From tips and testimonials to upcoming Volkswagen events, our community section provides information to owners and enthusiasts alike.

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Enthusiast Event

For #ByeByeBeetle, a 700-hp tribute at SEMA

A skeleton-head shifter, seven-speed DSG transmission and a matte Army green finish are hardly the features you’d associate with a beloved Volkswagen Beetle. But for Marcel Horn, the founder and president of a Canadian custom auto shop HPA Motorsports, it’s the perfect sinister flavor for his custom Beetle build. “The Beetle can be a little cheeky, devilish critter,” said Horn, who debuted a custom Beetle at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in 1999. “That Dr. Jekyll-

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Owners

A ballpark bucket list: 60 days, 30 baseball stadiums, two friends – and one Jetta

Baseball and road trips are two of America’s favorite summer pastimes. Lyndon Suvanto, 27, and Dusan Krstic, 26, decided to combine the two and make it their summer mission to see every top-tier American baseball team play in their home stadium. The Canadian natives and ardent baseball fans hatched their cross-country plan while playing professional handball overseas. They began saving up funds and planning their two-month road trip in late 2018. “I figured now was the time to make it happ

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Vehicles

Nike offers pop-up experiences across America starring the Volkswagen ID. BUZZ CARGO

Founded by University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman and Oregon native Phil Knight, Nike began as the athletic shoe company Blue Ribbon Sports back in 1964. Nike’s first employee, Jeff Johnson, opened the company’s original brick-and-mortar storefront in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1967. When not manning the shop, Johnson would often drive his personal vehicle – a Volkswagen Type 2 bus – to local track meets to sell and deliver products directly to local runners out of the bus. In a hom

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Owners

‘It’s always about the kids’: Celebrating Kimberly Tuttle on World Teacher’s Day

https://youtu.be/dG2WFyTvk7g To mark World Teachers’ Day, an international celebration of educators, Volkswagen is celebrating Kimberly Tuttle and the positive impact she has had on her students’ lives. “This is my 21st year teaching,” Tuttle says, “and it is truly a dream.” A native of Blacksburg, Va., Tuttle teaches 11th grade English honors and advanced placement language and composition in Charlotte, N.C. Her excellence was recognized early on in her career by her peers and communit

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Vehicles

How plaid became part of Volkswagen Golf GTI history

No car has a claim to fame on a day to celebrate all things plaid quite like the Volkswagen Golf GTI – thanks to one woman’s pioneering choices that over the past four decades have become a symbol of driving enthusiasts worldwide. The Volkswagen Golf GTI’s debut in 1976 caused a sensation. Even though only a few details distinguished it visually from the original Golf, Volkswagen—influenced by one of the company’s first female designers—succeeded in transforming the compact car into an af

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Owners

This Hummus Shop’s Secret Sauce is in Their Roots — and a 1978 VW Bus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gumt_soJnKU&amp When Chefs Nick Wiseman and Ronen Tenne opened their hummus shop Little Sesame in Washington, D.C. in 2015, they wanted their restaurant’s foundation to have a very different philosophy than some of the New York City kitchens they’d cooked in over the years. They wanted to create a place that felt more grounded, that would enable them to build connections, explore new flavors and responsibly source their food, so they built one key ingredien

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Partnerships

Preserving a piece of civil rights history: The Jenkins’ Bus

Most vehicles that sit outside unattended for four decades aren’t destined to ever move again. But this 1966 Volkswagen Type 2 Deluxe Station Wagon isn’t just any Bus – it’s a piece of civil-rights history, and a memory of a family that spent decades working to make the country a better place. Esau and Janie B. Jenkins spent several decades fighting to improve the lives of their neighbors on Johns Island, S.C.  From the 1940s through the early 1970s, the Jenkins family built a network of

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Community

alice + olivia’s spring collection blooms into view with a Beetle backdrop

The fashion world gathers in New York City every September for a week-long reveal of the latest works from top designers, all capturing trends that will shape the industry in the coming year. Attendees put their best, well-heeled foot forward and see what the season ahead will bring. The brainchild of designer Stacey Bendet, alice + olivia’s Spring 2020 fashion presentation has long shed the stale catwalk approach for a series of nine “vignettes” – colorful, social-media-ready sets rangin

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Owners

Vintage Warehaus: A true restoration story

Tim Bolar’s passion for restoring vehicles started where many enthusiasts’ do: fixing up cars with his grandfather as a kid. Born and raised in Iowa, Bolar talks fondly about his childhood memories of going for ice cream runs in his granddad’s Volkswagen Bug and afternoons spent working on his Beetle. However, Bolar took his passion one step farther and turned it into a successful career path: he has a 9-to-5 job restoring vehicles and a side Volkswagen-inspired business called Vintage Wa

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Owners

From Beetles to robotics, one teacher’s passion for cool machines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ttf8in9YEw&feature=youtu.be Troy Rivers Jr.’s obsession with air-cooled Volkswagen cars dates back to his early teens. While his classmates were saving up for newer models, Rivers was pinching his pennies to be able to purchase a bright green 1969 Baja Volkswagen Beetle. “I went and looked at it with my mom and fell in love with it,” says Rivers. “It’s a blast to drive.” He attributes his love of vintage vehicles to his father and grandfather, who en

