(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)
Volkswagen's new Jetta wagon delivers sporty performance in a practical package. But we're used to those characteristics from Volkswagen. Its secret sauce is the new cabin electronics package, which includes hard-drive-based navigation with advanced features such as traffic, along with iPod integration for the ...
You knew that something like this was coming sooner or later: at least one of Magna's clients have found the supplier's majority stake in Opel to be a conflict of interest. As it turns out, Volkswagen was the first automaker to cry foul.
Magna is a major supplier for VW and its brands, while Opel is a big-time competitor. Spokesman Michael Brendel says the company going to "monitor this development very closely." We're guessing that translates roughly to "'if Opel receives any preferential treatment over VW whatsoever, heads will roll."
Should all go according to plan, Magna and its partner Sberbank will have a combined 55% stake in the new Opel. GM will retain a 35% stake, while Opel's 25,000 employees will receive the remaining 10% in the company. The German government provided 1.5 billion euro to keep Opel from entering GM bankruptcy proceedings, making the deal with Magna possible.
Magna expects Opel to once again become profitable within four years, and the Canada-based supplier intends to bring Opels to Canada by the end of the year. Opel vehicles will not be making their way to the U.S. under the terms of the agreement, however.
Magna co-CEO Siegfried Wolf expects the Opel deal to be signed off on in the next five weeks.
[Source: Automotive News subs req'd]
Last we heard anything about the Volkswagen BlueSport Roadster’s production plans, it was reported that the big bosses at V-dub are reconsidering the model due to the global economic crisis as they calculate “the viability of the niche car.”
When it was unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show in January, insiders at Volkswagen told reporters that the model would come to the market in 2012.
Now, according to AutoWeek, Volkswagen’s BlueSport Roadster is ready to make the leap from concept to production. Due to the mid-engine platform, Volkswagen says that the production BlueSport could carry a starting price-tag of about $30,000 when it hits showrooms.
By now you’re probably very excited to see this concept become a reality - but there is some more good news to keep you entertained.
Right now there is only one BlueSport Roadster in existence and it carries a 180-hp 2.0 TDI 4-cylinder common-rail diesel. Mated to a 6-speed DSG, the BlueSport Roadster averages a whopping 55 mpg.
According to Mario Fabiano, the BlueSport’s project leader, also under consideration is the 265-hp 2.0L turbocharged gasoline direct-injection that powers the Scirocco R.
Volkswagen announced today that the production version of its pickup concept unveiled last year will be launched under the ‘Amarok’ name when it arrives in Europe in 2010.
Amarok means wolf in Inuit language. Eskimo people, who live in northern Canada and Greenland, regard the wolf as king of the wilderness and a figure of robustness, endurance and superiority. It also means ‘he loves stones’ in some languages spoken in South America.
“This name fits the characteristics of our pickup perfectly, which will set new standards in its class,” says Stephan Schaller, CEO of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. “We took great care selecting this name, which can be used globally and is meant to invoke positive associations in all relevant international markets. The Amarok is a powerful and robust vehicle with great stamina - just like the wolf.”
Volkswagen said that the Amarok will be launched as a double-cab pickup with four-wheel-drive. A single-cab version will introduced later. Power will come from a line Volkswagen’s next-generation common rail turbo diesel engines
The 2010 Volkswagen Amarok will be introduced first in South America in early 2010, followed by Central America in Spring 2010, then Russia and Europe in the summer, as well as Africa and Australia.
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