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Archive for December, 2007

Volkswagen of America, Inc. to be renamed Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Published December 12, 2007 in Volkswagen. 0 Comments

New name describes company’s wide array of individual brands; reflects collaborative approach

Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced today that it has changed its name to Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. The change will be fully effective January 1.

The new name better reflects the fact that the Volkswagen Group of America includes five distinct brands: Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Volkswagen, as well as the related financial services functions of Audi Financial Services, Bentley Financial Services and Volkswagen Credit.

‘Our company, like the entire Volkswagen Group, has grown dramatically since our formation in the United States in 1955. Our new corporate name allows our individual brands to flourish, while recognizing that we have a common support structure that gives us great strength as we face our competitors,’ said Stefan Jacoby, President and Chief Executive Officer. ‘The new name Volkswagen Group of America reflects the much wider array of goods and services we now offer, and prepares us for even more activities in the future.’

Operating under the umbrella of Volkswagen Group of America, the Volkswagen and Audi brands will continue to provide sales and service under their names, Volkswagen of America and Audi of America.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. remains a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, which together with its subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide is now the fourth largest automobile company in the world.”

- VW Newsroom

Technorati Tags: Volkswagen

Volkswagen ready-to-go: 350 days preparation for the “Dakar”

Published December 12, 2007 in Dakar, Racing and Volkswagen. 0 Comments

‘After the ‘Dakar’ is before the ‘Dakar’,’ says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen.

The Volkswagen factory team spent twelve months preparing carefully for the technical, sporting and logistical challenge of the legendary Dakar Rally. Preparations for January 2008 started with a de-briefing with technicians and factory drivers immediately after the finish in Dakar in the afternoon of the 21 January 2007. More than two weeks through five countries, almost 5,700 competitive kilometres through the desert, mountains and along hard gravel tracks: The Dakar Rally demands record performances from the Volkswagen factory drivers and their four Race Touareg prototypes.

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Patrick Long Confirmed to Drive RS Spyder for Penske Racing in 2008

Published December 12, 2007 in ALMS, Porsche and Racing. 0 Comments

Great news! We met Patrick at this years Petit Le Mans. Great guy to talk to. Glad to see him continue with the Penske Team.

Oh and I’d say this put’s any rumors about Porsche, pulling out of the American Le Mans Series, to rest!

Patrick Long, Porsche’s lone American factory racing driver, will drive the #6 Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyder in the American Le Mans Series in 2008. Long, who has driven for Porsche since 2003 — first in the acclaimed Porsche Junior team and then as a full works driver — is coming off a highly successful season during which he captured his second class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, won overall at Laguna Seca, finished 2nd at the 24 Hours of Spa and 3rd at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Additionally, Patrick captured the LMP2 class win and finished 2nd overall at the 10th anniversary Petit Le Mans with Penske Racing teammates Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard.

In his short career, Long has already won the three premier sportscar races: Sebring, Petit Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Additionally, he captured the 2005 American Le Mans Series GT2 Driver’s Championship with Petersen White Lightning Racing in a Porsche 996 GT3 RSR. One of America’s brightest racing stars, Patrick will bring his mix of California heritage and European education to bear for Penske Racing this upcoming season, and will team with Porsche racing stalwart Sascha Maassen in the #6 Penske Porsche RS Spyder.

Patrick said, ‘I’m extremely happy to embark on this journey; motorsports is all about making the most of your opportunities and this is one I’ve always aspired to. I’m completely focused on making the most of it and pushing for wins in 2008. I had the fortune to have a taste of racing the RS Spyder with Penske in 2006 and 2007, and to continue in a full-time effort is very exciting. I look forward to picking up where we left off with Penske and the RS Spyder from the victory at Petit Le Mans. I want to thank Porsche and Penske Racing for this opportunity — the challenge starts now and we’ll be working hard!’”

- Patrick Long Motorsports

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Porsche RS Sypder, Patrick Long, Penske Racing

DTM: Audi tests at Le Castellet and Almeria

Published December 11, 2007 in Audi, DTM and Racing. 0 Comments

DTM Championship Double outing for Audi: to early prepare for the coming season, the Audi teams are going to simultaneously test at Le Castellet, France (13th to 15th December), and Almeria, Spain (10th to 14th December). While le Castellet will be the venue of tests with the new Audi A4 DTM, Phoenix and TME will hold a selection course at Almeria.

Audi’s preparations for the coming season have already been running flat out for several months. Components of the new Audi A4 DTM, internally called ‘R14’, have been tested early and successfully. Now, the new model will be subjected to an extensive testing programme before contesting its maiden race, on 13th April, 2008, at the Hockenheimring. Still, it has not yet been decided which of the four Abt drivers that have been confirmed for 2008 at the Essen Motor Show is going to carry out the tests at le Castellet.

