New Volkswagen Electric Car Concept and Jetta Hybrid Headed to Detroit Show

While a little late to the party, the Volkswagen Group plans to make up for its lackluster presence in the electric and hybrid vehicle sector with a barrage of eco-friendly models within the next couple of years.

At the upcoming 2012 Detroit Auto Show, the VW brand will lift the covers off a never before seen pure electric concept car and the production version of the Jetta Hybrid, according to the Detroit Free Press.

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It’s a CC Thing: Volkswagen's New Cross Coupe Concept Live from the Tokyo Show Floors

For a very long time, we only had rugged 4x4s, but then SUVs made their appearance in the market followed shortly after by crossovers and before we knew it, all hell broke loose and each carmaker invented its own acronym to describe a specific niche in any given segment.

Albeit a conceptual proposal, the Volkswagen Cross Coupe is one such example with the German automaker describing it thusly: "a crossover between a four-door coupé and a compact SUV".

We'll just note that a four-door coupe is a crossover between a coupe and a sedan and leave it at there before we start saying things we shouldn’t…

Naming and segment games aside, the CC SUV is a handsome creation overall though its snout could use some styling attention as it's somewhat flavorless compared to the rest of the car in the sense that you could throw in a Seat badge and no one would notice.

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New Volkswagen Cross Coupe SUV Concept Bows at 2011 Tokyo Motor Show

The Cross Coupé SUV concept is Volkswagen's surprise debut for the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show that opened its doors (to the press) today.

The German automaker says that concept is a study for a potential new CC-style SUV that "hints at how a crossover between a four-door coupé and an SUV could look like" -think small BMW X6- while also previewing an evolved form of VW's current design language.

The concept is the first VW model based on the company’s new ‘modular transverse matrix’ or MQB platform architecture to be shown to the public. The MQB chassis will be used in a number of VW Group models ranging from the next Golf to the Audi TT's successor.

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Volkswagen Looks Into the Transporter's Future with New eT! Concept Van

Volkswagen has been in the business of making light commercial vans for over 60 years now, ever since the introduction of the famous T1 / Type 2 (also known as the Kombi and the Microbus) based on the legendary Beetle in 1950.

Now, the German automaker wants to reinvent the commercial van and show the road it will follow with the future generations of the Transporter through an innovative concept model called eT!.

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Spicy VW Beetle R Concept Makes its U.S. Debut at the 2011 LA Auto Show [Updated Gallery +Video]

Officially, it’s just a concept, but the wording on VW’s press release hints at a production version of the Beetle R that was first shown at the 64th IAA in Frankfurt before it made its North American debut today at the LA Auto Show.

Developed by Volkswagen R GmbH - that is, the same people responsible for the Scirocco R and Golf R models, the Beetle R is said to show “the potential for an ever sportier version of the Beetle”.

The company also claims that the 200HP turbocharged 2.0-liter of the Beetle Turbo “could offer even more performance, similar to that of the Golf R and Scirocco R”.

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A Photo Tour of the VW Group’s 2011 Wörthersee Festival with 150 Images

For the past thirty year, tens of thousands of enthusiasts of Volkswagen Group cars assemble on the shores of Lake Worthersee in Austria to participate in the largest festival of its kind in the world. Over the years, Volkswagen and the other brands of the German group including Audi, Seat and Skoda, have used the show to unveil special concepts, new models and studies that hint at future production versions or accessories.

At this year’s event (June 1 to 4, 2011), the VW Group prepared several vehicles for the festival including the production VW Golf GTI 35 Edition with 235HP, the VW Golf Cabriolet GTI and R concepts, the wild 503HP Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro study, and the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Convertible prototype. As you may have noticed, the company didn’t show much love for its Seat brand which was left to display its current lineup.

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Yuhan Zhang’s Aqua is the Personal VW Hovercraft Concept of Tomorrow

Before budget airlines and the Channel Tunnel, the faster way to get from Britain to France was by hovercraft. The largest of these was the SNR4, a 300-ton behemoth capable of carrying 380 passengers and 40 cars at a speed of 70 mph (113 km/h). In the 1950s and ‘60s, magazines like Popular Science and Popular Mechanics were predicting a future where we’d all be cruising around in affordable, personal hovercrafts. Sadly, it was not to be.

Now, some 11 years after the last SNR4 was retired, 21-year-old industrial design graduate Yuhan Zhang has resurrected the personal hovercraft in the form of her Volkswagen Aqua study.

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VW Golf GTI Cabriolet Concept Live from Wörthersee. Should it be Built?

Yesterday, we brought you the first images of Volkswagen’s Golf GTI Cabriolet study but today we have live photos from the car’s world premiere at the Wörthersee meeting in Austria along with official information on the concept.

