Due for public debut at the current 2011 Detroit Auto Show, Volkswagen has officially announced that their “New Midsize Sedan” project will still be known as the Passat in North America. That means there are now two variations of the Passat, one a facelifted version of the old one in Europe, and the other is this up-sized one. Word is this larger one will come to the GCC.
The recalls were piling in hard and fast during this year. While we kept up with most of the ones which could’ve potentially affected car owners in the Middle East, we simply stopped keeping track around two months ago, because it became interminably boring writing up repetitive “recall” stories. However, we have a duty to at least highlight the ones which could matter, so here is a rundown of all the recalls in the last 60 days, most issued in the U.S. but which may also affect some GCC-spec cars. Consult your local dealer.
The new 2011 Volkswagen Passat has been revealed at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, in both sedan and wagon variants, with a choice of four petrol engines alongside a couple of Euro-centric diesel motors.
Volkswagen keeps making it harder for their fanboys to defend their favourite carmaker. In the latest line of issues inflicting VW models as they drop out of warranty, the previous-generation Passat is under investigation in the U.S. over reports of engine fires. And for some reason, everybody disses Toyota for floor-mat recalls instead?
Volkswagen has announced the world debut of its all-new 2011 VW Jetta, apparently as a unique design just for sale in North America, and complete with 1990s styling. The words “German engineering” are being thrown around a lot by marketing types, almost as if trying to hard to hide the fact that it will be built in Mexico. Reports suggest the new model underwent strict cost-cutting measures to make it more competitive price-wise.
While the boring 2010 Volkswagen Polo hasn’t been launched in the UAE yet, to our limited knowledge, the People’s Car manufacturer has unveiled a sedan variant of the Polo. The resulting design mess is so unflattering that they quietly launched it in Russia in front of 200 guests.
استطاع سائق سيارات فولكس واجن موتورسبورت القطري ناصر العطية تحقيق المرتبة الأولى في فوز فولكس واجن شيروكو الثلاثي بالمراتب الأولى والثانية والثالثة في سباق الـ 24 ساعة للسيارات التي تعمل بالطاقة البديلة وذلك على حلبة نوربورغرينغ في ألمانيا. وقد استطاعت سيارات شيروكو GT24-CNG الثلاث التي تستمد طاقتها من الوقود الحيوي تمكين فولكس واجن من المحافظة على سجلّها النظيف والمتواصل في مجال طاقة السيارات البديلة لثلاثة أعوامٍ على التوالي، بإكمالها سباق هذا العام بفاعلية وثقة أمام 220,000 متفرج في يوم 16 مايو.
بما أصبح أقرب ما يكون إلى تقليد في فولكس واجن موتورسبورت، فإنها المرّة الثانية التي تحقق فيها فولكس واجن المرتبتين الأولى والثانية ضمن نفس الفئة للسيارات التي تعمل بالطاقة البديلة منذ عام 2009.
Volkswagen Motorsport driver, Nasser Al Attiyah, raced to first place in a one-two-three class victory for alternative power cars at the Nürburgring 24-hour race in Germany. The three Bio Natural Gas powered Scirocco GT24-CNGs retained Volkswagen’s untarnished three year alternative power non-retirement record, completing the race with total reliability in front of 220,000 spectators on 16 May.
The UAE’s GTI fans have been waiting a long time for today, as Volkswagen Ali & Sons Abu Dhabi launches the new sixth generation Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, has become the fourth largest auto manufacturer in the world. Based on figures from the Automotive News Data Centre, the Korean carmaker has overtaken Ford, which saw its sales fall by more than 30% in 2009.