NEWS

VOLKSWAGEN CVs will now be headed by Matthew Bowden who moves from national fleet sales manager. Being an employee of Volkswagen financial services since 1995 has taken him, in that time, to China and three years at Shanghai Volkswagen. He’s timed joining Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles perfectly on cue to launch the new Transporter. Director of [...]

VOLKSWAGEN, Ford, Fiat and Renault are the makers behind a big European recovery in new car sales. The market rose 7.5 percent in September 2009, with massive sellers such as the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Fiesta, Fiat Grande Punto and Renault Megane leading the charge. They alone saw sales rise by 50 percent over September 2008! [...]

VOLKSWAGEN has issued a mandate to customers, promising the highest levels of service and care. The Volkswagen Service Promise is, says the firm, much more than a gimmick; it’s a commitment. Covering all areas of VW ownership, the 10 promises have been devised following research with dealers, into what owners actually want. VW admits many [...]

HONDA’S Jazz supermini is the most reliable model on the UK’s roads, according to new research. Warranty Direct has discovered the Japanese hatchback suffered the least amount of breakdowns of all. Toyota’s Yaris wasn’t far behind, either. But the 1-in-10 failure rather of 4-7 year old Hondas contrasts to the least reliable car on the [...]

VOLKSWAGEN certainly has been busy, with a whole host of exciting new models here at Frankfurt. The real headline-grabber is the 39g/km CO2 L1 Concept… a model that can average 189mpg! It’s a 380kg aluminium and carbonfibre special, similar in length to a VW Fox, but only as high as a Lamborghini Murcielago. It seats [...]

DAILY Telegraph readers received a front-page warning today: ‘your ‘one’ owner car may be ex-rental’. The paper has carried out an investigation, and alleges that ‘tens of thousands of used car buyers have unwittingly bought former rental vehicles from official dealerships’. This, continues the paper, has led to some paying ‘thousands of pounds over the [...]

VOLKSWAGEN car dealers from Cumbria have become the first father and son team to win the prized ‘Diamond Pin’. Norman Walkinshaw won the award a decade ago. Now, his son Andy has followed in his dad’s steps, by also scooping the Diamond Pin. This is the highest global honour handed out by VW, with only [...]

VOLKSWAGEN has created 20 new van dealer jobs in Kent, with the opening of its new Ashford van centre. The JCB Group dealer is based at Orbital Park, and is the result of a £1.6m investment. It joins another JCB Volkswagen van centre in Sittingboune. Kent Volkswagen Van will also offer a full service and [...]

VOLKSWAGEN has recommended a takeover of Porsche, following an extraordinary board meeting. The merger of the two companies will see Porsche remain an independent company. Developments come after dramatic, protracted wranglings between the Porsche and Piech families. The departure of former Porsche chief Wendelin Wiedeking has led to the latest moves. ‘In the opinion of [...]

PORSCHE has announced chief executive Wendelin Wiedeking is to step down – making a VW merger more likely. Car Dealer Magazine reported over the weekend that Wiedeking would step aside in the battle between the two brands. He will get an estimated £43m leaving package for doing so. The new boss will be Michael Macht [...]

PORSCHE boss Wendelin Wiedeking is being tipped to resign this Thursday, reports The Sunday Times. It is suggested he will get a massive £86m pay-off for doing so, as part of a contract he agreed would run until 2012. The move, reports the paper, is being made because Porsche is in financial difficulties. Wiedeking carried [...]

VOLKSWAGEN’S continued van success has seen investment in the UK van dealer network swell. Greenhous Group has acquired the Volkswagen Van Centre in Shrewsbury, meaning Greenhous now has seven VW van outlets. Greenhous’ Ray Coates said the company was ‘in a strong position to move the business forward, because of the relationships we have spent [...]

EUROPEAN new car sales figures for May have been released – and show tentative signs of recovery. While the new car market is down 13.1 percent year-to-date, this is a 2.4 percent improvement on declines the previous month. It is scrappage that is being thanked for this. Germany was up nearly 40 percent in May [...]

VOLKSWAGEN’S latest Golf 6 model has hit the car auction floors for the first time, at Manheim Leicester. The Volkswagen closed sale saw a good result for the new family hatchback, too: it made 90 percent of list. More than 20 early Golf 6 were sold, from a lot of over 350 Volkswagens. Every one [...]

PORSCHE and Volkswagen are to merge – ending lengthy negotiations for one to take over the other. Porsche had wanted to take over VW… which led to an angry Volkswagen threatening to take over Porsche. Now, the two German brands have settled on a merger. The details of this will be finalised after negotiations, set [...]

FORD’S Fiesta has just taken the overall European sales number one slot from the Volkswagen Golf. A massive March sales increase of over 15 per cent has seen the Ford supermini conquer in an otherwise depressed market. First quarter European sales are down by 16.9 percent, reports JATO Dynamics, as the recession bites further into [...]

VOLSKWAGEN is to launch an interesting new seven-seat people carrier, based on the Caravelle. The Caravelle Startline will be sold through the brand’s Commercial Vehicles dealers, with a headline-grabbing list price of £23,950. It will also debut with a £299 a month PCP finance deal. Volkswagen has introduced the model to appeal to large families [...]