Audi A4, Q5 could be built Stateside

Taking a lesson from BMW, who have been successfully manufacturing cars and SUVs in Spartanburg, South Carolina for more than a decade, Audi may seek manufacturing capabilities for their A4 sedan and Q5 SUV in the States. The new Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, just announced last week, may be tasked with building upwards of 200,000 vehicles per year -- including the two Audis. Estimated to cost $973.5 million, the 1,359 acre plant is large enough to handle the domestic production for VW, Audi, and even shareholder Porsche... although the proud automaker from Stuttgart vehemently denies even considering it.

[ Via: Automotive News ]
[ Tag: 2009 A4, 2009 Q5, 2009A4, 2009Q5, A4, Audi, BMW, chattanooga, Manufacturing, Porsche, Q5, Volkswagen ]

Spy Shots: VW "Robust" pickup

The Volkswagen pickup codenamed "Robust" has been caught testing again, this time in the U.S. They aren't too different from these spy shots, both sets showing that VW is not going for any kind of flash with its newest pickup. At one point, the regular cab version was speculated to have buttresses, but we'd be surprised if there was that much difference between it and the dual cab. This hauler is about nothing other than good, solid -- and probably cheap -- transportation. Even the name "Robust" will be changed by the time it's introduced, probably to something like Plain White Pickup. Thanks for the tip, Gavin!


[ Via: Wheels24 ]
[ Tag: pickup, pickup truck, pickup trucks, pickups, PickupTruck, PickupTrucks, robust, volkswagen, volkswagen robust, volkswagen robust pi..., volkswagen robust tr..., VolkswagenRobust, VolkswagenRobustPi..., VolkswagenRobustTr..., vw ]

EU grants Porsche permission to purchase VW

Porsche is one step closer to its goal of purchasing Volkswagen. Back in April of last year, the German automaker passed the 30-percent mark, forcing it to make an outright offer for The Volkswagen Group in its entirety, which it did. Not too many VW shareholders sold their stake to Porsche, as the bid was for the bare minimum amount allowed by law. Still, the legal requirement had been met, allowing Porsche to continue gobbling up the automaker according to its own timetable. Earlier this year, the VeeDub board approved a request by Porsche to obtain 51-percent of the company for some $15.73 billion, which would give it a majority stake. Before the house that Ferdinand built could complete its acquisition, the European Commission required it to make one last purchase, which took place in June of this year. Finally, the EU has granted its permission for the buyout.
This story is likely far from over, as the German State of Lower Saxony still claims a 20-percent stake in Volkswagen, which gives it certain rights to block decisions made by VW's new parents. Still, it seems that its only a matter of time before VW and Porsche are united under a different Ferdinand... Piech that is, grandson to Mr. Porsche himself.

[ Via: Reuters ]
[ Tag: eu, european commission, european union, EuropeanCommission, EuropeanUnion, lower saxony, LowerSaxony, porsche, porsche volkswagen, PorscheVolkswagen, volkswagen, volkswagen law, VolkswagenLaw ]

Volkswagen considering price hike

Volkswagen is making money hand over fist right now thanks to cost cutting measures and increased global sales, and the German automaker wants to keep the good times rolling. High commodity prices for items like steel, aluminum and rubber are beginning to eat away at VW's cash horde, so the German automaker may hike the prices of its vehicles. VW marketing chief Detlef Wittig told reporters that he feels automakers are afraid to raise prices in such a competitive sales environment, and that the company was monitoring the situation closely. While VW may not be afraid to pull the trigger on price hikes, it likely still won't ask customers to pony up the entire amount for high commodities. A lot will depend on whether VW's many competitors also jack up MSRPs, and by how much.
It seems as though most automakers here in the States have either announced price hikes or are "thinking about doing it." The market is even more competitive in Europe, so such a decision isn't as easy. Wittig expects several automakers to raise prices in the second half of the year.

