2017 Atlas - Weekend Edition

       According to Business Insider’s Ben Zhang Volkswagen has a major problem on their hands. No, we aren’t referring to the widely known emissions scandal that rocked the automotive world last year. The trouble we are referring to is Volkswagens struggle to sell to American buyers. Zhang reported “Through November, the Volkswagen brand managed to move just 286,000 cars — down 10% over last year while representing a minuscule 1.8% share of the US auto market. All the while in Europe and Asia, VW is one of the most competitive brands in the market."

       Some believe the solution is SUV’s. Volkswagen presently has two SUV’s in their lineup – Tiguan and Touareg; but what many believe the automaker needs is a LARGE SUV. Volkswagen heard the cries and they responded by introducing a third SUV to their lineup.

Que the Atlas.

2017 Volkswagen Atlas Weekend Edition

       Expected to arrive later this year, the atlas entered production at the company's Chattanooga plant in Tennessee. Zhang wrote "With three rows of seats and room for seven, the Atlas is expected to be a savior for VW's struggling US business". Until then, VW faces the task of drumming up enough enthusiasm for the vehicle is a US market where seven-passenger SUVs are available in abundance from other carmakers.

       One special version of the Atlas – “the Weekend Edition” is one way Volkswagen is looking to draw excitement for the new SUV. Features like the modern pop-up roof— “Urban Loader cargo box" when empty “offers a sleek, minimized appearance.” Zhang says that “When needed for hauling, it can expand to a 17.7 cubic-foot container.” attached to the already diverse base carrier bars. So why wait any longer? Sign up for updates and be the first to drive the all-new 2017 Volkswagen Atlas!

2017 Volkswagen Passat

The Volkswagen Passat hasn’t been given a drastic redesign this year- rather; it’s been thoughtfully preened since its debut to evolve into an unparalleled fit for the family lifestyle. The Passat has reached its zenith of practicality and comfort and stands out as an outstanding choice for families in the market for a car.

Designers sought to instill more emotion into the Passats exterior surfaces with subtle evolution; preserving Volkswagens ethos of purity and keeping the preliminary image intact. The exterior design has been heartened with stronger definition and elegance. Horizontal chrome accents on the front fascia accentuate the now wider and longer hood, marked with sharp, blade-like headlamps.

The sophisticated interior of the Passat is reserved and inviting.  The cabin layout is clean, concise, and laden in quality materials.  The rear space offers ample leg and head room for adults and children alike. This years evolution has predominantly been aimed at minimizing driver distraction whilst increasing convenience and connectivity. The intuitive touchscreen utilizes fluid screen to screen navigation and is large enough to get information at a glance for improved safety and usability.

The two engine options for the 2017 Passat are both reliable and apt to fulfill the role they were envisioned for. The 1.8 L Turbo gets an impressive 23/34 mpg, and offers 170 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. Meanwhile, the alternative 3.6 L V6 leverages 280 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque for a more exhilarating drive. Both engine options offer outstanding performance, strong control, and quick acceleration.

Volkswagen has smartly integrated safety and technology by making connectivity an easy and fluid process.  The new 2017 Passat welcomes USB ports and Bluetooth integration into their repertoire of ample amenities. Standard safety features for this year will include Front Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Assist, a rear-view camera system, and a multitude of other active safety features. The Passat also boasts an overall 5-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The 2017 Volkswagen Passats focus on comfort and safety paired with superior fuel efficiency makes it an excellent choice for any family. For updates or more information on the new Passat, you can find us here.

TDI Graveyards

                In the wake of Volkswagen’s Dieselgate emission scandal, VW stopped selling the TDI’s and has now started buying back TDI’s as well. There will be hundreds of thousands of VW’s bought back and fixed by the time the dust settles.

                While this is a massive fix, there is logistically a concern on what to do with all the vehicles. There are hundreds of thousands of are in limbo right now, they can’t be driven and they haven’t been fixed. The big question is where you store all these vehicles. Well there are three main places where VW is storing these TDIs. Hundreds of those cars now sit in the abandoned parking lot of the Pontiac Silverdome, former home of the Detroit Lions. On the west coast they are baking in the San Bernardino, California sun at a decommissioned Air Force base and are sitting in a port in Baltimore on the east coast.

                The waiting game right now is going on as VW waits to see if they can get the EPA and California Air Resources Board to approve fixes for the cheating cars, or if the company will be forced to send the vehicles to the salvage yard. There is no word of if more of these VW regional grave yards will pop up around the country.

Once a buyback transaction is complete, Volkswagen will remove the vehicle from the dealership and store it at a regional facility. These vehicles will be held until it is determined whether an approved emissions modification becomes available.

-Volkswagen Statement

                Once, Volkswagen TDIs were such good, efficient, torquey, handsome and (mostly) reliable vehicles. They were beloved by owners and enthusiasts alike. If you haven’t figured out what you are going to do with your TDI, make sure to check out your options or contact us now to hear your options.

