Vehicles

The Volkswagen Taos, a big idea in small SUVs

More than half of the new vehicles sold in the United States so far this year have been SUVs, a trend that hasn’t been seen in decades. It’s easy to see why; SUVs typically have more space, more capability and often as much performance as their owners can use. And while SUVs have a reputation as larger vehicles, more buyers now want those same attributes in a package that takes up less room. That’s the concept behind the all-new Volkswagen Taos, a new compact SUV that’s smaller than the Tigua

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Vehicles

Meet the Volkswagen ID.4: Finally, an electric SUV for you

Americans’ embrace of the SUV has reached the point where just under half of all vehicles sold new in the United States are some kind of SUV. Meanwhile, despite all the potential benefits of electric vehicles, their costs and lack of choice or availability have kept their numbers low – just over 1 percent of new sales. Today, Volkswagen unveils the SUV that’s meant to bring electric vehicles to the mainstream – the all-new ID.4 electric SUV. It has ample battery range and recharging capabilit

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Company

Join us in the electric future, and drive bigger for the planet

Today, we reveal the first electric SUV for Volkswagen in America – the ID.4 EV. While it’s new to you, it’s something we’ve been working on for a few years now, and we’re proud to finally share it with the world. But it’s not just the launch of a car – it’s our biggest step yet on our new path to change the future of driving. Our past has fueled our future and changed the way we operate as a company. It’s made us even more committed to a more sustainable future, one in which we plan to reduc

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Company

Why battery power will drive the future of transportation

Chances are you might have at least two lithium-ion batteries on your body right now – one on your wrist, and one in the phone in your pocket. You may have multiple more if you’re holding a car key fob or have a pacemaker or any other electronic device. But do you know how those batteries actually work? For a technology at the heart of modern life, batteries remain something of a mystery. While humans have used batteries for hundreds of years, it’s only within the past decade that the scie

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Company

RSVP for an EV SUV with a $100 reservation for the Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicle

In good times or bad, people need their vehicles. Over the past few months, Volkswagen of America has worked with dealers on a new shopping and buying experience so our customers can shop from home. Next month, Volkswagen will unveil its first electric SUV, the ID.4 — and a new system that allows customers to reserve their car. The Volkswagen reservation platform will make its debut on Sept. 23rd, immediately following the reveal of the all-new, zero-tailpipe emission Volkswagen ID.4 electric

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Company

How Volkswagen is helping diverse suppliers find their footing

Automakers may be fierce competitors on the showroom floors and production lines, but in one critical area they share a common goal: working to equip diverse suppliers to help build the future of electric mobility and autonomous cars. The Automotive Industry Group (AIG)—a coalition of industry competitors including Volkswagen Group of America—works to develop and train suppliers in advanced technologies so that minority-, women-, veteran- and LGBTQ+-owned businesses have a chance to compe

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Owners

#TBT: Volkswagens tie grandkids to their family legacies

Eric Shoemaker had no real interest in cars. As a designer and entrepreneur, he primarily took an interest in hobbies like woodworking, furniture restoration, and photography. Today, however, he not only owns a business with his wife Amanda that restores air-cooled German engine components, but his website (1967beetle.com) is a go-to resource for tech tips, classifieds, and Volkswagen stories from around the globe. And what he attributes as the catalyst for his newfound passion is a 1967 Bee

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Company

Volkswagen marks National Wildlife Day with Chattanooga preservation efforts

When Volkswagen built the Chattanooga plant, the company pledged to restore nearby wetlands in an effort to help protect local wildlife and preserve the natural environment. In the first several years after the plant’s opening, Volkswagen successfully restored over 40 acres of biodiverse wetland through regular testing, monitoring and studies. Today, the total wetland area spans over 88 acres and is home to 15 endangered animals, hundreds of species of wildlife, including 167 species of b

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Community

#TBT: One owner, 42 Volkswagen vehicles, endless memories

You always remember your first car. For Taylor Bryant, that first car – an old Beetle – drew the template of a life-long connection to Volkswagen that has grown to more than 40 vehicles over the years. “I’ve always liked European cars and had a soft spot for Volkswagens,” Bryant said. His affection for VW began as a kid in Charleston, South Carolina. Bryant would ride his bike to the local Volkswagen dealership and admire the latest models while chatting with technicians. Six years lat

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Community

How “van-lifers” embrace authentic and adventurous lifestyles

Over the past decade, a growing movement of van dwellers have ditched their cubicles for the open road, living out of their vehicles and documenting their journeys as they travel the world. It has become a lifestyle, online aesthetic and career — one both Kristen Bor and Linda Romero have embraced. When they met, Bor and Romero were studying for their master’s degrees in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California at Santa Barbara. The now full-time bloggers wen

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Chattanooga

#TBT: Volkswagen Chattanooga Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of Volkswagen Academy

