s IIHS safety rating. Quality time with the all-new Volkswagen Tiguan. Those of us who review new cars are often flown in by the manufacturer for a media event, allowing us to preview and drive a certain model. Such opportunities make for … Read more
VW’s beloved bus is coming back. One of the most iconic vans in automotive history is the Volkswagen Bus or Volkswagen Type 2, introduced in 1950 and popularized in the 1960s. Long before the minivan craze began in 1983, Volkswagen claimed the market all to itself. We’ve seen various Volkswagen … Read more
Made-in-Tennessee SUV offers a longer bumper-to-bumper warranty. An atlas may describe a collection of maps, but in Greek mythology, he is the titan condemned to hold up the sky for eternity. More commonly, we see statues of Atlas holding up the earth, including the one on display in front of … Read more
Behind the wheel of Volkswagen’s best-equipped Jetta. The Volkswagen Jetta may “only” come available as a sedan, but what this automaker does to set it apart in a crowded (and shrinking) segment is worth investigating. Yes, diesels are no longer available, but there are three turbocharged four-cylinder gas engines to … Read more
Few models can match the Golf R’s fun factor. Hot hatchbacks remain prized commodities. And this segment has only become hotter since Volkswagen introduced the current Golf R in 2015. As one of just three small sport models with all-wheel drive — the Subaru WRX STI and the Ford Focus … Read more
Small means big when it comes to the VW Jetta. The Volkswagen Jetta is a compact sedan, a five-passenger model offering three turbocharged gasoline engine choices. Now in its sixth generation, the Jetta offers a conservative style, excellent interior room, superior handling, and a roomy trunk. Model Year Updates Following … Read more
Among the perks of a senior executive are a generous salary, excellent benefits, and stock options. Typically, these are the advantages the rest of us focus on when we consider the awe-inspiring lives of CEOs. But there is one aspect of the job that drives home why these individuals are … Read more
Five ways Volkswagen might salvage its US operation. Volkswagen is in a world of hurt, but that pain is entirely of the company’s own doing. While some have been making pronouncements that the automaker as we know it is finished, others believe that something can be salvaged. I, for one, stand … Read more
A Volkswagen Group TDI supplied to Audi. Over the weekend, news that the Volkswagen Group had cheated on EPA emissions testing began to spread across the Internet. By late Sunday afternoon, the extent of the scandal became fully known. On Monday, the commercial markets reacted and dropped the automaker’s worth … Read more
Rumors of a possible Fiat Chrysler (FCA) alliance with another automaker have been circulating for the past several months. That’s understandable as FCA chairman Sergio Marchionne has iterated that his company’s best chance for long-term survival may be tied with the fortunes of another automaker. Highly-regarded Reuters is one of … Read more
Imagining Fiat Chrysler as part of the Volkswagen Collective. Speculation about a possible blockbuster Volkswagen Fiat Chrysler merger has come up again. Last summer, Volkswagen and Fiat flatly denied that they were discussing a merger, despite a high-level meeting between key executives. This week, former Hyundai CEO John Krafcik speculated … Read more
October 2014 sales remain in positive territory. The US auto industry continues to record strong sales even as the overall economy shows only modest gains. Sales this year should top 16.5 million units with analysts forecasting at least 17 million units sold for 2015. And if October 2014 auto sales … Read more
Volkswagen CrossBlue Concept to Become a Reality Concept vehicle to become a 2017 model year reality. The Volkswagen Group announced on Monday a commitment to build a new midsize sport utility vehicle at its sole US manufacturing plant. The automaker said that it will invest $900 million to expand its … Read more