Volkswagen puts a twist on it’s Game Day ad

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Volkswagen has released an extended version of its Super Bowl ad ahead of the Big Game, and it may not be what you expected. While the automaker’s teaser hinted toward yet another Star Wars-themed spot after the success of last year’s “The Force,” the new commercial focuses instead on a pudgy puppy named Bolt. The advertisement’s tagline is “Back and better than ever,” and Bolt enters into a fitness montage set to some excellent James Brown tunes in order to slim down and chase after the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle.

There isn’t a single Star Wars reference throughout the whole clip, which may leave fans wondering exactly what that whole chorus of dogs barking in tune to the Empire’s theme in the Volkswagen teaser was about. We won’t spoil the twist for you, but we will say the 2012 Super Bowl ad heads toward a wretched hive of scum and villainy pretty quickly. Hit the jump for the video, as well as the full press release.

As reported from AutoBlog

2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI to Debut at 2012 Chicago Auto Show

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We knew a diesel Bug was coming back to VW’s lineup, and now we know when. According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, Volkswagen has confirmed that the 2013 Beetle TDI will debut at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show in early February.

We don’t have any details yet, but we expect it to use a version of the 140-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel found in the Jetta and Passat. The previous-generation New Beetle lost its diesel engine for model-year 2007.

The Bark Side: 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial Teaser

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We have some concerns that Volkswagen’s Superbowl advertising campaign for this year may be going to the dogs.

Volkswagen’s mini Darth Vader commercial for last year’s Super Bowl was such a hit, that the carmaker has decided to continue using the force at this year’s event. This time they have gone to a canine choir that gives a ter-ruff-ic performance of Darth Vader’s Imperial March.

Our favorite part? The AT-AT dog who walks on at the end.

New VW iPad App: Golf R Drivers Forever.

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You gotta check out the Golf R Drivers Forever iPad® application. It gives you access to everything you wanted to know about the all-new 2012 Golf R.

This application features unique and exclusive interviews, articles and videos covering everything from the evolution of the Golf over the years to the vast Volkswagen enthusiast community. Told through the perspective of the Volkswagen fans, engineers and designers who brought this car to the US, this app highlights what makes the Golf R stand out.

Another highlight is our Chip Foose mini-documentary. Known for his work with American muscle cars and the show Overhaulin’, this piece uncovers Mr. Foose’s deep-routed affection for the Volkswagen brand, and the Golf line in particular. Watch him free-hand illustrate his 1985 GTI MkII as he talks about his love for the car, and how much fun he has had driving it. Supporting the enthusiast testimonials within the app is interactive brochure content, including a paint color visualizer, a 360-spin of the car, 2012 Golf R product specs and photo galleries.

From the evolution of the Golf over the years to its vast Volkswagen enthusiast community, the app is filled with unique and exclusive interviews, articles and videos. This is one app all Volkswagen fans should drive away with.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/golf-r-by-volkswagen/id487930629?ls=1&mt=8

Volkswagen Jetta to Get Subtle Upgrades—And a New 1.4-liter Turbocharged Four

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Volkswagen’s new Americanized Jetta will be improved quietly over the coming year, executives from the company have told us. Some of the things we criticized when the car launched, such as the standard rear drum brakes, have already been addressed—all Jettas, regardless of trim level, now have four-wheel discs—and others are going to be dealt with soon. Interior materials should be upgraded somewhat; higher-trim-level models will switch to a soft-touch dashboard from the current hard. In the U.S., the European-grade squishy dash has been found exclusively in the Jetta GLI.

The more interesting news, though, is a probable change in the powertrain department. At present, the engine in a plurality of Jettas sold—if not the majority—is a 2.5-liter inline-five. We’ve already reported that in some VW models this engine could be replaced with a turbocharged 1.8-liter four, but it now appears that engine will only sub in for the 2.5 in larger models like the Passat. The Jetta would instead ditch its 2.5 for a new 1.4-liter turbo four.

Read the complete Car and Driver Blog article here

Jetta Volkswagen Hybrid to be unveiled at Detroit Auto Show

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Volkswagen will reportedly unveil a hybrid Jetta at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. The Volkswagen Jetta hybrid, which is expected to go on sale in November 2012, will have an electric motor paired with a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Volkswagen is remaining tight-lipped about the Jetta hybrid, and only told Motor Trend that it would be “production oriented.”