Audi Sport Team Phoenix and TME have started their testing programme somewhat earlier. During the tests at Spain’s Almeria, the teams’ focus will be mainly set on selecting new drivers. Altogether, the customer and independent Audi teams have available six DTM seats and only two of them have been secured, to date, with Mike Rockenfeller and Alexandre Prémat having been confirmed, for 2008. At Almeria, the teams are looking - inter alia - for a successor of Vanina Ickx who announced her retirement from DTM racing, at Hockenheim.”

- DTM

Technorati Tags: Audi, DTM, Audi A4 DTM

Volkswagen Passat - More safety for children

Published December 11, 2007 in Passat and Volkswagen. 1 Comment

As a father of two, this is a great read for all parents out there! Granted this is specific to the new Passat but if you are looking for a new vehicle.. The integration is excellent but it doesn’t allow for sharing between vehicles. (*note: Not sure if this relates to US vehicles)

Volkswagen now offers new integrated child seats in the Passat and Passat Estate. The seats for children between three and twelve years old (weight class II to III) offer excellent protection for frontal, rear and side-on crashes. They are operated with minimum effort and are fully collapsible in the rear seat bench.

Around 50 percent of all child road casualties die as passengers inside vehicles because they were not or wrongly secured. According to European studies more than half of all child seats are wrongly fitted or used. Integrated child seats minimise these risks, as wrong fitting is not possible. There is no annoying fitting and removal of often bulky mobile child seats.

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Volkswagen TSI - A Prize Winner Around the World

Published December 11, 2007 in Volkswagen. 0 Comments

Volkswagen has received two of Japan’s top automobile prizes in the category of ‘Technology of the Year’ for the development of its TSI technology. Both the CAR OF THE YEAR committee and the jury of the Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists’ Conference (RJC) voted to give their first prizes to Volkswagen’s innovative new engine technology.

Volkswagen models with TSI engines – the Golf GT, Golf estate and Golf Touran – landed well ahead of the competition in the CAR OF THE YEAR category of ‘Most Advanced Technology Award 2008′. The so-called COTY prizes are awarded every year by Japan’s automotive journalists.

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Porsche Cup for van Overbeek – Westbrook new Works Driver

Published December 11, 2007 in ALMS, Porsche and Racing. 0 Comments

Huge Congrats to van Overbeek! We we’re lucky to meet him at Petit Le Mans. Great guy and superb driver. We wish him and Flying Lizard great success for 2008 and hopes to come home Champions!

Stuttgart. Johannes van Overbeek (USA) is the winner of the 2007 Porsche Cup. This is the trophy Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has been awarding each year since 1970 to the most successful driver of a private Porsche racing car. On the occasion of the Porsche Motorsports Night in Weissach Executive Vice-President for Development Wolfgang Dürheimer presented the prize and Euro 37,000 prize money to van Overbeek.

2007 Petit Le Mans - Flying Lizard Motorsports - Johannes van Overbeek

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VW Tiguan: Accessory line available

Published December 11, 2007 in Tiguan and Volkswagen. 0 Comments

Ok. Now this is a great find!!!

I really want to replace our aging Honda CR-V with a Volkswagen Tiguan. The CR-V has been great, honestly, but it’s no VW! Unfortunately, we aren’t in a position to but a brand new vehicle.

So, back to the intro. The great find. This will be purchased as soon as it’s available and will go perfect along side the New Beetle one we have. To bad Dad won’t fit on it!

More images at: The GCB via Motorpassion

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Volkswagen

Adidas x Porsche

Published December 9, 2007 in Porsche. 0 Comments

Good stuff here. We’re not to fond of the products but if you are a Porsche owner/enthusiast this may be one for the Christmas list.

Site design is not to bad.

Visit Porsche Design Sport

Format Magazine: Urban Art + Fashion » Adidas x Porsche: “Adidas & Porsche have gotten together for a set of products ranging from jackets, to polos, to golf clubs. With these two names on the bill, the quality is already assured to be unsurpassable.”

Format Magazine: Urban Art + Fashion

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Porsche Design

Mattias Ekström drives Audi R8

Published December 9, 2007 in Audi and DTM. 0 Comments

Very nice. We can’t say he’s lucky because he deserves every bit of it.

After Tom Kristensen, Mattias Ekström now drives the most sporting Audi day-to-day: For winning the DTM title the Swede treated himself to a blue-silver Audi R8, which adds to his personal car pool.

‘It’s not just the colour scheme that reminds me of my Red Bull Audi A4 from the DTM,’ explains the 29-year old. ‘The Audi R8 is a fascinating sportscar which is great fun to drive. After I was allowed to drive an R8 from Lake Constance to Sweden in the summer it was clear to me: Such a thing must be in my garage!’

The Audi factory driver collected his personal R8 the day after the DTM Championship party in the Audi Forum Neckarsulm. Jörg Felske, Head of Sales Germany at AUDI AG, insisted on handing over the powerful 420-hp sportscar personally to his well-known customer.

Mattias Ekström, who, like his DTM team mates, drives an Audi RS 4 as company car has one concern: ‘I hope that I don’t collect too many points for the championship in Flensburg with the R8…’

- DTM

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Audi R8, DTM, Mattias Ekstrom