                

The New VW Tiguan

              

               In the wake of the VW emissions scandal and with the ever falling gasoline prices , Volkswagen released a stretched version of their popular Tiguan crossover at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

                Volkswagen’s new stretched out Tiguan is a direct response to consumers’ interest moving towards crossovers, sports-utility vehicles and pickup trucks amid the low gas prices. VW dealers are adding two vehicles to their lineup because of those demands, the Atlas being one of those and the other being the stretched out Tiguan. The new Tiguan will have third row seating, adding two more seats to the popular crossover.

"I truly believe that this auto show marks a real turning point for Volkswagen in the United States, based on an upcoming strong product momentum with vehicles that are truly tailored to what American buyers want,"

–VW North America CEO Hinrich J. Woebcken

                Nearly 11 inches longer and with 57% more cargo space, the Tiguan is much bigger than its predecessor, by auto industry standards. The vehicle will get optional safety systems that are spreading quickly throughout the industry, such as forward-collision warning, pedestrian monitoring, blind-spot detection and lane-departure warnings. The vehicle will get a 2-liter turbocharged direct-injection engine with 184 horsepower, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The front-wheel-drive version of the 2018 model-year Tiguan will get third-row seats as standard, while it will be optional on all-wheel-drive vehicles.

                The New Tiguan will be here in 2018 and the Atlas following shortly. No prices have been revealed for either of the new SUVs. While we wait, Check out the rest of our great Volkswagen vehicles and contact us today to set up a test drive.

Autonomus VW

                The Volkswagen Groups has a plan in place that by 2025 they will have 30 battery-powered cars. They forecast that by that time, they will have sold between 2 and 3 million EV vehicles accounting for 25% of its total global sales. Along with the EV line, VW is  releasing a line of vehicles that will be fully autonomous.

                The first vehicle that VW premiered in its ID concept line was a Golf-sized hatchback, which they first let the public get a look at in September in Paris. The second is going to be talked about much more, and it is going to be in the image of the ever popular VW Microbus. VW will unveil the concept in January at the Detroit auto show. The plan at VW is to challenge Uber and its new Moia Mobility services division.

               

                The Microbus concept has two electric motors and has all-wheel drive. The steering wheel retracts into the dashboard when activated via a touch sensitive pad to launch the self-driving functions. While the drive sits back and relaxes, laser scanners, ultrasonic and radar sensors and cameras monitor other road users and the surroundings. The VW Microbus will have a roomy interior, long range and will be able to drive fully autonomously.

VW unveiled the Moia digital business division earlier this month. The division’s CEO. Ole Harms, said Moia’s focus is to launch a shuttle service operating in cities that will be hailed by a smart phone app. Moia’s fleets will use existing VW Group models such as the VW Transporter minibus but these will be eventually replaced by a new electric vehicle with six to eight seats, Harms said.

Check out our inventory and contactus to take a test drive today.

VW Arteon- The Future of VW

Volkswagen Group, in the wake of Diesel Gate, is poised to make themselves the worldwide leader in electric cars by the year 2025.The German car giant has shifted its focus towards the future, a future of electric vehicles.

VW has started the process of moving towards the all-electric age, and that starts with updating their aging lineup. VW has already teased an elongated four-door sedan that will be the cornerstone of the company’s style evolution. And this next year at the Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen will debut the Arteon. The Arteon will be a four-door fastback and be positioned above the Passat making it the largest and likely most expensive car in the model in the brand’s lineup. And it’s expected to hit the U.S. market in 2018.

The main obstacle that VW needs to overcome is the fact that sales are down in the U.S. for large sedans and mid-size cars. Large sedans sales are down 14.1% this year and mid-size is down 12.2%. Those sales have gone towards sport utility vehicles as Americans have moved away from sedans amid low gas prices.

VW’s electric initiative is a step in the right direction for the German automaker after the last year of negative press and the Volkswagen Arteon is the start of the future. Check out our inventory and contact

us to schedule a test for your new VW today.

The T-Cross is changing VW’s Game

VW is coming out with a new convertible, but it’s not a Beetle or a CC, it happens to be VW’s new crossover the T-Cross.  And there aren’t many crossover convertibles on the market, in fact, there’s only one and that the T-Cross.

               

The T-Cross is VW’s first step in their effort to bring more subcompact crossovers to the market.  The new VW crossover points the future of VW in a new direction, with its sleek new body panels, headlights that literally blend into the grill and invisible air vents that are hidden into dash features. The new VW is also doing away with all interior switchgear, the physical controls gear shifter and window switches, as everything else controlled by touch-sensitive buttons on the two massive touch screens.

               

 

The infotainment system is also quite impressive; on-screen information can be moved around much like your smartphone. The T-Cross also employs a system called the Predictive Driving Profile, which ties into the cars navigation system and is capable of controlling the cars adaptive dampers and drivetrain to identify terrain and adjust on the fly.

In the wake of VW’s Dieselgate, they have figured out the full economy with the T-Cross. The T-Cross has 1.0-liter gas engine, putting out just 108 horsepower. And while the T-Cross won’t win a sprint with a 10.3 0-60, it will win the marathon, having a staggering 47-mpg! The T-Cross has a 500 mile range, while only having a 10.6-gallon fuel tank.

While we are still waiting on a release date and pricing for the VW T-Cross, you can still check out our other great VW Inventory and contact us now to schedule an appointment to get your VW today!