In the early 2000s, Volkswagen operated several successful apprenticeship programs in Germany and, because of its success abroad, the company decided to bring it stateside. The apprenticeship program, one of the core programs of the Volkswagen Academy, officially launched with the opening of the Chattanooga Plant in 2010 and has since trained over 100 apprentices. This year, as the program marked its 10th anniversary, 28 apprentices successfully completed the program and transitioned into

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Community

How to give your vehicle the detailing TLC it needs at home

When shelter-in-place orders took effect in cities across the U.S. this spring, a hobby renaissance began. Images of people comfort baking, knitting and puzzling flooded social media, along with car enthusiasts showing off their new DIY car detailing projects. “Our business was doing some doomsday planning as most small businesses were at the start of the pandemic, waiting for the wall to close in and it just never did,” said Jared Toops, General Manager and Director of E-Commerce at Car

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Accessories

Six popular Volkswagen car accessories for summer fun

In this pandemic summer, Americans have hit the roads to get away, with AAA predicting an estimated 683 million road trips from July to September. That has also driven many owners to buy accessories that they may have overlooked until now. Robert Gal, a senior manager of performance and accessories at Volkswagen, says the company has seen a “really big, year-over-year spike” in sales of its road trip-related accessories. Here’s a look at the Volkswagen accessories that have seen some of the l

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Company

Putting electric vehicle charging to a high-temp test

Whether in your phone, your watch or a next-generation electric vehicle, batteries can respond differently to temperature extremes. And when you’re about to build millions of electric vehicles worldwide, engineers want to research what could happen when plugging an EV into a 350-kW DC fast charger on the hottest days. That’s why Volkswagen Group has spent the past year building one of the most advanced EV charging test sites in the world at the Arizona Proving Grounds. The 50 charging station

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Partnerships

Team Volkswagen kicks off Drive Bigger program to get charities back on the field

As the world works toward a new normal in the COVID-19 era, sports like soccer have had to adapt and try new approaches. With teams and players slowly returning to the field, the demands on soccer-related charities remain high, with programs delayed or cancelled and needs greater than ever. To help address those challenges, Volkswagen of America has worked with U.S. Soccer Men’s and Women’s National Team players who serve as brand ambassadors on Team Volkswagen. These ten ambassadors have cho

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Company

Volkswagen Group of America welcomes first ship to new Baltimore port

Volkswagen Group of America is proud to return to the port of Baltimore and welcomed its first ship Friday at its new processing facility. Covering 115 acres, the recently built distribution center at the Tradepoint Atlantic terminal will import, process and distribute about 120,000 new vehicles from Europe and Mexico each year to dealerships across the eastern United States, with plans to expand in the future. Built with an investment of about $150 million, the new VWGoA facility is expecte

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Community

Drive-in theaters experience a revival nationwide amid COVID

Drive-in movie theaters are one of the few businesses experiencing a renaissance amid the coronavirus pandemic. As one of the few entertainment destinations you can still visit outside of the home, they’ve experienced a boom in popularity and demand over the past couple months. “We’ve seen a resurgence in interest across the country. Our shows are selling out every night. It’s the best market I have ever seen in all my years in business,” says Jim Kopp, owner of The Family Drive-in Theatre i

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Vehicles

#TBT – Volkswagen Golf Country

Built in 1990, the Golf Country was an early foray into the crossover SUV category for Volkswagen and even predated the Toyota RAV4—one of the first mass-market CUVs—by four years. With just 7,735 vehicles produced in two years from 1990 to 1991, the rugged, off-road worthy Golf Mark 2 variant - with lifted suspension and all-wheel drive - is now a collectible modern classic. Volkswagen introduced the “Montana” concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 1989. At the time, the off-road Golf Mark 2 va

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Community

How Volkswagen owners are supporting COVID-19 relief efforts

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, Volkswagen drivers across the nation are pitching in to help their neighbors. Community service is nothing new to Marqese Singleton, and when the pandemic hit his community in early March, he had no plans of slowing down. A parent liaison for Hawthorne Avenue Elementary School in Newark, New Jersey, Singleton has distributed free, fresh vegetables to local families every week for the past three years. On Fridays, he picks up unused produce in his white 2013 Vo

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#TBT: One million vehicles strong – three times over

  At any car factory, the one-millionth vehicle serves as a milestone of success. With Volkswagen of America’s Chattanooga plant hitting that mark last week, it’s worth looking back at some memorable moments for Volkswagen production– and what’s coming next. Sixty-five years ago this August, the one-millionth Volkswagen rolled off the assembly line in Wolfsburg. Following World War II, the Volkswagen factory started slowly producing the Beetle and the Bus, but by 1955 the Beetle w

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Lifestyle

#TBT: Ten movies co-starring Volkswagen classics

While many movie theaters remain closed, even as some states start to re-open this month, you can still get your film fix from home. Whether you want to watch something new or revisit an old favorite, these ten movies featuring Volkswagen models are perfect for any mood. The films are available for rent on most streaming services, so make some popcorn, dim the lights and see if you can spot these beloved cars. ‘The Love Bug’ (1968): A down-on-his-luck racecar driver and his mechanic discove

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