Volkswagen makes it official for the launch of the Polo GTI. This future star reportedly will get 40mpg with 170 horses. This is a great looking vehicle and I believe a huge seller wherever it hits the streets! Great looks, power, superior fuel efficiency and the reputation of VW.

From AutoGuide.com:

Volkswagen’s been on a roll with hot hatches lately; the Scirocco, Golf GTI MKVI and Golf R are all fine performance cars that the common man can buy, but as the cars baloon in size, equipment and power, they become further and further removed from their ancestor, the tossable, no-frills MKI GTI.

The car that will inevtiably draw comparisons to the MK1 is Volkswagens new Polo GTI, officially announced today, despite being shown at Geneva in March. The MK1 GTI weighed 1830 lbs, a little less than a Lotus Elise, hit 60 mph in just under 9 seconds and put out 110 horsepower from a 1.6L naturally aspirated four cylinder engine.

Read the full article here.

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen VW Scirocco hatchbacks on the streets of the good ole USA but like a power packed punch VW is bring the Scirocco back. This time it could be rollin’ down the pavement with 550hp and tuned to your liking. Very cool ride indeed…

From Motortrend.com:

It’s been a long 22 years since Volkswagen deemed North America worthy of its Scirocco hatchback. For those V-Dubbers who can’t live without VW’s newest iteration of the hot hatch, HPA Motorsports will not only import one into the new world, but tune it to your exact specifications.

The volks at HPA Motorsports have worked out a deal to have the Scirocco imported directly to its workshop in British Columbia, Canada, only 10 short miles over the U.S. border. Once the car arrives, the fun begins. While HPA can do just about whatever your heart desires, they strongly suggests the FT565 package, a special setup that adds a pair of Garrett H25 turbochargers to the 3.2-liter V-6. The mechanics at HPA beef up all the internals to handle the 550 hp and 500 lb ft of torque the new engine produces. Brakes are upgraded to 14-inch rotors and 8-piston calipers in front, along with 13-inch rotors in back. Stock wheels are replaced with 19-inch BBS aluminum rolling stock, wrapped in Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires.

Read the entire article here.

What comes to my mind here is “VW looks at making a great car even better”. The CC R-Line needs to be brought over to North America!

From AutoGuide.com:

Volkswagen has just announced the release of a new R-Line package for the sporty CC sedan in Europe. Available with all engine types, the R-Line trim delivers an aggressive aero kit including a new front lip and side skirts with R-Line logos. Out back, the taillights also get smoked. A set of 17-inch R-Line wheels with 235/45/17 tires are included, with an option to upgrade to 18s.

Other parts of the package include R-Line kick plates, sport seats, climate control, fog lights and a leather steering wheel with redundant controls.

Read the full article here.

One-hundred seventy mpg? Now were talking. This concept from VW may look a little strange but it is rumored to be going into production sometime in 2013. What the final production version will look like is still years away but if it keeps the mpg’s around 170 bring it on!

From AutoGuide.com:

As amazing as the 71-mpg Polo BlueMotion model is that Volkswagen plans to show at the LA Auto Show next week, the German automaker will also show another fuel-efficient vehicle that gets more than double that car’s mpg rating.

Called the L1 Concept, this tiny two seater uses just 1.38 liters of diesel per 100 km – that’s 170 mpg! All that efficiency comes from an 800cc diesel motor mated to a hybrid drivetrain and a seven-speed DSG transmission. It makes 27hp in ECO mode and 39hp in a more powerful mode. Torque is rated at 74 ft-lbs.

The engine is then wrapped in a light-weight carbon fiber body, in a two seater arrangement with the passenger sitting behind the driver. The L1 weighs only 838 lbs and has a drag coefficient of just 0.195 cd.

Read the entire article here.

Volkswagen had a cool event last week where they introduced the new 2010 GTI in a unique way.

Volkswagen of America, Inc. today announced the launch of the all new 2010 GTI via the App Store by making available a free version of the popular Firemint Real Racing game that exclusively features the all-new 2010 GTI. This is the first time an automotive manufacturer has used the App Store to launch a new vehicle. Additionally, users of the Real Racing GTI App in the U.S. can compete for the chance to win one of six, limited-edition 2010 GTI’s that are fully customized inside and out.

The free Real Racing GTI App is available worldwide and spares no detail, allowing players to experience every thrilling aspect of the all-new 2010 GTI right in the palms of their hands on iPhone and iPod touch. From the redesigned exterior with more aggressive headlights and the famous red-striped grille, to the sporty interior with a race-inspired steering wheel, the all-new 2010 GTI races its way to life on the screen for a thrilling gaming experience.

The contest sounds very cool, and you can go here for more information on how to enter. Registered players of the Real Racing GTI App can win one of six limited-edition 2010 GTI models. The more you play, they more chances you have to win. Each week for six consecutive weeks beginning today, one player will be chosen to win the ultimate racing prize: the exclusive GTI MkVI, an individually numbered, specially tuned version of the legendary hatchback. Each model includes the GTI’s 2.0T 200 hp four-cylinder engine, a performance tuned suspension finished with black, Volkswagen motorsport 18-inch all-new wheels, and special interior touches, including carbon fiber-look trim, a numbered dash plaque, and unique stitches in the front headrests.

We have to agree that the new model looks cool.

News broke over the weekend the VW will purchase Porsche.

Porsche SE’s controlling families will agree Thursday to accept an offer by Volkswagen to buy its sports car business Porsche AG for roughly 8 billion euros ($11.28 billion), Der Spiegel reported Saturday.

Germany’s leading weekly magazine wrote that the rival Porsche and Piech clans, which own 100 percent of Porsche SE votes, will approve the two-stage takeover at a supervisory board meeting on July 23.

There are several hurdles to the deal, however, including some tax issues, so we may not see this deal close as soon as initially reported.