Category: Volkswagen

Package considerations placed the Volkswagen Rabbit at the top of the Compact Car segment. Winning the 2008 Ideal Vehicle award for its exterior size, passenger room and interior lighting, it also garnered top marks for seat firmness and ride.

With its retro styling and versatile package, the Chevrolet HHR collected top honors in the Image Compact Car Segment. It received high marks for Exterior Styling and also got high ratings in Ease of Getting In and Out. Although owners had complaints about Cupholder Design and Size, the HHR held its own against the competition.

Volkswagen took home top honors in the Image Compact Car Segment with the GTi. Overall Quality and the Fun Factor were main reasons the GTi performed well in the Vehicle Satisfaction Survey. Owners named Power, Braking, Handling and Exterior Styling as the vehicle’s major strengths.

The Volkswagen Jetta is top-ranked in the Mid-Size Car Segment, winning its 2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Award based on some traditional Volkswagen strengths, such as Fun to Drive, Braking and Handling. Owner ratings in these important dynamic areas were complemented by strong ratings in Feeling Safe While Driving, Safety Features and Overall Quality.

The Mercury Milan ranks at the top of the Mid-Size Car category, winning the 2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Award with strong ratings for Styling and Feeling Safe While Driving. In the two years Milan has been on the market, it has established a Reputation valued by its owners. Milan owners rate their Experience with their Lincoln-Mercury Dealer highly and find the Milan a good Value for the Money.

AutoPacific's annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards have been announced. These awards are chosen directly by vehicle owners, with no input from the researchers.

VW Wants to Hit the Big Time in the US Market
Like so many other second tier brands today, Volkswagen is talking publicly about big goals in the US. True, Volkswagen is a huge player in many world markets, particularly Europe, China, and Latin America. Here in America, however, Volkswagen is definitely something of a niche player, despite its enviable brand image. Apparently, Volkswagen wants to become a mainstream player in the US as it is in the rest of the world, rather than a marque that appeals primarily to fashionable hipsters as it does now. By about the middle of the next decade, Volkswagen wants to be selling 800,000 vehicles in the US, up from about 230,000 last year.
With that in mind, what could possibly be more mainstream than a Chrysler minivan? It’s the ultimate symbol of traditional family values, a paragon of responsible and sensible thinking. And, despite the fact [...]

High-Style 4-Door Aims to Show That VW’s Styling Mojo is Alive and Well
Volkswagen unveiled the Passat CC at NAIAS today, and it really is a looker. Long, low, and sleek, it aims to be a statement of cutting edge design: an artistic blending of cutting edge product design and everyday practicality. When it goes on sale later in the year, it will supplement the standard issue Passat sedan, giving the Passat lineup three unique bodystyles – sedan, wagon, and this third variant. In keeping with the car’s high-design message, VW’s product intro video showed it parked at the gorgeously minimalist Marmol Radziner modern pre-fab house near Palm Springs, a strong statement of practical yet avant-garde design.

Volkswagen refers to the car as a coupe, despite its four sedan doors. Does this all sound a bit familiar? It should, as Mercedes-Benz captivated hearts and [...]

Hybrids have become the American answer to slow all personal transportation energy woes and Volkswagen, no stranger to fuel efficiency, wants a piece of the action. The VW space up! blue plans to provide just that…

Frankfurt Auto Show features green, improved fuel efficiency, improved emissions concepts

Volkswagen tests a new city car at the 2007 Frankfurt motor show.

Ford Mustang and Volkswagen Eos tie to win AutoPacific 2007 Ideal Vehicle Award for Sporty Cars