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NEWS ABOUT: Volkswagen

Volkswagen stories: 21 news summaries

1 - 20 of 21 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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pop science

 In Eco-Terms, 
 Dog = Hummer 


Nov 2, 09 5:50 PM CST
(Newser) - A dog has about the same impact on the planet as an SUV, according to a study out of New Zealand. The authors of Time to Eat the Dog? The Real Guide to Sustainable Living claim the environmental footprint of a Toyota Land Cruiser is smaller than the ecological impact... More »

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environment • Toyota • ecology • SUV • Volkswagen • dog • cat • Hummer

 Volkswagen Rolls Out 
 Electric Beetle 

Hails new ride as 'beetle of the 21st century'

Sep 15, 09 10:13 AM CDT
(AP) - Volkswagen made a splash at the IAA autoshow, unveiling the E-Up, a fully-electric compact car that the company's hailing as the "Beetle of the 21st century," Fast Company reports. Its stats are fairly impressive, at least for an electric: the E-Up can accelerate relatively quickly and hit a... More »

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Volkswagen • electric cars • auto industry

 Jewish Engineer Designed 
 Beetle: Historian 

Hitler ordered Porsche to replicated Josef Ganz's prototype

Sep 14, 09 5:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - Adolf Hitler took the original design for the Volkswagen Beetle from the brainchild of a Jewish engineer, the Jerusalem Post reports. Historian Paul Schilperoord claims in his forthcoming book The True History of the Beetle that a prototype Josef Ganz designed in the late '20s had many of the Beetle’... More »

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Germany • Jews • Switzerland • Adolf Hitler • Nazi • World War II • Volkswagen • beetle • Josef Ganz • Ferdinand Porsche

 Brazilian Teen's Ride: 
 Pink, Sporty, Bulletproof 

In Sao Paulo, armoring a car is as much about status as protection

Sep 10, 09 1:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sao Paulo, Brazil, is known as the armored car capital of the world, and for good reason, the Wall Street Journal reports. Brazil's murder rate is 5 times the rate in the US, and the wealthy are historically at risk for kidnapping. Add to that a recent influx of... More »

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Brazil • kidnapping • Sao Paulo • Volkswagen • automobile • wealthy • armored car • status

 Porsche, VW to Merge 

Luxury maker fails in takeover attempt

May 7, 09 4:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - Porsche has announced it will merge with Volkswagen after weeks of negotiation between the two German carmakers, reports the BBC. The deal puts an end to Porsche's efforts to take over VW. Porsche already owns a majority stake in the company. While details of the merger remain unclear, VW's individual... More »

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Germany • merger • Volkswagen • auto industry • Porsche • VW Group • Lower Saxony

 Volkswagen Challenges 
 Toyota's No. 1 Ranking 

Global sales surge on Germany, China stimulus, Toyota lags

Apr 17, 09 12:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Volkswagen may have beaten Toyota in global sales in the first quarter, Reuters reports. Although VW sales declined overall, the company's market share increased to 11% with 1.39 million vehicles sold. Toyota has not released sales figures, but it estimated its first-quarter sales at 1.23 million. Volkswagen had... More »

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China • Germany • Toyota • automaker • sales • Volkswagen • vehicle • sales projections • global stimulus

(Newser) - Automakers got hammered again last month, with Detroit’s Big Three all reporting big sales drops today. Ford’s light-vehicle numbers were down 41%, the AP reports; General Motors’ fell 44.7% and Chrysler’s 39.3%, the Wall Street Journal adds. Foreign manufacturers weren’t immune, either, with Toyota’... More »

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Chrysler • Toyota • General Motors • Ford • Volkswagen • Big Three • auto sales • US automakers

Germany's Scheme to Scrap Cars Sparks Sales Explosion

Sales mostly go to small cars

Feb 26, 09 1:00 PM CST
(Newser) - Automakers are running out of gas all over the world—except in Germany. Volkswagen expects to have its best February ever, selling 120,000 cars, while GM subsidiary Opel has sold 40,000, its best month in 5 years, Der Spiegel reports. It’s all thanks to the scrapping... More »

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Germany • General Motors • Audi • Mercedes Benz • Volkswagen • auto industry • Porsche • BMW • Renault • Opel • Dacia

 Flashy Fare at 
 Detroit Auto Show 

Ogle the new beauties here

Jan 12, 09 11:58 AM CST
(Newser) - These may be dire times for the auto industry, but that hasn’t stopped it from putting on a show. Plenty of concept cars are taking their bows at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Wall Street Journal notes; sort through some highlights in the slide... More »

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Chrysler • General Motors • Audi • Volkswagen • Kia • auto industry • concept cars • BMW • Mini Cooper • auto show • Bentley • North American International Auto Show

 Toyota Delays US Prius Factory 

A planned Mississippi plant is on hold as market for autos weakens

Dec 16, 08 8:02 AM CST
(Newser) - It’s not just the Big Three. Toyota has delayed indefinitely the opening of a Prius factory near Tupelo, Miss., the Wall Street Journal reports, in the wake of plummeting demand. The factory was originally intended to build the Highlander sport-utility vehicle; when gas prices hit a high last spring,... More »

