Volkswagen has reportedly experienced an increase in its commercial vehicles division sales to customers by an impressive 7.6 percent which translates to a record of 231,500 vehicles in the first half of 2007.

This was partly due to the growing demand in their Brazil division for the heavy trucks sales, which was said to increase nearly a quarter to about 21,750 vehicles, which was a commendable figure compared to last year’s 17,700. But apart from this surge of growth in the Brazilian units, the division was also said to improve to an all-time high mainly because of its 7.4 gain in sales of its smallest model, the Caddy delivery van. Continue reading Volkswagen Increased Sales Up to 7.6 Percent

Volkswagen of America has announced that the Jetta and the GTI have each earned a J.D. Power and Associates APEAL Award for 2007. The J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout or APEAL Study is aimed towards measuring owner delight with the design, content, layout, and performance of their new vehicles.

“These awards and our overall rankings show that Volkswagen builds compelling, quality vehicles that our customers love to drive,” said Adrian Hallmark, executive vice president, Volkswagen of America in an interview. “Our vehicles strike a strong emotional chord with owners.”

According to the study, new or redesigned products with a high APEAL score generally command a higher gross profit and sell more quickly.

The Jetta topped the vehicle in the compact car segment, which was followed by the all-new Rabbit which placed second. The redesigned GTI topped the compact sporty car segment, while the all-new EOS placed third. Never to be left out, the Passat also came in a close second in the competitive mid-size car segment.

The 2007 APEAL Study was conducted through a survey, and the responses gathered between February and May 2007 from more than 91,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2007 model-year cars and trucks who were surveyed after the first 90 days of ownership were used as reference.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and Europe’s largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, Eos, and Touareg through approximately 600 independent U. S. dealers.

The joint venture of Volkswagen with First Automotive Works Corporation (FAW), which is one of the top Sino-foreign car partnerships, proved to be a good venture as they now expect their 2007 profits to increase by at least a quarter, helped by brisk sales and cost-cutting efforts.

“The venture, FAW Volkswagen, in the northeastern city of Changchun, will have a “minimum” profit growth of 25 percent this year from 2006,” Joachim Wedler said, their vice-president in charge of finance. However, Wedler didn’t disclose how much the firm will earn this year. Volkswagen only holds 40 percent of the firm whilst FAW holds the 60 percent.

Venture’s sales chief Weiming Soh said that it plans on selling more than 400,000 cars this year, which is 50,000 more from last year’s sales.

The first five months gave the firm a good start of the year as their retail sales jumped by 25.1 percent year-on-year to 173,218 units, making it reach the third spot after General Motor’s venture with SAIC Motor Corporation and Volkswagen’s other partnership with SAIC. “FAW Volkswgen’s June sales are expected to exceed 40,000 units,” Soh said.

The bold profit and sales projection of the company came amidst the blistering growth of China’s vehicle market. China-made vehicles’ slaes were up by 22 percent to 3.65 million units from January to May, including 2.12 million passenger cars, based on the industry data. During the first four months, the profits of the combined top 16 Chinese auto groups reached 18.1 billion yuan, increasing by 51.3 percent.

Wedler said that the cost-cutting plan of FAW Volkswagen is to use locally made engines and spare parts. “We are shooting for a very high localization rate to have more financial power to beat competition,” he said.

The competition is China’s passenger car market is going at its peak as companies are coming up with price incentives and product launches. Automakers offered some 50 price cuts in the first five months this year, based from the FAW Volkswagen data.

The venture’s general manager An Tiecheng said that it has plans on rolling out at least two new models under the Volkswagen and Audi makes yearly during the next five years to appeal to the increasing sophisticated buyers .

The venture will introduce a Volkswagen Magotan large-sized sedan next month. Their current line up includes Volkswagen Jetta, Bora, Golf, Sagitar, and Caddy. They also included Audi A6 and A4.

The latest specification and details on Volkswagen’s new compact off-roader, the 2009 Tiguan Crossover has been disclosed. This compact crossover is not due to come out until September at Frankfurt’s Auto Show, but Volkswagen has decided to let people in on the latest features their 2009 Tiguan has.

The 2009 model year for Tiguan is 173.2 inches long, 72.8 inches wide, and stands at 66.5 inches. It has the modified Golf/Rabbit as its platform and some specifications and attributes of the Touran MPV (which was sold in Europe) have been incorporated into this new compact off-roader. Three turbocharged gas engines and two turbodiesels are included in its global lineup of engines. The likely engine specification that U.S would have is a 200 hp, 2.0L turbo four with direct injection. There have been plans for a Jetta line having clean diesels and Volkswagen had also shown a Tiguan concept with clean diesel power during the 2006 L.A Auto Show but there is still no news on whether the upcoming 140 hp TDI engine will suit into the Tiguan.

In some world markets, the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan comes with a choice of front ends. The first two will be called Trend & Fun and Sport & Style. Both will have 18 degrees at the front as their maximum entry angle. Track & Field will be the third one and it has a revised nose that would make it much more capable for off-road use. It is capable of entry angles of up to 28 degrees.

