The original GTI: its the car that laid the foundation for the hot hatchback segment, and it arrived on the block around the same time that Men at Work were taking us “Down Under”, Eddie Grant had us boppin to “Electric Avenue” and what is now and seems like it will forever be the biggest band in the world (Beatles and Stones aside), U2, was just about to release “The Unforgettable Fire” which would put them over the top in the U.S. market. Yes, skinny ties, zoot suits and suspenders were on their way out and preppy pastel-coloured Alligator golf shifts by IZOD Lacoste and uncomfortable trendy deck shoes were all the rage, but it was the GTI that has stood the test of time.

I would like to write about how I fondly remember owning one with gold snowflake 13-inch wheels under rolled fenders, and how it could mow down most performance cars in its day, but I cant, because Im a child of the 90s. Nevertheless, not being there didnt stop me from admiring the vehicles from the decade earlier. I loved learning about things like Audis quattro system and the early M-Powered BMWs, but hot hatchbacks, primarily the GTI intrigued me. It didnt have a prancing horse on the badge (a prancing rabbit would have to do), it wasnt particularly showy and it didnt cost a bundle. What got me even more confused is it just wasnt very powerful. Yet, it was immensely popular, for reasons that I couldnt understand in my prepubescent mind.

The interesting thing about the GTI is that unlike most of the cars on the road today, it was an innovation born out of necessity. The car was created during a time when gasoline was ultra-expensive, at least for the time, and generally speaking, money was tight; people simply couldnt afford to have two cars as they do now - what would have been a regular practical family car (or, possibly, a big SUV, like a K5 Jimmy) and a sports car. People needed one car to do it all, and the GTI was the first vehicle to provide thrill-a-minute handling while still being thrifty to run, own and insure. And unlike most cars to emerge from Wolfsburg, the GTI was engineered by a bunch of zany wrench-heads as an after-work project, so it had little original influence from the finance department; meaning the first batch was about as pure as performance cars get.

Read the full story and support Automobile.com here!

Wolfsburg (31 March 2006) The Rally of Tunisia kicks off Volkswagen’s preparation programme for the 2007 Dakar Rally. In the second round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup from 9 to 17 April Volkswagen works drivers Carlos Sainz and Giniel de Villiers will be driving two Race Touareg 2 cars. The driver pairings have been rearranged: The South African Giniel de Villiers, whose second-place finish in the Dakar Rally in January marked the best result thus far clinched by the Race Touareg in the marathon classic, will be running with the German Dirk von Zitzewitz at his side for the first time. The two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz, as well, has a new co-driver: Michel Périn, the winner of the 2005 FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup.
Wolfsburg (31 March 2006) The Rally of Tunisia kicks off Volkswagen’s preparation programme for the 2007 Dakar Rally. In the second round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup from 9 to 17 April Volkswagen works drivers Carlos Sainz and Giniel de Villiers will be driving two Race Touareg 2 cars. The driver pairings have been rearranged: The South African Giniel de Villiers, whose second-place finish in the Dakar Rally in January marked the best result thus far clinched by the Race Touareg in the marathon classic, will be running with the German Dirk von Zitzewitz at his side for the first time. The two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz, as well, has a new co-driver: Michel Périn, the winner of the 2005 FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup.

Jean-Claude Vaucard reinforces Volkswagen Motorsport’s tech team

“The Rally of Tunisia with soft sand and hard camel grass tracks gives us the opportunity to test the first evolutions of the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 for the 2006 Dakar,” explains Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “Particularly on desert-typical ground we want to achieve further improvements. That is why we are going to combine the rally with several days of testing in Tunisia, during which we are going to try out several equipment versions and tools to assist the drivers in the sand.”

Read the entire story here @ Rally Planet

We might be living in a world of equals today but really, it is a world of best among equals. Especially with regard to cars. Today it’s just not enough to have a big, expensive car. Engineering helps, but the most important thing for the moving metal, especially at the higher end of the scale, is the badge on the grille.

And no longer is it good enough to have a pointed star on the hood. Nope! Take, for example, Mercedes. The German has been around for so long in India, it has become default high-street furniture. What really gets people rubber-necking is having a moniker that’s as common as Arnold in a romantic comedy.

And therein lies Volkswagen’s biggest advantage. In Europe, the VW guys might have been punching above their weight a bit to compete with Mercedes and BMW.

In India though, late entry helps them tremendously with the exclusivity factor. They are setting up shop here and come December, Passats will be rolling off the production line. Until then, the Passat enjoys a sense of exclusivity, something that it just can’t manage in Europe.

That’s because the Passat for now will be imported by Kashyap Vehicle Works (the Delhi VW dealer) as a CBU. The Passat as a brand isn’t new. It’s been around for over three decades and has succeeded in glueing 13 million rears to Volkswagen driving seats. Also, Volkswagen owns a lot of badges and it’s no secret that lots of bits are shared between them, something that holds true with the Passat as well.

Read the full story here!