It turns out I’m not the only one who is concerned with the stratospheric pricing of the 2011 Touareg Hybrid. Take a look at what RideLust had to say:

It looks like VW is again pricing the 2011 Touareg beyond the reach of the masses, especially in hybrid form. The Touareg Hybrid, Autoblog tells us, will sticker at $61,385 before you begin adding options to it. Sure, that’s 10% less that the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid, but no one expects a Porsche to be sensibly priced.

They hit the nail on the head, of course. No one expects a Porsche to be reasonably priced. Porsches are sexy beasts; they’re exotic. Volkswagen makes Punch Buggies and Jettas. They make the ultimate teenage girls’ cars. No one wants a $60k Volkswagen.

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Volkswagen has slapped a price tag on the 2011 Touareg Hybrid, and it’s quite disturbing. If you want this piece of German machinery, complete with the NIMH battery pack, electric motor, and 20 / 25 MPG ratings, be prepared to drop over sixty large.

Over sixty thousand dollars for a Volkswagen, no matter how loaded, is bordering on balls-out crazy. For the same reason the Phaeton was not a success. People who are spending luxury car money want a luxury brand on the back of the car. That little nameplate that says BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus is extremely important to these buyers.

Sorry VW, this vehicle doesn’t make sense. Especially when you remember the diesel gets better mileage for less money.

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The official unveiling is not quite upon us yet, but that doesn’t stop the Internet! Auto Express managed to get their hands on some images of the upcoming 2011 VW Jetta. They even snuck away with some tidbits of information on this all-new model.

For starters, VW stretched the Gold platform, creating more interior space. The Europeans will get the usual alphabet soup array of engine choices, including a 104 HP 1.2 liter TSI, 121 HP 1.4 liter TSI, 200 HP 2.0 liter TSI, 104 HP 1.6 liter TDI (diesel) and 138 HP 2.0 liter TDI. Whew. Engine offerings here in the States are likely to be drastically simplified, as they usually are.

In the looks departments, Volkswagen decided not to take any chances. The 2011 Jetta isn’t particularly bold or exciting – but it also doesn’t offend. It’s decent-enough looking, without being too bland. In today’s market, that’s probably not a bad idea.

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Leaked from a German Volkswagen brochure into the hands of the folks at Auto Express, this is the 2011 Passat. The front end gets a new look – with the added gee-whiz feature of LED DRL’s.

The interior is supposed to get some of the fancier bits from the VW CC (The four door coupe version of the Passat.) As long as that doesn’t come with a much higher price tag, I’d say that’s certainly a good thing.

No word on hardware updates at this time.

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Sometimes an automaker will do something that just makes me shake my head and ask WHY, OH WHY? This time around, that automaker is Volkswagen, and that something is building a new Phaeton. That’s right, you’re looking at the 2011 Volkswagen Phaeton, Vee Dub’s latest and greatest iteration of it’s super-luxury car.

2011 Volkswagen Phaeton Gallery

Now you might be thinking that Volkswagen isn’t a luxury brand. You would be right. You might also be thinking that VW owns Audi, and thus builds the Audi A8. You would be right again. Further, you might think that these two vehicles ( Phaeton and A8 ) would compete directly against each other. Dang, that’s three in a row – you’re pretty good at this.

Unfortunately, no one at Volkswagen seems to be quite as sharp. As a result, they’re going to go ahead and build the brand new 2011 Phaeton, regardless of what sound logic would say.

Don’t get me wrong – the Phaeton is an amazing car. Huge interior (insanely huge rear seats) with every luxury a person could ever want. Four-zone climate control, navigation with Google Maps, road sign recognition, and all sort of other wizardry are inside.

Pricing isn’t yet finalized, though you can be sure it’s in the six figure range. That’s what we call “Audi money.” Or BMW money. Or Mercedes money. It’s certainly not Volkswagen money, and that’s why I expect this car to fail as miserably as it’s predecessors.