Volkswagen introduces another car technology in the form of the Offroad Mode. This is a button found on the dashboard that will activate a raft of alternative safety features. However, this technology will only be available on the Track & Field car, and this will switch on the hill descent control and hill climb assist. It wil also improve the throttle response to allow more accurate delivery of torque, and boost braking on loose surfaces.

This 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan will be launched at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show and will go on sale in Europe in early 2009.

Volkswagen of America is offering a vacation including their very own Volkswagen Touareg. Volkswagen has rolled out new vacation packages to Moab Utah, which they called the “Toureg Adventure.” This three-day adventure package costs $2,000 per person but it does not include airfare. This program will start in July and ends in October 31.

“Participants do not need to be experienced off-road drivers, as experienced guides will coach guests through the challenging Moab terrain,” the company said.

There will be three choices for the engines of the 2007 Touareg SUV – a 280-horsepower 3.6-liter six-cylinder, a 350-hp 4.2-liter V8 or a 310-hp 5.0-liter V10 TDi. All engines are linked to a six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic.

The new Multivan, Volkswagen’s seven-seater vehicle, has had some added features on it for a more luxurious look. Volkswagen has always been connected with small cars with their Volkswagen Beetle, Golf, and Passat, with prices not exceeding $57,000(which would be the highest-priced Passat from Europe). But they actually have vehicles over that price range and the newest one would be their Volkswagen Multivan.

The Volkswagen Multivan is a luxury type vehicle which could seat seven passengers and was based on the T5 light commercial vehicle. But this vehicle is well sorted and with a lot of extensive features. If people would be asked to name the first “people-mover” van they remembered, there’s a good chance that they’ll be naming the Volkswagen Kombi. But today, the people-mover van that Volkswagen offers its market is one that has the touch of today’s luxuries.

The Volkswagen Multivan in it’s Highline trims has an electrically-operated sliding doors, a multifunction rear table, satellite navigation(which would cost about $4000 extra on lesser models), leather trim, heated front seats, 17-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors complete with front and rear fog lamps. Extra luxurious features would include a six-stack CD with eight speakers sound system, cruise control, power windows, ‘climatronic’ three-zone climate control and swivel seats in the middle row. All these extras give the passengers an even more comforting ride in the Multivan.

The Highline version of the Multivan is available with a choice of turbo-diesel or petrol engines and with Volkswagen’s 4Motion, which is their term for the all-wheel drive. The engines are placed transversally in the front. The petrol engine has the 3.2L V6, rated at 173kW of power at 6200rpm and 315Nm torque at 2900rpm. But these specs could only be attained if a premium (98RON) unleaded petrol is used.

Its diesel engine is the 2.5L 5-cylinder unit with intercooler, delivering 128kW of power at 3500rpm and 400Nm of torque at 2000rpm. Because it is with the 4Motion AWD either has to drive through a six-speed manual transmission. But in the front-wheel drive, it comes with a six-speed tiptronic automatic.

The Volkswagen Multivan Highline 4Motion is priced at $76,990 for the V6 petrol and $73,990 for the 4Motion diesel. The front-wheel drive diesel automatic is $72,990 and $75,990 for the V6 petrol.

Like the Volkswagen Jetta, Passat, and New Beetle, two other of their models also underwent changes – the Volkswagen Eos and Touareg. These changes will ne visible on the 2008 model years of the said vehicles.

The Eos models largely remain the same but with just a few minor changes. The changes made on the Eos are as follows:

*New trim level naming, Turbo, Komfort, Lux, and VR6
*Leatherette now named V-Tex
*Lux only available with automatic transmission
*Winter starting assist mode standard on VR6
*New seventeen-inch alloy wheel on Lux
*New eighteen-inch alloy wheel on VR6
*Delete Wheat Beige
*Rear Park Distance Control included in Lux and VR6
*Chrome front grille louvers included on VR6
*Power twelve-way driver seat now standard equipment
*Leather steering wheel now standard equipment
*Leather shift knob now standard equipment
*Leather parking brake handle now standard equipment
*Wind blocker now standard equipment
*Ambient lighting deleted on Turbo
*Micritech interior trim now included in Turbo
*Center sliding armrest now standard equipment
*Heated front seats now optional on Turbo
*Seventeen-inch alloy wheel optional on Komfort

However, the Toureg receives a lot more comprehensive updates. This SUV will carry the minor styling changes until its next redesign and some luxury features will become standard like the power liftgate, satellite radio, and parking assist. Other changes made on the Touareg are below:

