Volkswagen Group Buys 90.1% of Italdesign Giugiaro

Ending days of rumors, the Volkswagen Group announced Tuesday it was buying a 90.1 per cent stake in Italian design firm and Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A. as part of its global expansion plan, without, however, giving out any information on the financial aspects of the deal.

The German automaker said that the shares are being acquired by AUDI's Italian subsidiary Lamborghini Holding S.p.A., while the Giuigiaro family will keep a 9.9 per cent stake in the Italian company that generates sales of over €100 million (US$122 million) and has a workforce of some 800 employees.

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SCOOP: Mystery Sedan Spied, Could it be the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta?

The folks over at GM Inside News have a mystery car on their hands. Forum member 'GMfan1111' snagged a pair of identical sedan models, both of which featured an unfamiliar badge on the boot.

We'll agree with most members from the forum that the car's styling cues including the pronounced lower side lines and the shape of the fascia, as well as its relatively compact dimensions point towards the next generation of the Volkswagen Jetta (see a spy video of the 2011 model here).

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Volkswagen Group to Buy Italdesign Giugiaro?

Volkswagen's master plan is all about numbers. Being the biggest, baddest automaker out there. That's why it isn't any surprise to hear that Volkswagen might be bringing Italdesign Giugiaro under its wing (nothing is official yet).

An acquisition would be another major part of VW's world takeover scheme, assisting with the goal selling 10 million vehicles in 2018. Its ten brands intend to release sixty new or updated models this year, so more designers and engineers are needed.

Now is far from the first time that VW and Giugiaro have worked together. The Italian design house has helped create a variety of cars for those aforementioned ten brands.

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New Golf Match Joins VW's UK Lineup

Volkswagen's UK arm has added a new trim level to its Golf hatch range. Using the familiar Match name, the new Golf variant replaces the SE trim level, and according to the company, adds over £1,600 worth of extra equipment while costing £300 more than the outgoing model.

On top of the SE's standard features that include ABS, ESP, seven airbags, Climatic air conditioning, alarm, cruise control and iPod/MP3 player connectivity, the Match adds 16-inch alloy wheels, a leather multifunction steering wheel, DAB digital radio receiver, Bluetooth system, front and rear parking sensors and an RCD 510 touchscreen stereo with six-disc CD changer.

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Design Proposal for Next Generation VW Beetle

Independent designer David Cordoso sent us these designs proposals for a successor to the second generation VW Beetle that will soon cease production.

David says he envisions the New/New Bug as an emissions-free, fully-electric vehicle, and judging by the latest developments at the Volkswagen Group, a gasoline-electric hybrid or even an all-electric version of the next Beetle, could very well be on the table.

And while there's room for some fine tuning in the design details (e.g. head- / tail-light styling), overall, we like David's more masculine and sportier styling approach on the Beetle's replacement.

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The Girls of the 2010 Wörthersee GTI-Fest

From what we gather, most of you seem to enjoy photos of young ladies posing in front of cars, so we assembled a gallery of some of these "booth babes" to give you a taste of what the brands of the VW Group had in store for those that attended this year's edition of the Wörthersee GTI festival in Austria. Follow the jump to check out the photos, most of which are wallpaper sized when clicked.

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Wörthersee Show: VW Golf GTI Excessive Study Could Spawn Sport Package [First Photos]

Volkswagen is testing the waters with its new Golf GTI Excessive study that was revealed today at this year's edition of the annual GTI-Meet at Wörthersee.

Making its debut alongside the limited production Golf GTI Adidas special (see here), the GTI Excessive features a series of motorsport-inspired add-on parts that the German firm says could make it into the catalogue of Volkswagen Original Accessories if there's enough interest from the public.

Finished in the same fire-red "Firespark Metallic" as last year's Golf GTI Wörthersee 09, the GTI Excessive gets a new bodykit trimmed in high-gloss black piano paint. The add-on parts include a front splitter beneath the front apron, side sills and rear diffuser and splitter, and flared wheel wells that add 30mm per side.

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VW Golf GTI Adidas Special Unveiled, Goes on Sale in the U.S., Europe and Australia

This week's VW Group fest at Wörthersee saw the world premiere of the special edition Golf GTI Adidas, which will first launch in Europe at the beginning of June and shortly thereafter in Australia and the USA in both three- and five-door versions.

So what's the deal with the sports-apparel maker? Well, according to VW, the car brings together three of the world's most renowned German badges - Volkswagen, GTI and Adidas- to form a combined product. Don't you just love marketers?

While there are no mechanical upgrades with the car keeping the same 210HP 2.0-liter turbo engine, the Golf GTI Adidas gets some unique styling cues inside and out.

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VIDEO: Home Made VW Beetle EV "Black Current" Shocks Tesla Roadster

Here's a short clip of a home-made, electric-powered VW Beetle nicknamed "Black Current" (which jets off the line like a penny racer) taking on Tesla's Roadster at the Santa Pod drag strip. According to the info, it was an "Alternative Energy Racing" event, something that will likely be getting more and more common in the future.

The "Black Current" bug is powered by a pair of forklift truck motors with 60 12 volt batteries and a Gearvendor over/under drive unit. This set-up is said to produce around 1200lb/ft of torque offering the Beetle EV a 0-60mph time of around 3 seconds.

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VW to Present Two New Special Versions of the Golf GTI at Wörthersee

Volkswagen announced today that it will pull the wraps off two new variants of its latest Golf GTI hot hatch at the Wörthersee GTI meeting in Austria next week: the limited production Adidas Golf GTI and a potential, go-fast looking version called the GTI Excessive Study.

