Volkswagen replaces Toyota's Crown as World's Largest Automaker

The people want an empire, apparently, with that unassuming little black VW bug at the head of it.

The U.K.’s Guardian explains, "Volkswagen-Porsche has overtaken Toyota to become the world's largest car manufacturer as the German group benefits from state-backed stimulus packages around the globe." VW has "produced 4.4 million vehicles so far this year, outstripping its Japanese rival which has seen four million cars roll off production lines since January."

Ironically, VW reached the milestone in part by taking over Porsche – which it was forced to do after Porsche failed in an attempt to take over VW earlier this year.

"Of course," Autoblog notes, there is "some number play involved" in the Guardian’s numbers. "We're talking about the combined entity VW-Porsche, which has built 4.4 million cars to date, which is roughly 400,000 beyond Toyota's mark. However, Toyota halved its production earlier this year and shut down all its plants in February." VW also "benefited much more than Toyota from the European cash-for-clunkers programs," though Toyota saw more sales than VW spurred by the U.S. version of the car-swap program.

The news doesn’t just push Toyota down a notch. Jalopnik notes that VW has "passed Toyota and GM at the top of the heap." America’s largest automaker – the world’s largest just three years ago – now sits in third globally.

The change may not be permanent. The Guardian notes that Toyota "has the capacity to make 10 million vehicles a year but it expects to make seven million vehicles in 2009" as production picks back up. VW, however, may see its production increase long-term enough to stay ahead, or at least to take the title again even if it loses it later this year.

After all, Autoblog notes, "VW's also got the edge on Toyota" in the huge Chinese market, "where it has spent years introducing models."

2009 Volkswagen CC "2009 CC is a 4-door, 4-passenger sports sedan, available in 4 trims, ranging from the Sport to the VR6 4Motion."

MSRP

$27,100 - $39,800

Invoice

$25,252 - $37,277

The 2009 CC is a 4-door, 4-passenger sports sedan, available in 4 trims, ranging from the Sport to the VR6 4Motion.

Upon introduction, the Sport is equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 200-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 21-mpg in the city and 31-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional. The VR6 4Motion is equipped with a standard 3.6-liter, V6, 280-horsepower engine that achieves 17-mpg in the city and 25-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.

The 2009 CC is all-new for 2009.

Free 2009 Volkswagen Eos preview

MSRP

$31,615 - $35,200

Invoice

$29,433 - $32,832

The 2009 Eos is a 2-door, 4-passenger convertible, available in 4 trims, ranging from the Komfort to the Lux PZEV.

Upon introduction, the Komfort is equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 200-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 21-mpg in the city and 31-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional. The Lux PZEV is equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 200-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 22-mpg in the city and 29-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.

The 2009 Eos is a carryover from 2008.

2009 Volkswagen Tiguan

The 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan is another fresh statement from a company that is known for its strong styling.

The 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan is "your typical sport-utility," according to Edmunds, and for 2009, the Tiguan VW is available in "three trim levels: S, SE and SEL." According to Cars.com, "the [VW] Tiguan looks like a smaller version of VW's Touareg 2 midsize SUV until you step around back, where it looks like the rear end of a Rabbit compact hatchback." Road & Track generally concurs, though it notes the VW Tiguan's exterior styling "is an interesting blend of Touareg and GTI." Autoblog says the VW Tiguan "looks pretty bitchin' to us," and they give it credit for not just being a "prettied-up tall Golf."

Edmunds reviewers report that the Tiguan VW "boasts a number of cues first established on the Concept A," a VW show car from several years ago, "including its bold chrome grille and swoopy headlamp treatment." However, the concept car had a more "sporting, coupe-like silhouette with a roof line that plunged to the rear," whereas the production Tiguan VW has a more upright roofline that's more practical, which should appeal to the masses. The Auto Channel says the VW Tiguan's styling is "clean, graceful, modern and attractive."

The exterior of the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan is very well received by reviewers, and the interior doesn't disappoint either. For those who've spent some time in Europe, Edmunds says that "if the interior of the new Volkswagen looks familiar, it's no coincidence," adding that "in a bid to keep development costs down, Volkswagen has provided its new SUV with the same basic cabin architecture as the European-market Golf Plus." That interior is highly rated by The Auto Channel, which says the "interior is attractive as well" and the "gauges, controls, and everything we interact with are thoughtfully placed." Kelley Blue Book also appreciates the "thoughtful" layout of the interior controls.

