From VW Vortex. This looks like it will be THE automotive toy in 2008.
BILLUND, Denmark—Suddenly last summer, there they were in Billund. Two experts from the Volkswagen car manufacturer – seated at a conference table in Idea House.
In their hands they held a beetle. The Beetle. The one and only Beetle. Their own “Volkswagen Type I” – known all over the world under a host of local names: Beetle, Käfer, Boble, Coccinelle and many more. And now it was being carefully studied – in LEGO bricks.
Sitting by them – watching intently – was a LEGO designer. For Steen Sig Andersen, this was the culmination of months of development work.
This summer, two VW employees visited Billund. And next summer, the car (the small one) will hit the market, targeting the adult fans.
Today, a completed sample of the finally approved Beetle stands on Steen Sig Andersen’s desk. It’s ready to hit retailers’ shelves in the second half of 2008.
Steen Sig Andersen: “Early in the design phase I visited Volkswagen head office to weigh expectations and show them the first sketches. So when they wanted modifications during their Billund visit I made them on the spot.”
Now that Steen Sig Andersen and the Volkswagen contingent have solved the design problems, and Mette Merete Andersen of the Legal Department has ironed out the legal niceties, the LEGO Group is ready to test consumer reactions. Martin Lassen, Marketing Manager, is confident on that score. Because the people who’ll be buying the car are the same as those who helped develop it.
Martin Lassen: “It was actually the fans who decided we should do this particular car. Three fans visited us here in Billund and built various car suggestions with our designers. And we took the suggestions to a LEGO event in Cologne where members of the public voted on them. At the same time, via our network of AFOLs (adult fans) and LEGO ambassadors, we asked which type of vehicle people would like to see in LEGO form. So we’re pretty sure we’ve chosen the right product from the point of view of our adult fans. We know the Volkswagen Beetle was an alltime favourite in the USA. That bodes well for the product – plus the fact that the blue colour is attractive to consumers.”
It took Steen Sig Andersen about three weeks to build the LEGO Beetle. The biggest challenge was the engine – and, of course, the rounded lines of the real VW Beetle were not easy to replicate.
Steen Sig Andersen: “When you scale things down, it’s more difficult to achieve that rounded look when you’re working with squares and cubes. So a few square edges are inevitable.”
The edges were one of the things the Volkswagen factory wasn’t too happy about. The Wolfsburg engineers thought the LEGO model was too far from the car’s original appearance.
Martin Lassen: “Volkswagen representatives weren’t shown a 100% true copy, a model cast in a single piece. It took them a while to get used to the idea that the LEGO look had an appeal of its own.”
But Volkswagen head office no longer has any doubt. in the words of KlausJürgen Glaser of the Wolfsburg HQ: “I think both companies can profit from this project. It’s a good way of making contact with children. And it’s a splendid model.”
The VW Beetle will be in the shops next summer. The LEGO Group and Volkswagen have already agreed to bring the model along to several car exhibitions – and it will also be on view at LEGO events.
Martin Lassen: “At the same time we’re all in agreement that the product must have other exciting marketing opportunities. So we hope to see other joint activities as we get closer to the product launch.”
Source: VWVortex.com
This one just came across our desk tonight.
Just about everyone has seen images of the Berwyn Car Spindle statue on their tv screen while watching Wayne's World. For the last 20 or so years, the statue in the parking lot of Cermak Plaza Shopping Center near Chicago has been entertaining shoppers, movie buffs and car enthusiasts alike. The statue by artist Dustin Shuler contains 8 cars stacked on top of one another looking as though they are stuck on a giant nail.
VW is rolling out a new advertising campaign. And this one is right up our alley. Rather than the Drivers Wanted and all those "Sign THEN Drive" ads we're used to seeing from VW. This one takes us on a surprising trip down memory lane. Looking to a vintage 1964 Beetle, and using some of the magic created with Herbie the Love Bug. We get Max, part of VWs new "Das Auto" campaign. Max assures us that he knows what the people want. Well I know that I want more vintage Volkswagens, so I'm already hooked. People want German Engineering. And in this country, nothing symbolizes that more so than a Volkswagen Beetle. For the last 50+ years, when you ask a person on the street, What is German? A VW is pretty likely to be near the top of that list. And just about everyone in the U.S. has a story to go along with a VW. Everyone can relate to the Beetle. In upcoming print and television ads, Max will be tooting his own horn so to speak about the exciting new products from VW. Cars like the Tiguan, Routan and the all new diesels.
