Category: Skoda

Categories
Audi Skoda Volkswagen

Volkswagen Group Australia suspends TDI sales

Volkswagen Tiguan 130TDI

The noxgate issue has become very real for local car buyers after Volkswagen Group Australia this morning issued a statement announcing that all sales of models fitted with 1.6 litre and 2.0 litre EA189 diesel engines have been suspended:

“Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) met with the relevant government authorities yesterday to advise them of its strategy in Australia to address concerns that have been raised around the world regarding the diesel emissions issue.

“In its first step, effective immediately VGA has temporarily suspended the sale of affected vehicles fitted with 1.6 or 2.0-litre EA189 diesel engines. The suspension will remain until the emission issues are addressed in those vehicles.

“VGA will make further announcements next week.”

If you already own a vehicle with one of these diesel engines it remains safe to drive.

Other Volkswagen Group models fitted with different diesel engines do not feature the controversial defeat device, designed to cheat emissions tests, and remain unaffected.

It’s understood there are over 1000 affected vehicles in holding yards around the country. A list of suspended models is shown below:

Audi

  • A4 2.0 TDI
  • A5 2.0 TDI
  • Q5 2.0 TDI

Skoda

  • Yeti
  • Superb

Volkswagen

  • Caddy
  • Jetta
  • Passat
  • Passat CC
  • Tiguan

This list may not be exhaustive, if you have concerns please check with the relevant manufacturer using the numbers below:

  • Audi: 1800 502 834
  • Skoda: 1800 607 540​
  • Volkswagen: 1800 607 822

[Source: motoring.com.au | Thanks to John for the tip]

Categories
Audi Porsche Skoda Video Volkswagen

VIDEO: A look at Wörthersee 2015

Worthersee 2015

As well as being a platform for the Volkswagen Group to release some very cool concept metal the annual Wörthersee GTI Treffen is otherwise a very big gathering of petrolheads. In fact, it’s the largest Volkswagen/Audi/etc gathering in Europe.

It’s also a big lake in Austria.

Here’s a video that takes you behind the scenes of 2015 show.

[Thanks to John for the tip]

Continue reading “VIDEO: A look at Wörthersee 2015”
Categories
Audi Bentley Lamborghini Porsche Seat Skoda Volkswagen

Volkswagen Group cracks 10 million annual sales

Volkswagen's Autostadt, Wolfsburg, Germany

In 2014, for the first time, the Volkswagen Group has achieved 10 million sales in a calendar year.

Across the group of companies a 4.2% increase in sales for the year resulted in 10.14 million vehicles being sold. Just 10 years ago the Group was shifting around 5 million units per year.

Volkswagen passenger vehicles make up the bulk of the sales, with the brand passing six million annual sales for the first time last year.

Audi sales across the globe increased by more than 10% and numbered 1.74 million.

Porsche managed 189,000 sales, up by a very healthy 17%, thanks in part to the launch of the Macan SUV.

Skoda reached a new high sales mark, passing 1 million sales for the first time. An increase of almost 13% on the previous year’s sales.

All this means that the Group’s Strategy 2018 is well underway to being achieved.

Continue reading “Volkswagen Group cracks 10 million annual sales”
Categories
Audi Bentley Bugatti Lamborghini News Porsche Seat Skoda Suzuki Volkswagen

Volkswagen Group tipped to rebrand as Auto Union

Auto Union badge

Here’s a rumour from GoAuto that has grabbed our interest, according to its report Volkswagen Group is considering a name change to Auto Union.

A possible theory for the change would be to establish a greater sense of independence for each of the brands under Volkswagen’s control, by removing the Volkswagen name from the umbrella company.

Volkswagen Group controls or owns outright the following marques: Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, MAN, Porsche, Scania, Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. In addition, the group is also the largest shareholder in Suzuki, with a 20% share.

Auto Union is not a new name in the motoring world and was the precursor to what we now know as Audi. Originally formed in 1932 and consisting of four companies—Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer—Auto Union was essentially dissolved by the Soviets after WWII.

However, soon after, in 1949, Auto Union came back to life building two-stroke DKWs. Daimler-Benz took a majority shareholding in 1958 and saw a return of the Auto Union brand and investment in the company’s Ingolstadt factory.

In 1964 Daimler-Benz began to offload its shares and later that year Volkswagen assumed control after it bought the rights to the Auto Union name and the Ingolstadt site. The Audi brand was revived in 1965 and remains as the sole survivor from those Auto Union days.

[Source: GoAuto | Pic: CarType/John Lloyd]

Categories
Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz MINI Motor Shows Nissan Peugeot Porsche Renault Rolls-Royce Seat Skoda Subaru Vauxhall Volkswagen Volvo

2014 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 2

2014 Geneva Motor Show

Here’s your second batch of photos from the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, that makes it 155 photos in all. We start part 2 with the very cool Maserati Alfieri concept and end with the very cool Volvo Concept Estate. Cool!

Continue reading “2014 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 2”
Categories
Alfa Romeo Audi BMW Chevrolet Citroen Ferrari Infiniti Jaguar Lamborghini Mercedes-Benz Motor Shows Nissan Porsche Rolls-Royce Seat Skoda Subaru Tesla Volkswagen

2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in pictures

2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

The lights have been turned off at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and the mammoth task of dismantling the huge displays has begun. To recap what you may have missed here’s a selection of 120+ pics reminding you what was on show.

Continue reading “2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in pictures”
Categories
McLaren Mercedes-Benz MINI Motor Shows Nissan Pagani Peugeot Renault Rolls-Royce Skoda Toyota Volkswagen Volvo Vuhl

2013 Goodwood FoS in pictures – gallery 2

2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed

This is your second fix of images from the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed. We start with McLaren and take you all the way to Vuhl, plus a few bonus pics at the end.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s final gallery which is a dedicated set of Porsche images.

