VW made a big stir with its “The Force” Super Bowl commercial, earning near-universal recognition as the best commercial of the night. And there’s no reason for VW to just let that hype fade away without a fight. The German automaker promptly released a short clip of bloopers from the shoot. Hit the jump and watch the six-year-old actor make his voyage into history. [via AutoBlog]
The big game is over. All that’s left is crumbs, empty beer cans, heartburn and some memories. And while the game itself served up plenty of memories, everyone must have at least one or two cars fresh in their minds. Car companies hit the game hard and manufacturers including Audi, BMW, Chevy, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes and Volkswagen each coughed up the big bucks for at least one or two commercials during game time. So what was the best car ad of the game?
Volkswagen fans here in the States will soon have a new car to covet /buy: the sporty, powerful Golf R. Volkswagen announced today that it will be bringing the car over here in 2012.
While details like price and launch date remain unknown, Volkswagen did talk about what will separate the R model from the run-o-the-mill Golf. The Golf R gets a tuned up version of the GTI’s 2.0-liter turbo four, though Volkswagen stopped short of indicating how many horses the R will have over the GTI’s 200. In addition to more power, the Golf R gets a sport-tuned ESP, Haldex 4Motion AWD, uprated sport-tuned suspension and bigger brakes. It will only come with a manual.
Aesthetically, you’ll see 18-inch alloy wheels, a unique steering wheel and interior trim, and an R model body kit. [via AutoBlog]
Tired of getting no respect at your lowly, office-bitch internship? Tired of slinging coffee and deli to grumbling superiors that don’t look you in the eyes? Why not step up to a new type of internship. An awesome type of internship.
Jalopnik found this little gem from Volkswagen, an internship that involves working on Bugatti’s press team. As if that isn’t cool enough in and of itself, responsibilities include “Scheduling of press cars for events,” “Professional driver services” and “Vehicle transportation,” presumably involving transporting 16-cylinder Veyrons around to various press events. There are a whole bunch of other responsibilities too, but those are two that stand out.
Earlier this week, Volkswagen revealed some details on its upcoming hybrid and electric line, and the German automaker plans to play a quick game of catch-up in the green market. Volkswagen’s first hybrid, the Touareg hybrid, will come to the U.S. market later this year and will be joined in 2012 by a hybrid Jetta. Hybrid Golf and Passat models will follow in 2013 when Volkswagen will also launch its first electrics: an E-Up! and E-Golf. Volkswagen also plans an electric Jetta.
Moving around the VW portfolio, other planned green vehicles include the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, a Audi Q5 hybrid and (*crossing fingers*) a Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid. [via Detroit News]
Wow, today must be the day for marginally interesting Web-launch teasers. I don’t think anyone outside of Volkswagen’s factories and offices are counting down to the new Jetta, but in case you’re wondering, you can check in with VW’s teaser website, which offers a countdown clock. At post time, there was just under five days and 22 hours left. The car will make its first official appearance next Tuesday at 11:25 a.m. EST.
Are Internet debuts the wave of the future or a short-lived fad? [via Carscoop]
Joining the GTI Adidas at Wörthersee is the Volkswagen Golf GTI Excessive. Unlike the Adidas, the Excessive is but a concept and won’t be seeing production. According to VW, the idea behind the concept is “extreme precision in the definition of shapes, radii and straight lines, as though cut with a razor blade.” We think it exemplifies that focus pretty well.
At VW’s annual Golf pimping fest in Wörthersee, the company has unveiled two special edition Golf GTIs, the first of which is the Golf GTI Adidas. When we saw the preview of the Adidas, it wasn’t immediately clear what was Adidas about it, but we now know. The car will feature Adidas logos on the B-pillars and triple stripes down the seats.
Outside of those cosmetic changes, the Adidas gets 18-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, bi-xenon headlights, smoked LEDs in back and updated upholstery. Models with a DSG transmission also come with a golf-ball-esque shift knob. The last we heard, the Adidas will be produced in the quantity of 4,410 models. It will hit Europe next month and will be coming to Australia and the States sometime after that. [via Autoblog and Carscoop]
No kicks, no triple stripe, no Run DMC under the hatch, but VW is still throwing Adidas at the end of this special edition Golf GTI. The new GTI variant was designed for the Wörthersee Tour 2010 and will be on display there. Variations off the standard GTI include wider tracks, 19-inch alloy wheels smothered in semi-slicks, upgraded brakes, new front splitter, new air dams, lightweight exhaust system, and bi-xenon headlights and LED taillights borrowed from the Golf R. Under the hood, the Adidas still sports the stock GTI 200-hp 2.0-liter four.