Move over Mercedes, there's a new kid on the block......again. Volkswagen is going to give it another go with the luxury car market with the new up scale Passat CC. inspired by the lines of the Mercedes Benz CLS, which is also this car's chief competitor.
duced. Look for the Passat CC in showrooms later this year.
Are you between the age of 16 and 26? Do you like legal track racing? Do love VWs? If you answered yes, then the VW TDI Cup is for you.
Out for some winter testing and cunningly disguised as a Lexus. Here we have the VW Passat CC. The CC will be a 4 door coupe, following along the lines of the Mercedes Benz CLS.
VW has been pretty tight lipped about the fate of the VW Beetle come 2010 when the New Beetle is due for a major overhaul. We do know that the powers that be in Wolfsburg have said there will be a replacement car to carry on the legacy and name of the Beetle. These pictures come to us from German rag AutoZeitung.
Seems that Volkswagen is out to break all the rules saying that wagons aren't cool. Seems they are doing a pretty good job, as this is one hot little wagon.
mpers, radiator grille, side skirts, taillights, headlamps, and even the mirrors were modified. This helps to set the Rave 270 apart from the crowd. The suspension was lowered 20 mm. To round out the package, 19 inch Zaragoza wheels were used. 
rs, and 3 subwoofers. Two 12 inch monitors in the back as also supplied for visual entertainment. 
We mentioned last night that VW was going to unveil a new variation of the up! concept vehicle. Well here it is. The new VW Space up! blue concept. the Space up! blue is a full zero emissions car and features the worlds first high temperature fuel cell. The new up! is the ideal city commuter car. When driven on full electric power, a range of up to 65 miles is possible. When combined with the fuel cell, a range of 220 miles is possible on one charge.
With its concept car being shown in Los Angeles, Europe's most successful car producer is introducing the third variant of its "New Small Family" within just two months. Like the city specialist, the up!, already introduced at the IAA in Frankfurt, and the space up! presented in Tokyo, the space up! blue is a small space wonder too. Over a length of just 144.9 inches, a height of 61.8 inches and a width of 64.2 inches, it offers the space of a considerably larger vehicle. The clever space concept of the space up! blue – which is 1,090 kilograms "light" despite the fuel cell and batteries – is largely due to the layout of the powertrain. Its emissions-free electric motor operates – as did the engines of the Beetle and the Bulli (Microbus) at one time – in the rear. Also housed in the rear, under the rear seat to be exact, are the lithium-ion batteries. The high temperature fuel cell, on the other hand, is located at the front of the car. 
The Volkswagen up! and its variant the Space up! and another that will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this week has won the Concept Car of the Year award from Autocar magazine.
The new 2008 VW Tiguan has not even hit US show rooms yet, but here's a taste of what's in store when it does thanks to our friends at ABT in Germany.
Fresh news about VW and Standford University's placing in this year's DARPA Challenge. While Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University finished with their Chevy Tahoe "Boss" in first place to claim the $2 million dollar prize. Stanford still receives $1 million dollars for their respectable 2nd place finish. VW will also get some mileage out of the victory through advertisements and auto show tours with "Junior". Congrats to Standford and Volkswagen.
From VW Vortex. This looks like it will be THE automotive toy in 2008.
The future is upon us. Eventually in time it will not be uncommon to see a car that can fully drive by itself. VW has shown this several times with the GTI53 project, named after Herbie the Love Bug, but by also teaming up with Stanford University for the government's DARPA Challenge, preparing robotic cars and competing with various other universities and companies. VW and Stanford teamed up to build Stanley the Touareg for the 2005 desert challenge. For 2007 the DARPA Challenge was set up as an urban challenge to take place on city streets. Stanford chose a brand new VW Passat wagon as their basis for the robotic car for 2007. The wagon was named Junior, I assumed because of the Passat's smaller size to the Touareg. Out of 167 teams to enter, "Junior" was selected as one of 35 entries to advance to the national qualifying event held October 26th-31st. We look forward to hearing more exciting news on the 2007 DARPA Challenge as it becomes available. 
odified TDI version of the hot wagon. Powered by the all new 2.0 Clean Diesel TDI, sporting 140 horsepower and 235 ft lbs of torque. The SportWagen is also topped off by revised body styling components, 19 inch Sportec Wheels, and a H&R suspension. 
sportin this wagon, the Jetta’s underpinnings were upgraded by H&R Springs to lower its ride height, and make its handling razor sharp. 
