The Takata airbag problem plagued most manufacturers and forced them to recall millions of vehicles during 2016. With the airbag-related problem still creating waves, 2017 started off with some more vehicles making a walk back to the dealer.
The American-built VW Passat got a minor facelift last year, having been on the market since 2012. We thought it’d have a bigger impact on the midsize sedan scene, given that it easily has the most cabin space in this segment, but key features were missing that may have caused it to become an also-ran. Several of those issues have now been addressed.
Following teasers in the form of sketches, Volkswagen has unofficially unveiled the seven-seat model of their Tiguan crossover via a so-called leak. Shown here in China-spec, the new model is named the Tiguan Allspace or Tiguan L, depending on the market.
At the end of every year we do a rundown of how we’re doing and what were the highlights of the past year. Admittedly, 2016 has been tough on many people, with the downturn in the economy leading to job losses and a 30% decrease in car sales. This was reflected in our traffic statistics, which has always been a window into the local car market. However, we still managed to eke out a 5% increase in revenue, and still remain the most profitable automotive portal in the region (despite increased costs in “fees” and unfavourable rules) thanks to our genuine readers,
Following the launch of the new-generation Volkswagen Tiguan this October, Volkswagen Middle East has introduced R-Line packages for their compact SUV, catering to customers who appreciate a racier look.
Here is a list of all the recalls for the month of October, many of which are relevant to GCC-spec vehicles.
With 2017 comes the mid-cycle refresh of the current and 7th generation Volkswagen Golf, bringing more power to the GTI, a racier new GTI Performance model and a 1.5-litre TSI engine for staple models with cylinder deactivation and a 7-speed DSG for the rest of the range.
Volkswagen’s crossover range always had some room at the top for a large seven seater SUV. Now the German manufacturer has made a step to fill that void with the VW Atlas. The American-made large SUV comes with seven seats and two punchy engines. The Atlas will also be the second VW product to be produced at the company’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant, after the Passat.
Swedish magazine Teknikens Värld, well-known for their “moose” tests that involve swerving a car to the next lane, then swerving back to the original lane, has performed these tests on a variety of pickup trucks, with interesting results.
Following the arrival of the 40th anniversary Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport in April this year, the Middle East now gets the Clubsport with a 6-speed manual transmission option.