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Toyota • General Motors • Honda • manufacturing • Volkswagen • Kia • auto industry • BMW • financial crisis

 US Ports Awash in Foreign Cars 

Masses of unsold imports back up in lots

Dec 8, 08 5:58 AM CST
(Newser) - The new car market is so flat that massive numbers of imported vehicles are being warehoused at ports and other available space, Reuters reports. Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, and other dealers can't take fresh deliveries because their sales lots are jammed with thousands of unsold vehicles. Demand for all... More »

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Toyota • Honda • Nissan • San Diego • Mercedes Benz • Mitsubishi • Volkswagen • auto sales • auto imports • Port of Long Beach • Port of Los Angeles • Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics

VW Gamble Nets Porsche $20B, Wallops Hedge Funds

Short bets could push some European traders to bankruptcy after stock soars

Oct 29, 08 10:09 AM CDT
(Newser) - Hedge funds that bet on a dive in Volkswagen shares are nursing some pretty stiff hangovers—to the tune of a possible $20 billion in losses—after the shares soared when rival Porsche announced over the weekend it had secretly acquired a 74% stake in its fellow German automaker, reports... More »

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mergers and acquisitions • Volkswagen • Porsche • short selling • hedge funds

 Top 10 Priciest Cars to Own

Mercedes takes top four spots on Forbes list

Aug 13, 08 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Gas prices may be sinking, but the owners of luxury and high-performance vehicles wouldn't know it. Factoring in $4-plus premium gas, depreciation, insurance, fees, and sales tax, some top cars cost double over a 5-year stretch what owners first paid. Forbes wheels out the priciest (including 5-year pricetag): More »

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Lexus • list • Dodge • Audi • luxury car • Mercedes Benz • cost • Volkswagen • Forbes • auto sales

 Eyeing US Market,
 VW Plans Tenn. Plant 

Company hopes Chattanooga factory will improve market share

Jul 16, 08 8:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - Volkswagen will invest around $1.6 billion to build a factory in the US—20 years after the closure of its last plant, Der Spiegel reports. VW hopes to have the plant, located in Chattanooga, Tenn., running by 2011, and operating at a rate of 150,000 cars per year.... More »

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factory • Volkswagen • auto industry • auto sales • Chattanooga

EU Will Toughen Car Ads
to Curb Gas Guzzlers

Regulations would require CO2, gas mileage info in every advertisement

May 16, 08 2:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - Car ads in Europe will soon have to highlight gas mileage and carbon dioxide emissions under regulations in the works from the European Union, Der Spiegel reports. EU commissioners hope regulating ads will motivate more Europeans to ditch gas-guzzling models, but manufacturers and media execs aren’t happy. The plan... More »

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climate change • carbon dioxide • advertising • European Union • CO2 • Volkswagen • auto industry • carbon emissions

Buy Our Minivan, Give Your College Fund a Boost: VW

$1,500 incentive offered with purchase of Routan model

May 8, 08 7:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Volkswagen is offering an innovative incentive to parents to buy their Chrysler-built Routan minivan: $1,500 in a college savings plan, Left Lane News reports. The partnership with Upromise might pale to those with more pressing concerns (or who hate planning ahead), though: Chrysler itself is offering a credit card... More »

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Chrysler • Volkswagen • auto industry • college tuition • savings • incentives • minivan

Porsche Speeds to $225B
Euro Empire

VW acquisition would create Europe's biggest car & truck company

Mar 4, 08 2:43 AM CST
(Newser) - The map of Europe's car and truck industry is set to be redrawn with Porsche's likely takeover of Volkswagen, the Financial Times reports. Porsche's board voted to boost the sports car manufacturer's stake in Volkswagen to more than 50% yesterday, only hours after Volkswagen said it would buy a controlling... More »

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Europe • merger • Volkswagen • auto industry • Porsche • auto sales • Scania

Airbus, VW
May Open
US Plants

Weak dollar has European companies looking overseas

Dec 4, 07 4:00 PM CST
(Newser) - The dollar’s continued weakness against the euro has European companies such as Airbus and VW looking to move production to the US, reports Der Spiegel. “We don’t have a choice,” said the CEO of Aribus parent company EADS. If Airbus wins a contract to supply... More »

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Airbus • US economy • Volkswagen • US dollar • EADS

VW Opens Russian Factory

Auto maker may find stiff competition already there

Nov 29, 07 5:51 PM CST
(Newser) - Volkswagen is attempting to break in to the Russian auto market by opening a major factory in the town of Kaluga, 100 miles southwest of Moscow. They are not alone: Der Speigel reports that Volvo and Renault already produce cars there, and GM, Ford and BMW have all grabbed substantial... More »

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Russia • Germany • Volkswagen • auto industry

Court Overturns Volkswagen Law, Takeover Likely

Porsche to exercise control in VW

Oct 23, 07 8:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - The EU’s highest court today overturned a 47-year-old German law that protected Volkswagen AG from takeover, opening the door for a long-rumored Porsche coup. Porsche already owns 31% of VW, but the law capped their voting rights at 20%. With that impediment gone, “I see Porsche flexing its... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Germany • European Union • mergers and acquisitions • automaker • European markets • Volkswagen • auto industry • European Court • Porsche

1 - 20 of 21 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


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