Archive for September, 2010

Volkswagen began running “Diesel’s Not a Dirty Word” commercials some time in 2009. In fact, Volkswagen is the only major consumer car manufacturer that heavily advertised diesel in recent memory. The main selling points behind diesel are…:

• Lower price per gallon
• Lower pollution

Lower pollution argument aside, does the difference in price per gallon really make sense?

We pulled historical data from U.S. Energy Information Administration and compared price of regular gasoline to the price of diesel over the last 15 years. Results below:

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

Note: Price is in cents (eg. 100 cents = $1).

Per graph above, the price of diesel is goes up and down and follows the same trend as regular gas. It is also unclear whether diesel is much cheaper than regular gas since it seems to zig-zag.

Bottom line: think twice before buying into the argument of cost savings with diesel.

If you thought Volkswagen only manufactures Volkswagens – think again. We thought it would be interesting to put together a list of all the brands behind the Volkswagen corporate umbrella.

1. Volkswagen
2. Audi
3. Seat (European brand)
4. Skoda (European brand)
5. Bentley
6. Bugatti
7. Lamborghini
8. Scania (Commercial vehicles: buses, trucks)

So verdict is this: Volkswagen carries 1 (Volkswagen) core international medium price brand, 1 (Audi) luxury international brand, 2 (Seat, Skoda) domestic brands, 1 (Bentley) ultra-luxury brand, 2 (Bugatti, Lamborghini) higg-end sports car brands and 1 (Scania) commercian vehicle division. Such breakdown is not very different from any other manufacturer. In fact, this portfolio of products is highly focused…as opposed to some other manufacturers like Honda (with lawn mowers)

Volkswagen has been around for over 70 years. Needless to say, the company ran numerous car commercials over the years. We took the liberty of compiling together a quick list of the “best in its category” Volkswagen commercials since about 2000.

The “smartest” car feature portrayal

The “most original” concept

The most “painful” commercial

Carefree maintenance sounds like a great sales pitch for the Volkswagen folks. Today we will try to break down what’s actually included in the Carefree Maintenance and where it is actually care-free.

Note: All information is pulled from VW Carefree Maintenance page as of 9/2010.

What are the limits of the Carefree Maintenance program?

• 36,000 miles or 3 years – whichever comes first
• 2009 models or newer

What’s included in Volkswagen’s Carefree Maintenance package?

• Check and adjust tire pressure
• Check belts and hoses
• Check and top off fluids
• Check interior and exterior lights
• Clean and check wipers
• Review car features
• Oil change w/ synthetic oil

What are the maintenance intervals?

• 90 days or 6,000 miles
• 1 year or 10,000 miles
• 2 years or 20,000 miles
• 3 years or 30,000 miles

Note: Routan maintenance intervals are more frequent and occur in 6,000 miles increments starting with the first 6,000.

How much money am I really saving?

• Average oil change pricetag (synthetic oil): ~$45
• Other services (tire pressure, fluid top off, etc): ~$25
• Service intervals: 4
• ($45+$25) x 4 = $280

If we assume the most expensive service scenario, VW owners stand to save about $280 until Volkswagen’s Carefree Maintenance expires after 36,000 miles.

What is NOT included in the Carefree Maintenance?

• Replacement of “standard” wear and tear items: brakes, tires, wipers blades, light bulbs, etc
• Any sort of Roadside Assistance
• Some parts may be covered by Volkswagen’s warranty (original manufacturer’s warranty)

Bottom line: Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance is a “good to have” addition but it not something that will ultimately save a lot of money in the long run.

Advice: To learn about getting further protection for your vehicle, consider Volkswagen extended warranty.

If you’ve seen a futuristic sci-fi movie recently, you’ve probably noticed that all cars portayed in the film are sexy looking, sleek, stylish, no-corner body types. Something like the Volkswagen concept car (yet to be scheduled for production) with a catchy name Up!. The car is said to hit the mass production lines some time in 2012/2013.

Up! is supposed to become an urban favorite with a hope to rival other small cars such as Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit and even MINI Cooper. Volkswagen Up! is rumoured to be equipped as follows:

• 1.2-liter 3 cylinder engine (gas and diesel)
• 2-door body for Up! but possible 4-door version for Space Up!
• Intuitive driver dashboard with 8-inch monitor
• Roomy passenger seating area
• Decent size trunk with a sexy glass design

The vehicle is expected to get at least 50 MPG but some estimates for smaller engine trims suggest up to 80 MPG. These are very impressive numbers for a stanard interna combustion engine without “hybrid” bells and whistles.

Expected pricetag in the US may end up at around $10k, which is significantly less than any of the compact size rivals in the same class.

Up! pictures:

9/25 Update:

Volkswaagen Up! spy video from Insideline.com:

3/22/2011 Update:

Volkswagen announced that Volkswagen Up! concept will also be supplemented with additional 2 modified versions of Volkswagen Up!:

• Volkswagen spaceup!
• Volkswagen spaceup! Blue

Both vehicles are larger versions of Volkswagen Up! with the same guts as the original model.

Volkswagen spaceup! Picture:

Volkswagen spaceup! Blue Picture: