car to ride: VW Golf

Showing posts with label VW Golf. Show all posts

VW Group Design Boss Says “Flamboyant” is so Last Year, “Simple and Clean” is the Way to Go

Walter de Silva is a man who knows a thing or two about styling; after all, he is in the business for the last 40 years.

The Italian designer has worked at the I.DE.A institute under award-winning architect Renzo Piano, who designed the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the New York Times Building. In the automotive field, he has some pretty impressive designs in his long resume such as the Alfa Romeo 156, the Seat Tango concept, the Audi A5 and the VW Scirocco.

De Silva, who joined Audi in 2002 to become VW Group’s head of design overseeing all brands from Skoda to Bugatti in 2007, believes that the “overdesign” school, which began with BMW's Chris Bangle and his "flame surfacing" that has since been adopted by many automakers, is becoming obsolete.

The regular versions of the brand-new Volkswagen Golf Mk7 are fine and dandy, but what we really want to see is the performance editions and more specifically, the GTI and of course, the R-branded models of the series.

Just a couple of weeks ago, our spies nabbed a prototype of the next Golf R, but it was armed up to the teeth in camouflage – which was logical since Volkswagen had yet to uncover the Mk7.

Now that it did, however, VW engineers made away with the swirly wraps giving us an unobtrusive view of the prototype Golf R.

One of the most important models that will debut at the upcoming Paris Auto Show is the seventh-generation VW Golf, which was unveiled in Berlin last Tuesday, September 4.

Even though the brand-new Golf’s basic version posts an official average fuel consumption of 4.9 lt/100 km (48 mpg US), Greenpeace staged a protest outside the New National Gallery, where the event was taking place.

Volkswagen is sure not wasting any time at all getting the word around about the 2013 Golf Mk7.

After the Berlin presentation on Tuesday, September 4, and the lightning reveal of an online configurator in Germany, VW has now launched an international advertising campaign for the seventh generation Golf.

If there is one car that can be compared to the Porsche 911 for using the same recipe for close to four decades, it is the Volkswagen Golf.

In a way, this is ironic since the 911 was derided by its detractors as a “posh Beetle” while recently, the VW Group, which has a long history with Porsche, acquired the Stuttgart sports car maker.

One could not imagine two cars more different than each other as one is a 2+2 sports car with rear- or all-wheel drive and flat-six engines hung out behind the rear axle, while the other is a mass-market compact hatchback with the engine up front driving the front- or all four-wheels.

Nevertheless, despite the changes that come with each generation, the two models have one thing in common: they have adopted the path of careful evolution, not revolution, defining their respective segments and being the default buyers’ choice and the standard against which all newcomers are measured.

We knew that it was only a matter of time before Volkswagen would launch an online configurator for the all-new 2013 Golf Mk7 on its German website after the introduction of the car in Berlin on Tuesday, but what we weren't expecting to see were the first images (CGIs, to be precise) of the three-door variant.

Leaving aside the absence of the rear- and the longer front-doors, there aren't any other cosmetic changes to the body of the three-door hatchback, which is something that we anticipated since VW is covering the sportier compact segment with the Scirocco.

Today is the day of the presentation of the all-important, seventh generation of the Volkswagen Golf hatchback that comes into light 36 years and more than 29 million sales after the original model shaped the modern compact segment.

While we have already shared the first photos of the new 2013 Golf five-door hatchback, which will probably be sold as a 2014 model in North America, Volkswagen has released new images and more details on the car following the presentation at a special event in Berlin, Germany, earlier today.

You can judge for yourself by looking at the exterior pictures of the Golf, but we'll just tell you that the new version builds on the appearance of the sixth-generation model with sharper lines and some new details like the small corner window on the front doors.

Walter de Silva, Head of Design for Volkswagen AG, commented on the new Golf's styling: "One of the keys to the Golf’s success lies in its continuity. There are a handful of cars with a design that, like the Golf’s, has been refined, tweaked and enhanced down the decades and thus become timeless."

It's been a long and frustrating journey for those of us following the developments on the seventh generation of the Volkswagen Golf these past few months, but finally, we have the first official images of the new compact hatchback that was revealed today in Berlin ahead of its public debut at next month's Paris Motor Show.