The hotted-up convertible is based on the standard Golf GTI with power coming from the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 210-horsepower and 280 Nm (207-lbs/ft) of peak torque at 1.800 rpm.

Volkswagen says the open-air model’s performance matches that of the closed-top GTI with a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 7 seconds and a top speed of around 240km/h (149 mph).

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Volkswagen Unwraps Two More Golf R Concepts at Wörthersee Tour

If there’s one thing die-hard Volkswagen fans visiting this week’s annual Wörthersee Tour in Austria aren’t going to complain about, is the lack of Golf concepts. We have already shown you the Golf GTI Cabriolet and Golf R Cabriolet and now we bring you two more studies based on the flagship Golf R hatchback. The two Golf R Color concepts were first shown at the Geneva Salon this past March and were created to demonstrate the numerous customization possibilities. Read more »

Volkswagen Brings Golf GTI Cabriolet Study as well to Wörthersee Meet

And the news just keeps dropping in from the largest annual GTI Meet in the world at lake Wörthersee in the southern Austrian state of Carinthia. Aside from the 270-horsepower strong Golf R Cabriolet concept that we told you about earlier today, Volkswagen also brought along a GTI study of the recently launched drop-top model.

We’re still short on information as Volkswagen has not yet published any details, but it’s safe to say that the Golf GTI Convertible is powered by either the standard Golf GTI hatchback’s 210HP 2.0-liter TFSI or the Golf GTI 35th Anniversary Edition’s 235HP 2.0-liter turbocharged unit sourced from the Golf R. Obviously power is transferred to the front wheels either through a six-speed manual gearbox or VW’s DSG transmission. The car also appears to be riding on a lowered suspension.

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Volkswagen Debuts Golf R Cabriolet Study with 270-Horses at Wörthersee

This year’s Wörthersee meet in Austria is turning out to be quite an event for the Germans with the Volkswagen Group brands churning out one concept after the other. Following the debut of the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Convertible, the German group pulled the veils off the Golf R Cabriolet study.

Using the recently introduced new Golf Cabriolet as a base, the designers and engineers of the Volkswagen R GmbH division built a convertible version of the gutsy Golf R hatchback.

Just like its closed top counterpart, the soft-top Golf R Cabriolet is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine putting out 270-horses and 350Nm (258.2 lb-ft) of peak torque from a low 2,500 rpm. The standard sprint to 100km/h (62mph) from standstill comes in less than 6.0 seconds while top speed is limited at 250km/h (155mph).

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By the People, for the People: Volkswagen Asks China to Help it Design a New Model

Here’s an idea: why not simply ask the public what they want in a car? Focus groups are one thing, but Volkswagen is taking this concept to extremes with its newly launched People’s Car Project. The ostensible goal of the project is to solicit advice from some of China’s 450 million internet users; advise that will shape a new model for the Chinese domestic market.

Dubbed “mass manufacturing” by Volkswagen, the Orwellian-sounding project will run for one year and gather Chinese consumers’ input in the form of text, images and film through the Zaoche website. There will also be competitions where users can vote for their favourite designs, and prizes will be handed out to the best. If proven successful, the same idea could be implemented in other regions as well.

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Volkswagen Files Design Patents for Jetta Coupe

Found on the trademark office, are these patent drawings of the Volkswagen Jetta Coupe, or as the German automaker named the concept version of the car at the Detroit Auto Show in January, the NCC (New Compact Coupe).

Those skimming the photos may notice a couple of changes over the concept model that was motivated by a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. These include the more production like grille and addition of fog lamps up front, and the visible exhaust tail pipes at the back.

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Retro Take for 2012 New VW Beetle Design Study

There's a lot of speculation going around about whether or not Volkswagen will introduce a second generation of the New Beetle. Either way, independent designers from all four-corners of the world are continuing to offer their take on how a 2012 New Beetle should look like.

This here design study for a New Beetle MkII was penned by our Brazilian friend Eduardo Oliveira, who you may remember from previous concepts like the 2012 Jetta, Hyundai i30 Sedan and Ford Thunderbird CC. Unlike David Cordoso's futuristic-looking proposal (see here) that we showed you back in May, Oliveira's design for the New/New Beetle is far more retro.

Follow the jump to check the full image gallery and tell us what you think about it in the comments section below.

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Xenatec Shows Off its "Dream Cars": Bentley SUV, BMW 6-Series Sedan and More

Now that their limited production Maybach 57S Coupe (see here) has made the rounds, here are some of the other proposals from Xenatec. Since the company's specialty is chassis modification (and the necessary body work thereafter), they've got some ideas for a lengthened (and shortened) "dream cars".

Have a look at the gallery below and see what tickles your fancy. The SUV limos are a bit much, but the rag-top conversions don't look too bad (especially the CLS and 300).

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