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Introducing: The revised 2011 Volkswagen Touareg.  The norm for vehicle redesigns is more power, more size, more weight. More, more, more. Volkswagen is bucking the trend, as the 2011 Touareg manages to weigh 460 lbs less than the outgoing model – impressive. Not only that, but VW is offering a hybrid version with a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Expected fuel economy on the hybrid version is 28.6 MPG combined (based on the European test cycle.)

Even on the traditionally powered models, VW is expecting a 20% economy increase, thanks to the lower weight and better aerodynamics.

As for looks, the 2011 Touareg is a solid looking vehicle. It won’t win any beauty contests, but it isn’t likely to offend anyone, either. I’d say it’s one of the better looking SUV’s around. That’s especially true on the interior, which looks fantastic. Perhaps a few too many buttons, but all those features have to be controlled somehow. Check out the gallery after the jump.

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Before you get all excited, or start throwing things, the 2011 Amarok won’t be available in the United States, sorry. Instead, this 1-ton pickup will be available for sale in South America, Australia, and South Africa. Two engines will be available at launch – a 122 HP 4 cylinder TDI, as well as a more powerful 163 HP 2.0 liter TDI. Of course, these aren’t the kind of truck engines we’re used to here in the States, but they’re not out of the ordinary elsewhere in the world.

As for being a truck, well, I have my doubts. The number one thing people want in a truck? Dependability. Second would be gobs of power. Volkswagen doesn’t scream dependability, though the TDI engines in the Amark help ease that reputation somewhat. However, the interior concerns me. It would be more at home in a entry-level luxury sedan. It’s that nice. And that completely out of place in a pickup truck.

Let me put it this way – I wouldn’t want to get into the Amarok if I was dirty. And that concerns me, since this is a pickup truck we’re talking about. But then again, something like 95% of truck buyers don’t do any actual work with their trucks, so I guess it doesn’t make much difference.

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History extremely popular, the latest Volkswagen diesel, the Golf TDI, now has official MPG numbers from the EPA. Pricing too – though generally buyers of the TDI don’t take much notice to this area.

So, how well does the 2010 Golf TDI do in the gas mileage area? Pretty well, at least by EPA standards. 30 MPG city / 41 MPG highway ( standard ) or 30 MPG city / 42 MPG highway ( auto ) are the official numbers. Diesels traditionally get better mileage in the real world, which is quite the opposite of most cars.

The 2010 Gold TDI will start at a pretty darn reasonable $21990 , which is about $700 less than the Jetta TDI. Not cheap by any means, but for a car that size, with that fuel economy, it’s not unreasonable. Besides, some folks only buy VW diesels, and the sticker price won’t scare them away. I don’t expect anything different this time around.

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The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta sedan is out and about, though it’s still under pretty heavy camouflage. VW is going for an all-new look, which is good news, considering the current Jetta hasn’t changed design since 2004. Sure, it’s a good-looking car, but it’s time for a change.

Final design and hardware specs are unknown for now. Since VW has stated a desire to ramp up volume, expect the 2011 to go down market a bit in price. I think VW has finally realized that you can’t charge premium prices for a non-premium product.

Source.

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The difficult to spell midsize SUV from Volkswagen is getting a tad bit greener, either for the 2011 or 2012 model year. Well, just a tad bit anyway. Volkswagen is planning to use the Audi S4′s engine to start – a supercharged 3.0 liter TSI V6. Add in a 38kW electric motor and an 8 speed automatic, and voila – you have a beast of a Touareg. Expected output is a whopping 374 HP, and a ground-shaking 406 lb-ft of torque. Can you say 0-60 in <7 seconds?

Though the EPA hasn’t gotten ahold of the Touareg Hybrid just yet, VW is hoping for as much as a 26 MPG combined rating. While that isn’t likely to save the pandas, it’s a pretty solid number for such a large, powerful vehicle. Pricing is anyone’s guess – can you say “really freakin expensive” in German?

Source.

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