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Company

Watch the Volkswagen ID. R take on its latest speed challenge – a racing drone

From Pikes Peak to the Nürburgring and Goodwood, Volkswagen’s electric ID. R race car has set records around the world, showing how electric power can transform vehicle performance. Its latest challenge isn’t a famous track, but another type of breakthrough technology – a racing drone. Launched earlier this decade, drone racing now sports thousands of players worldwide and several professional leagues. All feature tiny, remote-controlled aircraft capable of reaching speeds of 85 mph or mo

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Company

The USWNT just brought home another championship—and ‘home’ was ready to celebrate

As the seconds ticked down in the final moments of the U.S. Women’s National Team 2-0 victory over the Netherlands, preparations were already underway in New York City – preparing a heroes’ welcome fit for a team that captured not only the championship, but the imagination of an entire nation.   Memorable? Undoubtedly. Once-in-a-lifetime? Not on our watch. At Volkswagen, we understand the deep pride people feel for this team. It’s this same pride that inspired us to become

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Special Event

Flint brings back its historic Soap Box Derby, with a little push from Volkswagen Group of America

As the cradle of the American automobile industry, Flint, Mich., has always been a playground for four-wheeled innovation. In the boom times of 1936, the town held its first Soap Box Derby for children and adults to home-build their own gravity-powered racers. Thousands of fans and even the occasional national political leader would attend the events, which were held until 1995. Since then, a lack of resources has kept the event on hiatus – until this summer, when Volkswagen Group of America

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Company

Volkswagen developing mobility solutions for people with disabilities

Volkswagen Group of America has a big mission: offering mobility solutions for people with disabilities. The Inclusive Mobility initiative is more than just a name; it’s a program that directly engages with disability groups in the early stages of designing vehicle technologies, user experience and mobility services. The initiative, led by the Inclusive Mobility team at the Innovation and Engineering Center California (IECC) in Belmont, Calif., is an industry first. While there have been pate

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Company

Come as you are: Creating a free, safe space for LGBTQ students and allies

Since its partnership with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 2011, Volkswagen has been committed to supporting educational programs that foster learning opportunities and connections between art and life. One of the programs made possible by Volkswagen’s partnership with MoMA is Open Art Space, a relaxed weekly drop-in program for LGBTQ high school students and allies who are interested in thinking about, and making, art in a creative and welcoming environment. The program is facilitated by

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Company

A new era for Volkswagen innovation in America begins with the Type 20 Concept

Some two decades ago, the Volkswagen Group opened a three-person office in Silicon Valley, looking to tap the region’s burgeoning tech scene for new transportation breakthroughs. Today, that office includes more than 180 engineers, designers, researchers and social scientists – the largest such office outside Germany. Earlier this month, Volkswagen announced a new name and increased responsibility for the site: the Innovation and Engineering Center California. And to demonstrate how it wi

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As the Beetle ends, a look at its impact on design and Volkswagen’s future

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) holds over 200,000 works of art in its collection from around the world that represent the best modern and contemporary art. One of these is a 1959 Volkswagen Beetle, acquired as an example of iconic industrial design and cultural impact.  With approximately 21 million Beetle units built, it was one of the best-selling vehicles globally of the 20th century. With the Beetle’s third generation coming to an end, Volkswagen convened a panel of design experts at

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Community

How pitcher Daniel Norris lives a Volkswagen #vanlife every offseason

Professional baseball pitcher Daniel Norris says music inspired him to live on the road. Growing up in Johnson City, Tenn., Norris was captivated by singer Jack Johnson’s songs about quirky camping adventures in a VW bus. The music left such a strong impression that Norris, at 18 years old, purchased his own 1978 VW Westfalia microbus with money earned from his first professional baseball signing bonus. “One of [Johnson’s] songs talks about him and his wife in London, and they had an o

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Community

How soccer and poetry give kids a new way to compete with America SCORES

Twenty five years ago, an elementary school teacher in Washington, D.C. saw that many of her fifth-graders had nothing to do in the hours after school. She invited them to stay after school and play soccer – and when the weather turned cold, to explore poetry and spoken word performances to keep the group intact. That combination – along with community service – form the pillars of a fast-growing non-profit now known as America SCORES that serves more than 13,000 students a year, at 311 s

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Community

U.S. soccer star Mia Hamm teams up with Volkswagen to inspire young women

Mia Hamm – one of the most important and influential female athletes of all time — dropped in and surprised a girls’ soccer team in Palo Alto, Calif. The five-time U.S. Soccer Player of the year, two-time Olympic gold medalist and Soccer Hall of Famer was invited by Volkswagen of America to crash the girls’ practice, train with the squad and offer advice to the next generation of young female soccer players. Hamm, who retired in 2004 as the leading goal scorer – male or female – in the wo

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Community

Volkswagen Remixes: Seven custom vehicle builds for 2019

Just as the summer starts with a dance remix hit or two, Volkswagen annually takes some of its most popular models and builds special remixed versions to inspire enthusiasts across this country. The 2019 edition of the Volkswagen enthusiast fleet ranges from off-road haulers to ‘90s-themed throwbacks—all built with the sense of fun that’s an essential part of Volkswagen. Created at the Volkswagen Technical Service Center in Auburn Hills, Mich., this Golf Alltrack Combi brings a global loo

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