The 2010 VW Beetle?

VW has been pretty tight lipped about the fate of the VW Beetle come 2010 when the New Beetle is due for a major overhaul. We do know that the powers that be in Wolfsburg have said there will be a replacement car to carry on the legacy and name of the Beetle. These pictures come to us from German rag AutoZeitung.


There's not much supporting info, but judging bye these artist renderings, it looks very similar in size to the up! concept car. There are hints of a rear engine when you look at the air inlets on the front of the rear fenders. And you can't deny the Beetle looks in the styling. Especially when compared to the current New Beetle.







Source: AutoZeitung.de

Porsche take over of VW now possible due to changes in VW Law.

It is no secret that Porsche has been buying up stake in Volkswagen for the last year. Though a piece of legislation called the VW Law has been the only thing to prevent the sports car builder from completely take over Europe's largest automaker. Currently Porsche has a 31% stake in VW, but with news today of the European Court striking down the VW Law, many expect the company to quickly increase its stake to a controlling 51%.

The VW Law itself dates back to 1960, and while a bit complicated to understand, basically stipulates that 80% shareholder approval is required to pass major decisions and regardless of how much stake a single entity holds, its voting block cannot be greater than 20%. Since the company's home state of Lower Saxony owns 20.1% of VW, it alone holds the power to influence the company's decision making. Under the VW Law, Lower Saxony has the power to block any decision that would threaten its jobs and the local economy. Thus, Porsche's desire to own a controlling stake in VW has been blocked by Lower Saxony as well as its inability to use the full force of its 31% stake in voting.

Though two separate companies, Porsche and Volkswagen share a long history dating back to Dr. Ferdinand Porsche who was the designer of the Beetle, as well as the Auto Union Silver Arrow race cars. Much of the leadership at VWAG are also direct descendants of Dr. Porsche as well. Dr. Ferdinand Piech is Dr. Porsche's grandson. Though the family ties do not end there. Volkswagen and Porsche have collaborated on many projects. The Porsche 914, 924 & Cayenne were all joint developments between the two companies.

Volkswagen introduces Touareg R50 In Sydney.

WOLFSBURG, Germany - In a world premiere, Volkswagen will be presenting the Touareg R50 on October 11 at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. Its power of 258 kW / 350 PS (at 3,500 rpm) positions the new Touareg version among the most powerful SUVs in the world. The Touareg R50 can be ordered in Germany at prices starting at 88,260 Euro; it will be introduced to the market this November.

The engine characteristic of the Touareg R50 is marked by a torque level nearly unattainable by the competition: The V10 TDI of the Touareg R50 develops its enormous power of 850 Newton-meter at a low 2,000 rpm. The turbo diesel was derived from the well-known ten cylinder with 230 kW / 313 PS. Adjustments to its turbo charging and modified engine management enabled a 28 kW / 37 PS increase in power and a considerable 100 Newton-meter increase in maximum torque. Under these new parameters, the SUV accelerates to 100 km/h in just 6.7 seconds (production car: 7.4 seconds); its top speed is 235 km/h. In relation to engine power and vehicle size, the fuel consumption of the production ten-cylinder diesel equipped with a particulate filter is a moderate 9.6 liters per 100 km (highway) and 12.6 liters per 100 km (overall). Despite big gains in power and torque, its DIN fuel consumption values have remained constant compared to the Touareg V10 TDI.

In keeping with the performance potential of the R50, Volkswagen Individual designed new exterior and interior features according to the R philosophy. From the outside, the new Touareg R50 is easy to recognize with its 21-inch Omanyt type alloy wheels and size 295 tires, blue painted brake calipers, discrete wheel well flares, side skirts and distinctive bumpers (Sport Design Package), as well as a modified radiator grille (in a matte finish chrome).
Offered exclusively on the Touareg R50 is the car color "Biscay blue". Blue hues of this type have been typical of the high-powered R models since the first Golf R32 was introduced in the year 2002. Offered as optional car colors on the Touareg R50 are "Campanella white", "Reflex silver", "Black Magic" and "Atacam gray".

The car’s extensive features also include an air suspension sport chassis: The so-called "Driving dynamics package with adaptive roll compensation" and chassis lowered by twenty millimeter supplements the "Sport" mode of the manually or automatically controlled air suspension by achieving a stiffer spring rate.

On the inside, the SUV’s features include a sport seating system in anthracite-colored nappa leather with R50 logo integrated in the headrests. The logo was also integrated in the stainless steel tread plates. Also in keeping with the sporty character of the Touareg is the light-colored "engine spin" decor of the interior – a metallic structure similar to that previously used on race cars – as well as metal worked caps for the accelerator and brake pedals. A R50 logo also decorates the gearshift lever of the six-speed automatic transmission (Tiptronic). Standard features the Touareg R50 also include a winter package (including seat heating for the rear seats), the Premium Memory Package (including electrically adjustable seats, steering column and seatbelt height), net partition behind the rear seats and a ski sack.

Source: Volkswagen.