The Hybrid variant of the VW Touareg can breeze on the road at 50 km/hr on a pure electric drive with zero emission. One of the diesel variants, the V6 TD that has a 7.6L now has the best numbers for its segment of the market in Europe.

Despite the shedding of pounds, the 2011 Touareg has better torsional rigidity by 5%. The aerodynamics of the car was improved too with this version being lower than its older sibling among other elements added to its design.

All of the variants are available with 8-speed automatic transmission which returns better number at more than 2 liters per 100 kilometers. The Touareg is being offered with the 4Motion variant which can handle climbing 31 degrees and another variant which has the Off-road program that activates everything needed to handle more challenging inclines and descents.

Aside from the engine and exterior improvements, the designers of Volkswagen also transformed the interior to become more functional and versatile. They gave it the biggest sunroof in the market and Area View which uses four cameras to monitor the surroundings. Safety has been beef up by the cameras together with the nine airbags in the car.

Volkswagen is expecting a great market response for the 2011 Touareg basing it on the performance of its first generation SUV which easily sold 500,000 units and was a great competitor for alternatives from BMW and Audi.

Toyota is not really that far beyond. The Japanese carmaker’s figures are also very significant but their 4 million vehicles since January is not fit to defend their position against Volkswagen.

The survey was released by the IHS Global Insight. They see that the laws being implemented by the governments of Germany, the United Kingdom, and China are reflected on the performance of the German automaker.

The group further explains that the call of Toyota to cut their production by as much as 50% during the first quarter of 2009 has affected their position in the market and helped how VW faired. Toyota’s output plan is just to produce 7.24 million units until the end of the year compared to their production in 2008 reaching 9.24 million vehicles.

Last year, it was Toyota that stole the reigns from American company General Motors. GM held the title for 80 years.

In another story, Qatar Holding which is the investment arm of the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar sold 50% of their in Volkswagen. The investment firm quickly added $2.4 billion in their financial columns.

The 2010 Golf R is a hot-hatch that will sport the same engine used by the Scirocco R. The new Golf R can output 265 horsepower and about 258 lb-ft of torque. Looking at the figures, the 2010 Golf R has the most powerful engine in the production of the Golf range.

The R32 successor can speed up from 0 to 62 mph in just 5.5 seconds when packaged with the DSG dual-clutch system. The manual transmission version is just a blink away doing it 0.2 second slower.

The 2010 Golf R is a big stride ahead of the R32 in terms of fuel efficiency. It is 21% better or about 27.7mpg combined on highway and city driving than the older generation Golf. The new baby of the VW garage also gets LED tail lights and daytime lights.

The styling of the new Golf R is very similar to the lines of the R32, attractive alloy rims, aggressive stance, and hunch of Mark VI Golf with the design formula.

The Golf R may not be sporting the powerful engine of the R32 but it will carry the more efficient 2.0L turbo engine that has a lot of room for tuning. The 2010 Golf R will be on sale in Germany before the year ends and it will be heading to U.S. shores by 2010.

To start off, JE Design gave the 2.0L TDI engine an additional 40HP, raising it to 180HP with 295lb-ft of torque. From the previous figure of 128mph, the new diesel engine now accelerates at 132mph. Still, it may not be your preferred speed demon; however, the additional power and torque raise the Scirocco’s road performance level to satisfactory.

The more powerful 2.0 TDI GT engine gets a maximum power of 205HP and 302lb-ft of torque, accelerating at 0-62mph in 7.1 seconds. The revamped 2.0 TDI GT engine now matches Audi’s A3 2.0T S-line engine.

Of course, JE Design didn’t stop there. Along with new engines, a newly remodeled body kit, which is made of CNC and ABS plastic, gave the Volkswagen Scirocco a complete makeover. It also comes with optional gullwings.

In Europe, customers can get the new Scirocco model starting from the 180HP starter pack at €1,249, the 205HP at €1,449, and the pumped up body kit for another €919. New exhaust and lowered springs comes at €899 and €299 respectively. That’s roughly €6,300. For those want more, the 19×8in wheels can be added for another €2,810.

The downsizing of engine is all over the auto industry giving cars like the Scirocco R more power without sacrificing fuel efficiency. The lighter engine that also has lower carbon emission provides a better driving experience for car owners.