Kicking Tires says that the Jetta hybrid will be the second Volkswagen vehicle to get a hybrid powertrain, noting that “It will be interesting to see whether Volkswagen goes for enhanced performance or pure fuel efficiency with Jetta’s hybrid powertrain; we’ll have to wait and see,” Kicking Tires reports.

Volkswagen hasn’t announced full specs or pricing information yet for the Jetta hybrid, which is expected to debut Jan. 9.

Volkswagen tops YouTube with most views in 2011

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“The Force,” a Volkswagen spot starring a pint-sized Darth Vader attempting to start a Passat, has generated more than 45 million views on YouTube, making it the website’s most-viewed ad of 2011.

Chrysler’s Super Bowl ad, which introduced the “Imported from Detroit” campaign and featured Eminem driving the city in a 200 sedan, has generated 13.4 million views to date, making it the third most-viewed commercial on YouTube this year.

Wieden+Kennedy, a Portland-based firm, produced the Chrysler commercial while Deutch of Los Angeles produced the spot for Volkswagen.

That anyone would actively seek out advertising, let alone 45 million people, is a relatively new phenomenon highlighting the continued impact of the Super Bowl and the growing influence of the internet. As YouTube noted in its official blog, advertisers are increasingly focused on the online space, with some companies launching web-only campaigns.

“Even the two Super Bowl ads making the list, Chrysler and Volkswagen, were part of elaborate campaigns made to live significant lives on the web,” wrote Michael Learmonth, senior editor for Advertising Age.

“In the past, advertisers treated their Super Bowl spots like state secrets, but Volkswagen posted ‘The Force’ on YouTube two weeks before the Super Bowl last year, and had 10 million views before the game began.

Volkswagen to show electric car at Detroit show

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This from USA Today

Volkswagen is planning to unveil an electric car at the Detroit auto show next month, as the German automaker moves to establish itself among the environmental crowd that automakers see as growing in importance. The electric isn’t based on any current production car. It is what VW calls “pure concept” and it might not go into production. It’s expected to have some VW Beetle-esque styling cues to give it a friendly, familiar feel, but isn’t an electric Beetle.

VW previously has exhibited an electric small car called E-Up! as a concept car, beginning at the Frankfurt show in 2009. The Detroit show car is a different vehicle, but VW wouldn’t discuss the Detroit electric, so it’s unclear how it will differ from E-Up!Nissan’s Leaf and Mitsubishi’s i are the only pure battery-power electric cars sold by mainstream automakers in the U.S. Others say they might sell electrics eventually to meet ever-tightening government fuel-economy standards.

The VW electric is in addition to a gas-electric hybrid version of the popular Jetta compact sedan:

Read the full article here

Volkswagen Unveils Plug-in Hybrid SUV Concept: 2011 Tokyo Motor Show

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Pretty cool article about VW at the Tokyo Auto Show as reported in the ‘Green Car Reports’ Blog.

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by Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Contributing Writer BIO
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Unsurprisingly, the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show has been dominated by Japanese automakers showing off their latest green car technology and futuristic concepts on home turf. But that didn’t stop German automaker Volkswagen from unveiling its own plug-in hybrid crossover concept, the Cross-Coupe Plug-in SUV. Powered by a combination of two 40 kilowatt electric motors — one on each axle — as well as a direct-injection turbo petrol engine, the Volkswagen Cross-Coupe Plug-in SUV produces a combined 195 kilowatts of power and 486 foot-pounds of torque. As a consequence, the 0-62 mph dash can be made in under 7 seconds in sport mode, with the Cross-Coupe Plug-in SUV going on to a top speed of 125 mph where legal.

With a gasoline-electric powertrain up front, and an electric motor in the rear, the Cross-Coupe is both a classic parallel hybrid (when running in front-wheel drive mode) and a through-the-road hybrid when the all-wheel drive system is engaged. Electric-only operation for up to 25 miles

Volkswagen says the Cross-Coupe Plug-in SUV’s electric motors are intended primarily to boost the petrol engine during acceleration. But thanks to its seven-speed direct shift gearbox system (which uses two clutches), the gasoline engine can be mechanically disconnected from the drivetrain to allow the Cross Coupe to travel in all electric mode at speeds of up to 74 mph.

The 9.8 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery providing motive electrical power is located where the transmission tunnel would be in a conventional SUV. Giving up to 25 miles of all-electric range per charge, the Volkswagen Cross-Coupe Plug-in SUV can perform both as an all-electric and an extended-range plug-in hybrid.

read more here