*New exterior colors (White Gold, Galapagos, Alaska Gray, Cranberry)
*Chrome grille with logo and chrome eyebrows standard on VR6 FSI
*Chrome matte grille with logo and chrome eyebrows, chrome air intakes, chrome grille slats standard on V8 FSI and V10 TDI Twin Turbo
*Darkened Taillights
*New, central headlights design
*Sporty, more aerodynamic rear spoiler
*Electronic Parking Assistance now standard equipment
*Nineteen-inch Wheels with all-season tires optional on VR6 FSI, included in V8 FSI and V10 TDI Twin Turbo
*Larger screen for Multi-function Indicator included with optional Technologies Package
*New Option Packages
*Dynaudio now available in package for all trims
*Next generation Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) now standard equipment
*ABS-Plus standard
*ESP Innovations standard
*New front seat design, more comfortable front seat side bolsters, new seat stitching design now standard equipment
*Gray seat trim in leather and leatherette deleted
*Silver Metallic Plastic interior trim standard on VR6 FSI with leatherette
*Servotronic steering no longer available on 3.6L VR6 FSI
*Comfort Suspension replaces Sport Suspension on VR6 FSI

The Volkswagen Rabbit, GLI, and GTI are the models that received little changes. For the Rabbit:

*New 170-hp, 177 lb-ft 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine standard on two- & four-door
*Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) now standard
*New trim level naming: Rabbit S (two- and four-door)

For the GLI, the changes are:

*Reflex Silver is now special order only
*Climatronic deleted from all trims
*New trim level naming: GLI and GLI Autobahn

For the GTI:

*15mm ride height reduction on both two- and four-door
*Sirius satellite radio now standard * Reflex Silver is now special order only
*Climatronic deleted from all trim
*New trim level naming: GTI and GTI Autobahn

Volkswagen is currently changing their 2008 New Beetle/New Beetle Convertible for its 2008 model year. The changes are minor and some of which include deletions of colors and trim level naming switches. However, there are also significant changes like extra power in some of the engines of other Volkswagen models.
There is also a newfound thrust courtesy of a new intake and software that would take advantage of the extra breathing capability. But this intake doesn’t fit under the hood of the New Beetle, which will continue on with its 150-horsepower version. There is a rumor that the New Beetle for 2007 would have an extra 20 horsepower in it but that still remains to be seen.

The Beetle got a lot of cuts in the changes as the fog lights were taken away from all trims, the floor mats, leather seating, and rain-sensing wipers. Among the changes in the New Beetle and Beetle Convertible aside from those are the following:

*New Trim Level Naming: S and SE
*Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) becomes standard
*New sixteen-inch alloy wheel S
*New seventeen-inch alloy wheel on SE
*Temporary use spare tire
*Delete Shadow Blue on sedan and convertible
*Delete Platinum Gray on convertible
*Delete reflex silver on convertible
*Laser blue no longer available with gray interior
*Black not available with crème top
*Delete Leather seating surfaces from all trims
*Leatherette now named V-Tex
*Cold weather package available on S as stand alone option

The Passat also wasn’t spared from the changes. But the changes for the 2008 Volkswagen passat is much more enjoyable. New Passat owners will now experience standard power driver seats, window shades, and upgraded interior details on all trim levels. Below are the other changes for the Passat sedans and Wagon:

*New trim level naming, Turbo, Komfort, Lux, and VR6
*Leatherette now named V-Tex
*Temporary use spare tire like the Volkswagen New Beetle
*Chrome window trim becomes standard on Turbo
*New sixteen-inch alloy wheel on Turbo
*New seventeen-inch alloy wheel on Komfort
*Delete Shadow Blue
*Delete Wheat Beige on wagon
*Heated washer nozzles only available on VR6
*Bi-Xenon headlamps w/ AFS now standard on VR6
*Manual side and rear sunshade are now standard on sedans
*Manual side sunshades is now standard on wagon
*Power twelve-way driver seat now standard equipment
*Heated front seats optional on Turbo and Komfort
*Leather steering wheel now standard equipment
*Leather shift knob now standard equipment
*Delete Pure Beige leather comfort seats
*Delete gray leather and V-Tex
*New interior trim on Turbo
*Three-spoke leather multi-function steering wheel included with Lux
*Dynaudio now optional on Lux
*Adaptive Cruise Control optional on VR6
*4Motion is only configuration available with VR6 wagon
*Manual transmission only available on Turbo

New Jetta owners could now enjoy an extra power for the 2.5L five cylinder engine. The engines will get a more useful 20 horsepower boost from 170 last year, it will now be producing 177hp. Other chnages are as follows:

*New 170-hp, 177 lb-ft 2.5L five-cylinder engine standard
*Delete 2.0T engine (only available on GLI)
*Automatic only available with SEL
*Temporary use spare tire
*Laser Blue replaces Shadow Blue
*Delete Wheat Beige
*Front and rear lower valance in black textured color on S and SE
*Body color front and rear valance on SEL
*2.5 badge included on S
*Sixteen-inch steel wheels with full covers standard on S
*Delete Climatronic from all trims
*Delete leather seating surfaces from all trims
*Power recline standard on all trim levels
*Seventeen-inch wheel standard on SEL
*Delete Homelink from all trims
*Cold weather package now optional on S
*Sixteen-inch alloy wheel now optional on S
*Sunroof now optional on S
*Premium sound package (includes amplifier and 250W) now optional on SE
*New trim level naming, S, SE, and SEL
*Leatherette now named V-Tex