2009 Volkswagen Routan "Best minivan 2009"

The 2009 Volkswagen Routan minivan was officially unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show on February 6th, 2008. Volkswagen also confirmed at this event that the Routan would roll into VW dealer showrooms in early Q3 2008.
Drivetrain: Nothing Unexpected The Routan minivan will inherit its mechanical underpinnings from the Dodge/Chrysler minivan platform upon which it is based. That translates into 4.0 and 3.8 six-cylinder engine options, a six-speed automatic transmission, and a FWD configuration. Despite VW's well-deserved reputation as a leader in the use of diesel engines in their vehicles, a diesel powerplant won't be available.

Interior

VW Gets to Work One of the weak spots in Chrysler Group vehicles recently has been the bland interiors, which tend to feature lots of inexpensive plastics and other low-cost materials. (Aaron Gold complained about the low-rent interior plastics in his review of the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan.)
VW representatives have publicly stated that the VW minivan will get a revamped interior, which will likely translate into the use of higher quality materials.
The Routan will not be getting either the Stow 'n Go or Swivel 'n Go features found in the Dodge/Chrylser minivans, however: the space underfloor occupied by the hardware for those options will be converted to additional storage space on the Routan.

Exterior
Big Changes Planned Although the overall exterior shape of the minivan is largely unchanged, VW has given the Routan some significant styling changes to align the vehicle with the rest of the vehicles in the VW portfolio. These visual changes also help differentiate the new VW minivan from its Dodge/Chrysler cousins.
Pricing: Starting at Under $25,000 Volkswagen stated that the Routan would be priced competitively, promising that is "...delivers a competitively priced entry into thei high volume segment with prices starting below $25,000." With the aforementioned improvements to the Routan's interior over Dodge and Chrysler models, top-end pricing could theoretically approach $40,000 for a loaded, fully-optioned vehicle.

latest 2009 Volkswagen Scirocco

A latest 2009 Volkswagen Scirocco has come to life from the IROC concept that VW showed us back in 2005. The company claims to have remained true to that design, changing only the grille layout.The two-door sports coupe has a long roof that will allow it to seat four adults - comfortably, we hope. The Scirocco is similar in length to the Golf/Rabbit, though it's lower to the ground and wider (nearly the width of the Passat).The driver and up to three passengers each get their own sport seat that can be trimmed in black or brown leather; Alcantara and leather is also an option. With the rear seats up, visibility looks to be blocked by the fixed headrests, which is why you'll see parking sensors on the Scirocco's rear fascia. Cargo capacity also suffers at the hands of the styling gods, going from 27 cubic feet in two-place mode to 10.3 with the rear view blocked.A total of four turbocharged engines will be available - three gas and one diesel. Power output ranges from 120 to 197 hp in the gas TSIs, while the TDI makes 138 hp. Displacements haven't been disclosed, but we guess that these will be similar (if not identical) to those motors offered in Volkswagen's other small cars. All cars get a 7-speed DSG transmission and 17-inch wheels.Though based on the Golf/Rabbit, VW will offer "numerous innovative technologies" on the Scirocco, including adaptive chassis control, to set it apart from its siblings. A panoramic sunroof is also standard.History buffs will be interested to note that the original Scirocco debuted 34 years ago, also in Geneva. Another piece of trivia: the Scirocco and New Beetle are the only Vdubs to wear the company's logo on their hoods; all others have grille-mounted badges.

Volkswagen BlueSport

Volkswagen hints a new breed of BlueSport badged mean green machines is on the way, headed up by an ultra efficient evolution of the Golf GTI.

Never mind the new Volkswagen Golf GTI. What about a go in the top secret Golf BlueSport?The German firm has hinted that the new name, which made its debut at the Detroit Motor Show this January with a stunning mid engined concept car, could soon find its way onto a new breed of mean green machines, led by a fast but frugal interpretation of the GTI.This new family of cars would be designed specifically to provide the driving thrills of the likes of the flagship Golf, but return the fuel economy of the firm’s ultra efficient Bluemotion models.Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, VW Vice President Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, said “Our Bluemotion badge is the best known low consumption label in Europe, and our work with it proves that customers are more sensitive to these things then ever before.”“Our BlueSport badge offers a number of different opportunities, and while we are still waiting to see if the roadster we revealed at the Detroit Motor Show, it is possible we will choose to use the badge on other cars too.”Should the plan go ahead, a hot new version of the Golf could line up alongside the eagerly anticipated GTI as early as 2010 – replacing the now discontinued, V6 engined R32 in the makers line up.Though Dr Hackenburg refused to be drawn on the exact specification of the model, he did hint that its likely that BlueSport models could use small supercharged and turbocharged engines, regenerative braking systems and even hybrid power to deliver performance.