The next VW Golf following the R32 due for release in the United States early 2010 will be sporting a turbocharged 265 hp 2.0L engine. The four cylinder powerplant is also the heart of the Scirocco R. The previous generation of the R32 runs on a 250 horsepower naturally aspirated powerplant.

The engine of the new gen of Golf R32 is part of the EA113 Volkswagen engine lineup. The Golf GTi, on the other hand, uses the 2.0L engine similar to the basic Scirocco release which uses an engine from the EA888 line.

Aside from the additional kick on the road the new engine also brings in additional 22 lb-ft of torque. The maximum torque for the new Golf R32 will be at 258 lb-ft. The top of the line R20 of the Scirocco range registers a top speed of 155 mph with a fuel mileage of 28.6 mpg. It screeches from 0 to 62 mph in just 6.5 seconds.

The new Golf R will also come in either six speed manual configuration or on an option of gearbox with dual-clutch.

Volkswagen maintains the anonymity of the upcoming sedan model. But as a teaser, the sketch revealed that it will be slightly bigger than the Passat, a Volkswagen family car that was built through the six design generations since 1973. It had been titled variously as Quantum, Santana, Magotan, Corsar, Dasher and Carat. The most recent version of the mentioned Volkswagen is the Passat CC which is a four-door coupe of the Passat.

Volkswagen is planning to manufacture 150,000 car models yearly when the Chattanooga factory unit begins its operation in early 2011. Most of the products will be sold in the American and Canadian market.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars, also called as VW, is based in Wolfsburg, Germany. They are the prime as well as the most expanded brand by volume of sales within the Volkswagen Group.

Recent Volkswagen models include the 2009 Volkswagen CC which is a four-door and four-seater sedan, Volkswagen Eos, a two-door, 4 passenger convertible, which is available in two trims, Volkswagen GLI a five passenger family sedan also available in two trims, the 2009 Volkswagen GTI which is a five-passenger sports coupe, or sports sedan, that is available in four trims and the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan which is available in 10 trims, a 5-passenger family sedan.

Toshiba is like the General Electric of Japan. The company has been producing simple gadgets to laptops, and exploring other energy resources like solar, hydro, and nuclear.

In line with their thrust, Toshiba has long been looking at the hybrid car market and the electric car potentials. The Japanese company has been developing SCIB or a supercharged ion battery that can power a laptop or can be used by cars.

The company is under negotiations with a US car manufacturer which will collaborate with them. Toshiba is said to allot around $331 million of its budget to construct their SCIB plant.

Toshiba foresees the SCIB technology to be a household name in different industries including the automotive sector.

Now enters Volkswagen. The batteries being developed by Toshiba might be a perfect fit for the Volkswage Up!. This new car from VW might be the next Beetle of the brand given its iconic styling and specifications.

The VW group is known to be interested with alternative fuel technology in the recent years. They have been pouring their efforts on the BlueMotion Technologies but have yet to explore the EV market. The Toshiba partnership will be a perfect opportunity.

The SCIB is forecasted to have a 90% charge in about 10 minutes. Considering all the technical aspects, safety will be a major concern when consumers will handle the charging of their own vehicles.

Volkswagen is determined to be the first car manufacturer to mass produce electric vehicles in about ten years.

VW has announced a Hybrid version of the Touareg, and even though I obviously prefer the V8 Diesel, I’m sure the VW engineers will do great in turning this Hybrid into something agile and fun-to-drive.

Looks good too — I even like the decals! Fingers crossed this is a first in a long line of VW Hybrid Cars!

The oil prices will definitely rise again. If this continues, more and more people will prefer small cars to spend lesser costs on fuel. Although, VW has never tried the competition in the subcompact part of US, it is worth a try since they also offer the same feature: fuel efficiency.

VW is well aware of the fact that their cars are influenced by the European heritage. But they’re not sitting down on this matter as they’re on their way to upgrading their models to better suit the new market in the US.

There’s no definite date yet as to the launching of the unit in US. They’re still looking at testing the American market by getting their reactions during the auto shows that will take place early this year. It’s better to test the waters even before dipping in.

This will be a good marketing move if ever. It will not only double the sales they have in US. It might enable them to triple their sales in the said country. Their goal is to basically introduce the right products to the market that is in the middle of a recession.

It’s good that a lot of companies, like VW, are considering the state of the buyers. Well, they better do or else they too will go down like the macro picture we’re seeing now.