volkswagen

Could two icons of aesthetics be on the verge of announcing a fruitful partnership?

Apple and Volkswagen are reported to be in talks about an "iCar" or car integration system, according to reports from German magazine Capital and the Associated Press.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Audi Chairman Martin Winterkorn, who heads the Audi brand group that includes Volkswagen, met recently in California to discuss ideas, but no concrete plans, a Volkswagen representative told the Associated Press.

"We wouldn't comment on rumors and speculation," said Tom Neumyar, senior manager for iPod and iTunes at Apple.… Read more

A small group of automotive journalists gathered recently in Southern California to watch an unusual sight: A fully functional Volkswagen Touareg that could be controlled without anyone in the driver's seat.

The custom-made SUV was part of a special showcase hosted by Volkswagen, where a select few got a glimpse at some of the stunt driving skills used in the making of The Bourne Ultimatum, the third and newest installment of the Bourne films. The movie's stunt team developed a special cockpit attached to the top of the Touareg, complete with a seat, steering wheel, and pedals that … Read more

How many Beetle owners does it take to have a party?

The New Beetle Sunshinetour run by New Beetle Cabriolet owner Gabriele Kraft ended this past weekend with a celebration at a beach promenade in a Baltic Sea town.

Beetle owners met up in Lubeck, Germany on July 14 to caravan along ]the Baltic Sea coast. A party was held this past weekend at the group's final destination: Gromitz, Germany.

What was once a simple gathering started by Kraft in 2004, now has the support of Volkswagen, the Gromitz council and Beetle owners all over Europe.

CNET News.com … Read more

The options are looking even better for digitally minded chauffeur-driven tykes. After they have caught up on their e-mail and watched a movie or two, they might soon be able tap into a just-for-kids navigation system being developed by Volkswagen.

The prototype child navigation system comes complete with GPS data and a time worm that eats away the hours until arrival. Kids can also use the screen to play games and in-seat exercises.

The system is one of six ideas that Volkswagen is kicking around at its German test facilities. Others include an electronic sun visor, which uses an eye … Read more

Hundreds of Volkswagen Beetle owners are expected to caravan the Baltic coast this Saturday for a summer event to celebrate all things Beetle.

The Beetle Sunshine Tour is being run by Gabriele Kraft, a New Beetle Cabriolet owner from Lubeck, Germany, who privately started the event in 2004. She now has the support of Volkswagen and the town of Gromitz, which is the tour's final destination and where a celebration will be held along the promenade.

This year, Volkswagen will also celebrate production of its one millionth New Beetle, which will make an appearance, as part of the festivities.… Read more

Porsche is planning to partner with Volkswagen on the Panamera, according to a company update to shareholders, saying that the painted body shells for the four-door coupe will be supplied by the Volkswagen Hannover factory.

The engines will be supplied by Porsche's famous Zuffenhausen plant.

The Panamera is the new addition to Porsche's lineup through which the company hopes to "broaden its customer basis further and step up market penetration in order to safeguard long-term growth," according to a statement.

In other words (mine), Porsche hopes to snag more market share from the aging yuppies with … Read more

Figuring that its Touareg is too big for some people, Volkswagen will launch a smaller SUV, the Tiguan, at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show. But VW is no tease--the company offered up photos and a short press release today with a few specs. The Tiguan has five different engine options: two diesel and three turbocharged gasoline. Different combinations will be made available worldwide. In the United States, we will most likely get the 200 horsepower version mentioned in the press release, which is most likely the same engine found in the Volkswagen GTI, a 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. A version with … Read more

One minute you're reviewing a shiny new silver MP3 player. The next, you're staring at the thing in a bright red version. At least this was the case with LG, since it's skinning its lovely new FM37 player in the same colors as Volkswagen skins its new line of Beetles. That's right: a bright red, a sickly yellow and a "shadow" blue. There's VW branding on the face of the player, and a "New Beetle" car logo on the back.

The New Beetle FM37 has the same specs as the standard … Read more

We're convinced that someone high up at Volkswagen is a wannabe rock star. First, the carmaker offers a complimentary "GarageMaster" guitar with many of its new models. Now, it's come out with VW media player co-branded with LG.

This is no ordinary sticker job either. "The player will have an aluminum body and come in three of the same colors the cars offers; Salsa Red, Shadow Blue and Sunflower Yellow," according to Everything USB, as well as featuring a 2.4-inch LCD for video and a battery that allows up to 20 hours of … Read more