Starting with the Adidas Golf GTI that's pictured here, the limited edition model was created in collaboration with the famous sporting-goods maker Adidas and it follows in the footsteps of the Golf GTI Pirelli special. It will be produced in a limited run of 4,410 copies with sales set to begin in July.

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New Volkswagen Tiguan Match Edition Launched in the UK

Volkswagen is adding a new trim model to the UK range of its Tiguan SUV, the Match. It replaces the SE trim level and is available with a choice of two petrol (1.4 TSI with 150HP and 2.0 TSI with 170HP) and two diesel engines (2.0 TDI with 140HP or 170HP).

Along with the existing standard specification of the SE which includes 17-inch alloy wheels, a six-disc CD changer, heat insulating glass from the B-pillar back, six airbags, ESP and ABS, the Match adds Park Assist, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, climate control, a touchscreen DAB digital radio and a leather multifunction steering wheel.

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Volkswagen ups the Luxury Ante with New Eos Exclusive Edition

Volkswagen is rolling out a new special edition version of its Eos hardtop convertible called 'Exclusive' in Europe. The package includes two-tone nappa leather combinations, unique alloy wheel options and black 'piano lacquer' trim inlays.

More specifically, the Eos Exclusive's interior is covered in black nappa leather contrasted with either cinnamon or corn silk beige in the centre sections and side panels. Black "piano lacquer" trim inlays with coloured seams and piping round off the changes inside.

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VW Planning Plug-in Jetta as well as Passat, Golf and Jetta Hybrid Models

Together with the unveiling of the fully-electric Golf Blue-e-Motion prototype at a special event in Berlin today, Volkswagen also outlined its future product plans for sustainable mobility.

According to Volkswagen, in 2013, the production Golf Blue-e-Motion that's powered by a 115HP electric motor will be joined by the new Up blue-e-motion city car (previewed by the Up! concept series) and the technically closely-related Jetta blue-e-motion.

In the same timeframe, the Lavida blue-e-motion sedan, which was shown in concept form at last week's Beijing Motor Show, will also launch in China.

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VW Presents Golf Blue-e-Motion Concept, All-Electric Production Version to Launch in 2013

Volkswagen has shown a new all-electric concept version of its bread-and-butter Golf model called the "Golf blue-e-motion" that will spawn a production version powered by zero-emissions electric motor in 2013.

The "Golf blue-e-motion" concept, which was presented today to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is powered by an electric motor integrated in the engine compartment driving the front wheels. It produces 85kW or 115-horsepwoer and a maximum torque of 270Nm or 199 lb-ft right from a stop.

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Everybody Join in! More Hedge Funds Join Anti-Porsche Lawsuit

In a continuation of the Porsche-Volkswagen takeover/stock controversy, 18 hedge funds added their names to a list of people taking Porsche to court in a $2 Billion lawsuit here in the States.

Porsche, Wendelin Wiedeking (former CEO), and Holger Härter (former CFO) are said to have committed fraud and "manipulated the market" over a four-year period in order to keep the company out of bankruptcy.

The alleged shady dealings were "an attempt to recoup large losses suffered by [Porsche, Wiedeking, and Härter] after a VW share price surge in 2008 triggered by Porsche's takeover attempt on Europe's largest carmaker."

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Volkswagen Presents E-Lavida Study at Beijing Show

Volkswagen is gauging Chinese customer reaction to electric cars with the world premiere of a battery-powered version of its Golf-based Lavida sedan. Called the 'E-Lavida', the concept study is the VW group's first ever e-car completely designed and produced in China. Details on the E-Lavida remain scarce, but the company did release a bunch of photos of the car that you can check out after the break.

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Volkswagen to Unveil Facelifted 2011 Phaeton at Beijing Show

Volkswagen is giving it's slow-selling Phaeton flagship another chance at life with a mid-life facelift. Set to be revealed at this week's 2010 Beijing Motor Show, the updated Phaeton features a new look and technologies.

The cosmetic changes up front include a more chiseled design with new bi-xenon headlight units complete with LED running lights and a new grille with two pronounced horizontal bars.

Elsewhere, new front wings and a reprofiled bonnet are joined by a revised front bumper, complete with chrome strips and a set of LED foglights. At the rear end, changes are limited to the new light units and the restyled bumper. The new alloy wheel designs round off the exterior updates.

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Sainz, Brundle, Bell, Laffitte and Biela Return to the Race Track for Scirocco R Cup

Five famous names from the world of motorsport including Carlos Sainz, Frank Biela, Jacques Laffite, Derek Bell and Martin Brundle are getting ready to line-up on the grid at Hockenheim this weekend (23-24 April) for the first round of the new VW Scirocco R Cup series.

Together, the five racing aces have started 343 Formula 1 Grand Prix and won the Dakar Rally, two World Rally Championship titles, the Sportscar World Championship, the German DTM championship, the British Touring Car Championship and the Le Mans 24-hour race a total of 11 times.

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New Ford Fiesta Overtakes VW Golf as Europe's Best Selling Car in Q1

The newest generation of the Ford Fiesta has become Europe's best-selling car, pushing the Volkswagen Golf into second place in both March 2010 and year-to-date sales, according to the latest figures from JATO Dynamics.

Ford sold 68,630 Fiestas in March 2010, representing a 25.8% increase in sales over March 2009, and 11,785 more than Volkswagen's second-placed Golf.

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CoverEFX Wraps Touareg W12, Gives it 500-Horsepower

Sitting before you is a W12 Touareg Sport Edition swathed in matte gunmetal and gloss-black CFC film, brought to you by Erftstadt-based CoverEFX. The gloss black also gets around to touch-up duty on all trim, including mirrors, vents, and other "hang-on parts", while the tail-lights get a glazed-and-hazed treatment.

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