As anticipated, the exterior styling of the Mk7 is an evolution of the familiar Golf shape with the characteristic thick C-Pillars that has been around for decades with some new touches such as the small corner window on the front doors and the sharp line of the rear doors.

The new Golf also gets newly designed headlamps and tail lights that will incorporate LED fixtures (at least on some versions).

The interior styling of the car will also look familiar to owners of the current, sixth generation of the Golf, with the only really notable change being the center console that is angled towards the driver, much like what we see on BMW models.

What really separates the Mk7 from its predecessor is what you can’t see and in particular, the new MQB platform shared with other models in the VW Group such as the new 2013 Audi A3 and Seat Leon.

Losing control of your car and smashing either into a wall or another vehicle while doing a quarter mile run on the track at full speed is fathomable, but having an accident in reverse during a warm up sprint is not…

Two drivers in hot hatchbacks were getting ready to race each other at a drag strip in the German town of Bautzen in eastern Saxon.

Before starting the race, the motorists revved up their engines and made a short dash to get their vehicle tires warmed up.

Being one of the most popular models in the world, it's only natural that the next generation of the Volkswagen Golf has captured the attention of readers/consumers and the motoring press.

Volkswagen itself has not yet officially shown the Golf Mk7, but the automaker has confirmed that the global reveal will take place on September 4 at the Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery) of modern art in Berlin, Germany, before we have the opportunity to see the car in detail at the Paris Motor Show on September 27.

With only a few days left for the unveiling of the Golf Mk7, the online motoring world is scrambling to break the news and, let's be honest, to win readers – truth, integrity and ethics be damned in some (select) cases, proving that some people are practicing the wrong line of work in others...

For the third round of Ford's "Focus ST Sessions" web series, the Blue Oval called in professional rally driver Ken Block and Team Mustang drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. to compare the brand's new hot hatch against the current iteration of the car that gave birth to the category, the VW Golf GTI.

After winning a game of rock, paper, and scissors, Ken Block chose the 252hp Focus ST leaving Vaughn Gittin Jr. with the 200hp Golf GTI Mk6.

It's a scene that repeats itself on an everyday basis, all around the world, especially in crowded cities: a driver bumping and/or pushing other vehicles with his or her car while trying to wiggle out of a tight parking space.

In this video, which may have been filmed somewhere in France (judging by the license plates), a man in an older generation Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet has found himself in a tight parking squeeze between a BMW X3 and a Ferrari F430.

The countdown for the unveiling of the all-important seventh generation of the Volkswagen Golf officially started this week with a media presentation in Germany where the automaker outlined the most important features of the compact model.

While we've already reported on the highlights of the Golf Mk7, we now have several high-resolution photos that were released during the presentation and which include a teaser sketch of the car (unfortunately still) under covers, its new MQB platform / body structure and some images from VW's factory that will produce the car.

We also discovered a video on YouTube with some additional screen shots including one that shows all seven generations of the Golf with bullet points emphasizing the most important new features introduced by each model.

The last time we saw Volkswagen engineers testing the Golf R Cabriolet, they were trying out a prototype that used the GTI's body.

Now, our man with the long lens snagged a prototype wearing its production-ready body complete with the distinctive "R" style front bumper and alloy wheels, and even the "R" logos on the front grille and the lower part of the trunk.

With all the commotion and news going around about the regular versions of the seventh generation of the Volkswagen Golf that will premiere at the Paris Motor Show next month, it's easy to forget that the Germans are also working on several other variants including a flagship sports model with the 'R' moniker.

Our spies didn't forget and kept a lookout for any suspicious looking Golf prototypes. Their diligence paid off this week as they snagged the first photos of a Golf R prototype while testing in Europe.

Evidently, like Greenpeace, VW just can't wait to tell the world about its all-new Golf hatchback as prior to the car's media reveal at Berlin's museum of modern art on September 4 and its public debut at the Paris Motor Show later in the month, the German company decided to share some details with journalists this week.

While no photos were released, VW outlined the highlights of the seventh generation of the Golf hatchback that will go on sale in Europe this November with the rest of the world to follow shortly after.