See also: 2013 Goodwood FoS in pictures – gallery 1

Continue reading “2013 Goodwood FoS in pictures – gallery 2”
Categories
Audi Safety Issues Skoda Volkswagen

Audi, Skoda to join Australian DSG recall

Audi A1

The news just keeps getting worse for the Volkswagen Group with word that Audi and Skoda will be joining Volkswagen Australia in the voluntary recall to remedy problems with the 7-speed DSG (DQ200) transmission.

Nothing official has yet to emerge from the PR departments of Audi or Skoda but it is understood over 6200 A1 and A3 vehicles, as well as around 1750 Octavia and Superb models will be included in the recall. As with Volkswagen, the date range for the affected vehicles falls between 2008–2011.

That takes the total number of Australian sold vehicles to be included in the voluntary recall well beyond 30,000. That’s gonna take some time to work through!

[Source: Go Auto]

Categories
Skoda

2013 Skoda Octavia vRS revealed

2013 Skoda Octavia vRS

Skoda brings us an official preview of its all-new Octavia vRS, which have a full debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 10 July. New car launches are always accompanied by a raft of attention grabbing headlines and this new vRS is no exception, carrying the tag of “fastest Octavia everrrrr!”

Of course, the Octavia vRS has the luxury of nicking the drivetrain from the Mk7 Golf GTI which gives the car a great head start. Although, it’s interesting to note that in the Octavia vRS the 2.0 litre turbocharged four cylinder has been capped at 220PS (162kW); they’ve not been granted access to the extra 7kW made available in the GTI Performance Pack.

Fans of oil burners can also rejoice in the new Octavia vRS for it is also available with a 184PS (135kW) 2.0 litre turbocharged diesel.

You can choose from a 6-speed manual or 6-speed DSG with either engine and with the manual and 2.0 litre petrol boxes ticked you’ll reach 100km/h in 6.8 seconds.

As you’d expect the vRS model has the sporty bits bolted on, meaning uprated suspension running 12mm lower than the regular Octavia. Also featured is the XDS electronic differential lock, although it’s worth noting this is not the trick mechanical XDS+ from the GTI.

Safety features and driver aids get a good run in the new vRS as well. Things like Front Assistant with city emergency braking, Lane Assistant, Automatic Post Collision Braking System, Driver Fatigue Sensor, Adaptive Cruise Assistant, Intelligent Light Assistant and more can be had to help make your driving experience a safer and more pleasurable one. We do like the keyless entry system which has been titled KESSY.

For now we’ve only been given a handful of pics, but we like what we see. Some interior shots would have been nice, but we expect Skoda will come good with all the detail during the Goodwood FoS.

And we’ve saved the best for last, too, the Octavia vRS is available in estate form—and it looks fantastic! Be cool, buy the estate.

Continue reading “2013 Skoda Octavia vRS revealed”
Categories
McLaren Mercedes-Benz MINI Mitsubishi Motor Shows Nissan Opel Pagani Peugeot Porsche Renault Rolls-Royce Seat Skoda Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo

2013 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 2

2013 Geneva Motor Show

You can have your fancy pants limited-edition Lambo, or your stonking new LaFerrari, even the McLaren P1; we’re not really interested. The car of Geneva, for us, is the Porsche 911 GT3. That’s the one we’d like to take home and get intimate with. And so begins the second and final part of our Geneva Motor Show image gallery. There’s over 120 new  images to see and enjoy.

Continue reading “2013 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 2”
Categories
Skoda

2013 Skoda Octavia RS leaked

2013 Skoda Octavia RS

Hot on the heels of the official info on the all-new Octavia comes these four grainy images of the range-topping RS model. The images of the RS were sourced directly from Skoda’s website configurator before some “technical issues” saw the configurator pulled down and the images quickly removed.

We can see Skoda has tarted up the RS with LED daytime running lights, a more aggressive bodykit, including a fixed wing on the boot, and model-specific alloy wheels. Expect the 2.0 litre turbo engine from the Mk7 Golf GTI to be found under the bonnet when the Octavia RS hits the streets later next year.

[Source: autoforum.cz via WCF]

Continue reading “2013 Skoda Octavia RS leaked”
Categories
Skoda

2013 Skoda Octavia revealed

2013 Skoda Octavia

During the week Skoda gave us a preview of their all-new Octavia. It’s due for an official unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2013, which may explain why they’ve been a little shy and released only four images of the third-generation Octavia.

As we’ve come to expect from Volkswagen Group models of late the look is very evolutionary. If one was being polite they might say the new Octavia has a clean, fuss-free look that shows the car is ready to go about its business. If one was being rude, well, they might say the new Octavia looks a bit dull.

You can’t release a new model these days without it being bigger than the car it replaces—why would you bother—and the new Octavia is no different. It’s 90mm longer, 45mm wider and the wheelbase has grown by 108mm compared with the old Octavia. Skoda says all that adds up to class-leading space.

The usual range of Volkswagen-sourced engines will find their way into the Octavia range, along with the latest generation in safety and driver aids. Features such as Adaptive Cruise Assistant, Intelligent Light Assistant (high-beam assist), traffic-sign recognition and keyless entry will be available in the Octavia for the first time.

Showing they’ve thought of everything, Skoda proudly boasts they have adorned the car with a host of “Simply Clever” features. The highlight, we think, is the ice scraper found behind the fuel flap. Just what we need!

Continue reading “2013 Skoda Octavia revealed”