Tag Archives: Volkswagen

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Volkswagen Aims for the Masses (and the Heart) at IAA Mobility 2025

Volkswagen isn’t just showing cars in Munich this September—it’s staging a full-on brand experience. Two years after debuting its “urban world of experience” at IAA Mobility, the Wolfsburg giant is back, and this time the focus is squarely on electric accessibility, performance heritage, and the company’s evolving place in everyday life.

The Star of the Show: An Affordable EV SUV

At Odeonsplatz, VW will pull the wraps off a fully electric compact SUV concept that previews a production model due next year. Slotting into the T-Cross class, this entry-level EV is billed as a cornerstone of the automaker’s “Electric Urban Car Family,” developed under the Brand Group Core umbrella alongside Škoda, SEAT, and Cupra.

Volkswagen promises more than just low-cost mobility. Kai Grünitz, the brand’s development chief, says the show car “sets standards within its class in terms of design, quality, operation, and space.” Translation: VW wants to prove that affordability doesn’t have to look or feel cheap.

A New T-Roc and a Nostalgic Collaboration

Not everything in Munich will be electric. The all-new T-Roc, a critical volume seller in Europe, makes its debut alongside the new EV. Volkswagen is also mining its heritage with a bit of performance fashion flair: the ID.3 GTX FIRE+ICE, a limited-run EV styled in collaboration with sportswear brand BOGNER FIRE+ICE. It will share the spotlight with the original Golf II Fire and Ice from the ’90s, a cult classic that still makes enthusiasts smile.

GTI at 50: Turning Up the Heat

Performance fans won’t be left out. VW is bringing the Golf GTI Edition 50, fresh from its Nürburgring debut. Packing 325 horsepower, it’s the most powerful production GTI to date—proof that Wolfsburg hasn’t forgotten how to stir the enthusiast’s soul even as it accelerates toward an EV-heavy future.

Beyond Cars: A Brand Playground

VW’s Open Space stand will be more than sheet metal on pedestals. Interactive stations, a GTI History Wall, racing simulators, and even personalized AI-driven brand experiences aim to make the visit memorable for fans of all ages. A Future Materials Lab will showcase the automaker’s work on recyclable, sustainable interior solutions—an increasingly hot topic as regulators push for circular production cycles.

Of course, no Volkswagen event would be complete without a nod to its cultural staples: the legendary VW Currywurst and free Melitta coffee will be on hand, alongside live music from acts like Armi Warning and Pa Sheehy. Even rock legend Peter Maffay is set to join expert talks exploring the intersection of professional sport, culture, and mobility.

A Stage, Not Just a Show

Martin Sander, VW’s sales and marketing chief, puts it plainly: “For us, the IAA MOBILITY is more than just a trade fair—it is a stage on which we make it possible to experience Volkswagen’s vision of mobility for everyone.”

In Munich this September, that vision looks equal parts accessible EVs, nods to heritage, and a healthy dose of brand theater.

Source: Volkswagen

NEW CARS

New Volkswagen T-Roc: Half-Electric, Half-Petrol, All Very Confusing

Ah, the Volkswagen T-Roc. Once the slightly left-field choice in VW’s SUV line-up — less Golf-on-stilts, more Golf-with-an-identity-crisis. Now, the Germans are giving it a second chance at life. The Mk2 T-Roc will break cover in the next few weeks before strutting its stuff at September’s Munich motor show, where VW also plans to roll out the ID 2X — a dinky electric SUV for people who think a Polo is just too rebellious.

But here’s the twist. This isn’t just another facelift with shinier lights and a grille large enough to inhale small wildlife. No, this is VW’s first-ever full hybrid system. That’s right — a Toyota-style setup where the car can run on petrol, electric, or both, depending on what mood it’s in. A proper HEV, not just a plug-in with delusions of grandeur.

That makes the T-Roc a bit of a guinea pig for Wolfsburg. Volkswagen has never sold a full hybrid before, and now it’s entering the game precisely as most of Europe is being told to bin hybrids altogether in favour of pure electric. Timing, eh? CEO Thomas Schäfer admits it’s a bit of an experiment. The thinking goes like this: South America wants hybrids, the US has suddenly rediscovered hybrids after falling out of love with EVs, and China… well, China will take whatever sells. And since the T-Roc is built in both South America and China, VW figured, why not give it a go?

The logic makes sense. Sort of. Europe is sprinting towards an all-electric future, but elsewhere the hybrid torch is still burning — and VW would rather not leave Toyota alone to hoover up sales with the Corolla Cross and RAV4. So the new T-Roc gets the job of testing the water. If it works, the system will spread to the Golf and Tiguan over the next two years. But don’t expect it in every MQB-based VW — they’re not going to “double everything up,” says Schäfer. Which is corporate speak for: don’t hold your breath for a hybrid Arteon.

So, what are we looking at here? In theory, a T-Roc that sips fuel like a nun at communion but still gives you that instant electric shove around town. In practice, well… we’ll have to wait until the covers come off. But here’s the real story: in 2025, Volkswagen has finally admitted it can’t ignore hybrids. Even as it preaches an all-electric future, it’s hedging its bets with old-school petrol-and-battery mash-ups.

Toyota will be smirking into its sake.

Source: Autocar

News

Volkswagen to Retire Touareg in 2026, Ending Its Premium SUV Era

Volkswagen is preparing to close a chapter in its history as it plans to retire the Touareg, its long-standing flagship SUV, with production set to end in 2026. Launched in 2002, the Touareg was conceived as part of an ambitious push into the premium market, developed alongside the first-generation Porsche Cayenne and built on the same platform. The collaboration not only gave Porsche its first SUV but also helped then-Volkswagen chief Ferdinand Piëch realise his vision of elevating the brand with halo models such as the Touareg and the luxury Phaeton sedan.

For more than two decades, the Touareg stood as a symbol of Volkswagen’s engineering capabilities—combining robust off-road credentials with luxury comfort and technology. Its departure, however, signals a shift in the company’s strategy. In today’s market, the focus is moving toward higher-volume, more cost-effective models with broader global appeal. Filling much of the Touareg’s role will be the Volkswagen Tayron, a more affordable SUV that offers versatility and practicality in two- and three-row configurations, a 2,500kg towing capacity with the 2.0-litre TSI 4Motion drivetrain, and a cabin designed for flexible family use.

The Touareg’s exit is not the only change in Volkswagen’s lineup. The company has also decided to discontinue the ID.5, its coupe-styled electric SUV sibling to the ID.4. Introduced in 2021 with a focus on the Chinese market, the ID.5 struggled to gain traction, overshadowed in Europe by the more practical ID.4 and never launched in the US. Production will wind down in 2027 as part of Volkswagen’s broader effort to streamline its offerings and concentrate on high-demand models.

Looking ahead, Volkswagen has hinted at a “mini Buzz,” a compact electric MPV based on the MEB platform intended as a spiritual successor to the Touran. However, the project is not currently a priority, and there is speculation that Skoda may take the lead on developing such a vehicle instead.

One reason for the cautious approach lies in the heavy workload at Volkswagen’s R&D centre in Braunschweig, where engineering resources are already stretched thin by development of key upcoming vehicles—chief among them the next-generation electric Golf.

With the Touareg’s retirement, Volkswagen closes the book on a bold premium SUV experiment that lasted 23 years. While its successors may be more mainstream in positioning, the Touareg’s legacy will remain as a testament to the era when Volkswagen set its sights squarely on the luxury elite.

Source: Volkswagen