As we have mentioned many times in the past, the Golf VII is based on the VW Group's brand new MQB platform shared with the also new 2013 Audi A3 and Seat Leon.

The new Golf measures 4,255mm (167.5-inches) in length, 1799mm (70.8-inches) in width and 1452mm (57.2-inches) in height, making it 56mm (2.2-in.) longer and 13mm (0.5-in.) wider but also 28mm (1.1-in.) lower than the current model. It also rides on a 59mm (2.3-in) longer wheelbase and wider front (8mm / 0.3-in.) and rear (6mm / 0.2-in) tracks.

Greenpeace just can't get enough of the Volkswagen Group. Last year, following the German automaker's successful mini Darth Vader campaign, the non-governmental environmental organization came up with a spoof commercial in an effort to draw attention to the automaker’s environmental record.

The ad, however, was quickly removed from YouTube due to a copyright claim by Lucasfilm Ltd, which owns the rights to the Star Wars films and its related products.

But far from being disappointed, Greenpeace returned with a new campaign, once again targeting Volkswagen and specifically, it's upcoming, seventh-generation Golf hatchback that's due to be revealed on September 4 in Berlin before it makes its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show later in the same month.

Even though a replacement is due in less than a year, the Volkswagen Golf GTI remains a darling of the tuning industry.

This latest proposal comes from Germany's BBM Motorsport, which has combined forces with other aftermarket brands to create the car you see pictured here.

So we know that series production of the seventh generation of the Volkswagen Golf will begin in early August and that the compact hatchback will receive its public premiere at the 2012 Paris Motor Show (September 29 to October 13) before it goes on sale across Europe in November.

Today, we can add one more piece to the puzzle as German news daily Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung (sub. req.) reported that the new iteration of the Volkswagen Group's most popular nameplate will celebrate its world premiere at a special event organized at Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery) of modern art on September 4.

A mother and her young child who was sitting in the passenger seat of a Volkswagen Golf Plus miraculously survived a chilling accident in Russia earlier this month when debris from a crash on the other side of the road flew into their compact MPV.

Video footage from the dashboard mounted camera on the Volkswagen model shows a detached metal piece from the guardrail heading towards the car, which at the time, was fast-moving on the highway, piercing the windshield.

Luckily, the metal object hit the car right in the center of the window with both the mother and the child making it out alive and unscathed.

Head past the break to watch the video.

car to ride

VW Group Design Boss Says “Flamboyant” is so Last Year, “Simple and Clean” is the Way to Go

Spied: New 2014 Volkswagen Golf R Sheds All of its Camouflage

Greenpeace Attacks the New VW Golf Once Again, Stages Protest During Official Launch

Volkswagen Launches 2013 Golf Campaign, Plus New Videos from Presentation

Volkswagen and the Seven Golfs: A Brief History of a 38-Year Old Icon

First Photos of Three-Door 2013 Volkswagen Golf, Configurator Goes Online

2013 Volkswagen Golf: The Complete Story with Official Details, Photos and Videos [Updated]

All-New 2013 Volkswagen Golf Mk7: This is Really It, First Official Photos

Crashing Into Another Car in Reverse During a Drag Race is a Huge Fail….

2013 VW Golf MK7: The Don't Believe Everything You See and Read Edition

Ken Block and Vaughn Gittin Jr. Race it Out in 2013 Ford Focus ST and VW Golf GTI

VW Golf Cabriolet Driver Gives Ferrari F430 a Bump for its Money

First Official Teasers of New 2013 Volkswagen Golf Mk7

Spy Shots: 2013 Volkswagen Golf R Cabriolet Breaks Cover Without Any Camo

Scoop: 2014 Volkswagen Golf R Prototype Makes its First Appearance

VW Shares First Details About the New 2013 Golf Mk7 Hatchback, will Show GTI Concept in Paris

Greenpeace Makes Fun of Volkswagen and its Upcoming 2013 Golf Mk7 [w/Video]

BBM Motorsport-Tuned VW Golf GTI All Wrapped Up and Boosted to 271-Horses

All-New Volkswagen Golf Mk7 to be Revealed in Berlin on September 4

This is Something You Don't Want to See Heading Your Way on the Road