[ Via: Automotive News ]
[ Tag: commodity prices, CommodityPrices, price hikes, PriceHikes, steel, volkswagen, VW ]

More details on VW's design renaissance

It seems Volkswagen has breathed a collective "Oops!", and is now working to turn its design ship around. VW was known for neat, differentiated designs with great interior details. While this stayed true in some parts of the world, in the U.S., Volkswagen design turned into chrome shield grilles fronting identical bodies in various sizes.
When Martin Winterkorn was lured back from academia, "he looked at Volkswagen's upcoming designs and binned the lot." Audi's design chief was brought in. VW started over on the Golf, which will be coming out later this year. The Polo redesign was taken up again from scratch. The Up! "was not fully thought through as a concept," and is getting a workover.
VW's new language is said to be about "simplicity," "a confident identity," "crisply-detailed functionality," and cars that aren't "over-designed." The chrome shield is gone (thank goodness) and headlights that wrap around to the front wheel arches have also been sent packing, "because that's not what a headlight is for." Stay tuned for more horizontals, as seen on the Scirocco -- and here (so much for no more chrome) -- and hopefully a slew of compelling shapes.

[ Via: Evo ]
[ Tag: car design, CarDesign, design, new product, NewProduct, volkswagen, vw, vw design, vw golf, vw scirocco, vw up, VwDesign, VwGolf, VwScirocco, VwUp ]

Volkswagen unveiling two-door Elise fighter in LA, new sports car

Over the past five years, Volkswagen has continued to tease us with sports car concepts that never seem to come to fruition. Back in 2003, VW unveiled the Concept R in Frankfurt to critical acclaim and two years later, the wraps came off the EcoRacer, proving that the automaker was still kicking around the idea of a lightweight, affordable roadster for the masses.
In the interim, VW had two similar concepts that never left the studio, but when the Los Angeles Auto Show rolls along later this year, a new mid-engine coupe will be revealed, and this one actually has a shot at production.
According to Autocar, this newest concept aims to be a budget alternative to the Lotus Elise, balancing performance and fuel economy in a low-cost package. Sources suggest that the coupe will feature either a 168 hp, 1.4-liter TSI gasoline engine or a 125 hp, 1.6-liter TDI mounted amidships and sending power to the rear wheels via a seven speed DSG gearbox. If and when the production version debuts in 2011, the coupe's curb weight is pegged at just over 2,200 pounds, allowing it to run to 60 in under seven seconds while still returning over 55 mpg.
If the project is given the green light, the same architecture that underpins the VW variant could form he basis for the oft-rumored and continually denied Audi R4. And with Porsche's stake in V-Dub, that means a 914 successor is just a badge and prayer away.

[ Via: Autocar ]
[ Tag: 914, audi, audi r4, AudiR4, breaking, concept r, ConceptR, ecoracer, la, la auto show, LaAutoShow, los angeles auto show, LosAngelesAutoShow, porsche, porsche 914, Porsche914, r4, volkswagen, volkswagen mid engine la, VolkswagenMidEngineLa ]

London Motor Show: Subaru shows off Impreza trifecta

Subaru loves London. How else can you explain the simultaneous release of three special edition Imprezas in one venue? In a move that's obviously aimed at competing with the Mitsubishi Evolution X variants available in the UK (FQ 300 and FQ 360), Subaru has unveiled a 252 hp WRX-S, 325 hp WRX STI 330S and a 375 hp WRX STI 380S concept.
Read on for all the details.

[ Via: Autoblog (Subaru) ]
[ Tag: london motor show, LondonMotorShow, subaru, subaru wrx sti 330s, subaru wrx sti 380s, subaru WRX-S, SubaruWrx-s, SubaruWrxSti330s, SubaruWrxSti380s, wrx s, wrx sti 330s, wrx sti 380s, wrx x, wrx-s, WrxS, WrxSti330s, WrxSti380s, WrxX ]