We Love Volkswagen's Past, Present And Future..,
On this day May 28th in 1937, the government of Germany-then under the control of Adolf Hitler of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party-forms a new state-owned automobile company, then known as Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH. Originally operated by the German Labor Front, a Nazi organization, Volkswagen was headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. 140 at the time). To provide the design for this 鈥減eople鈥檚 car,鈥?Hitler called in the Austrian automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche. In 1938, at a Nazi rally, the Fuhrer declared: 鈥淚t is for the broad masses that this car has been built. Volkswagen sales in the United States were initially slower than in other parts of the world, due to the car鈥檚 historic Nazi connections as well as its small size and unusual rounded shape. In 1959, the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach launched a landmark campaign, dubbing the car the 鈥淏eetle鈥?and spinning its diminutive size as a distinct advantage to consumers.
Over the next several years, VW became the top-selling auto import in the United States. In 1960, the German government sold 60 percent of Volkswagen鈥檚 stock to the public, effectively denationalizing it. With the Beetle鈥檚 design relatively unchanged since 1935, sales grew sluggish in the early 1970s. VW bounced back with the introduction of sportier models such as the Rabbit and later, the Golf. In 1998, the company began selling the highly touted 鈥淣ew Beetle鈥?while still continuing production of its predecessor. After 1949, production at Volkswagen steadily increased. Nordhoff's experience and knowledge proved invaluable for the company. Late in 1949, an idea for a utility/transport vehicle was developed, and by 1950, the VW transporter was born. Volkswagens were being exported to neighboring European countries such as Denmark, Sweeden, Luxemburg, Belgium, and Switzerland. As early as 1950, Volkswagen began producing Beetles in South Africa (They were now known as Beetles) as well. Volkswagen comissioned an old German coach building company, Karmann, to build their Beetle convertibles. Every single convertible Volkswagen Beetle was completed by Karmann: hence the special badges on VW convertibles.
In 1952, a Volkswagen dealership was opened in England: which was the first there. A few Volkswagens were imported into the United States in 1949 by Ben Pon, but they didn't immediatley gain popularity. Very few were sold in their first year in the US. The Hoffmann company of New York, which imported Beetles in the early 1950s, eventually abandonded Volkswagen, and imported Porsches instead. Volkswagen did not sell many cars in the United States until later in the mid-1950's. In 1951, Volkswagen began to export a deluxe version of the beetle. There was already a "standard" Beetle, which was only available in a dull gray color. These standard Beetles were spartan: they lacked synchromesh transmissions, exterior and interior chrome, and other special extra options that one might expect to have as standard in cars today. There were also regular export cars, that were available in several colors. The export cars also had chrome and more options as standard, such as a radio. The American export cars had even more chrome than regular export cars, and were generally the most elaborate with options and features. Volkswagen transporters were not as popular as Beetles, and in the first 5 years of production, there were 4 times fewer Buses built as Beetles. The Buses (and all other transporters) produced before 1955 had characteristically large engine access doors. Today, they are largely known as "barndoor" buses. Some people think that barndoor is supposed to be a reference to the side doors, but it is a misconception. These early barndoor transporters are very rare today. Still in the 1950's, Volkswagen had already acted on its global goals by building factories in several countries. A factory began building Beetles in England, the plant in South Africa was building them, and a plant in Brazil provided a South American connection. Later, in 1960, a plant in Australia opened up, but never ended up being as successful as the other factories.
However, Volkswagen has a history of electrical reliability problems. The Eos has no recalls yet. Expect average to above-average reliability. The standard warranty lasts for four years or 50,000 miles. Neither the government nor the IIHS have safety ratings available. Standard safety equipment includes side airbags, anti-lock brakes, and stability and traction control. 8,000 less than the Audi TT, and although it doesn鈥檛 have leather seats, it does have side airbags and slightly better gas mileage. 7,500 less than the BMW Z4, but has a smaller, four-cylinder engine. However, if you can live without the hard top, the Chrysler Sebring Touring Convertible makes an excellent alternative. For the same price as a four-cylinder Eos, you get a six-cylinder engine, DVD player, and a CD changer. But, the Sebring doesn鈥檛 have traction control and gets five fewer miles to the gallon. 鈥淭he 2007 Volkswagen Eos鈥檚 odd looks will probably keep it from having the success of the New Beetle, but looks aside, the Eos offers a lot of practicality and some real tech niceties. The hardtop protects the car in harsh weather and can quickly become a fun-in-the-sun machine. 鈥淎s a top-down environment, the interior is as calm as a spring day, and it gets almost balmy once you deploy the pop-up wind blocker integrated into the windshield header and then erect the detachable windscreen behind the front seats. It鈥檚 also easy to take a seat, thanks to wide doors and a short, upright A-pillar that won鈥檛 poke your eye out.
The 2014 Volkswagen Eos's engine produces 200 hp @ 5100 rpm. How many horsepower does the engine in the 2014 Volkswagen Jetta have? The 2014 Volkswagen Jetta's engine produces 115 hp @ 5200 rpm. How many horsepower does the engine in the 2014 Volkswagen CC have? The 2014 Volkswagen CC's engine produces 200 hp @ 5100 rpm. How many horsepower does the engine in the 2014 Volkswagen Passat have? The 2014 Volkswagen Passat's engine produces 170 hp @ 5700 rpm. How many horsepower does the engine in the 2014 Volkswagen Golf have? The 2014 Volkswagen Golf's engine produces 170 hp @ 5700 rpm. How many horsepower does the engine in the 2014 Volkswagen Beetle have? The 2014 Volkswagen Beetle's engine produces 170 hp @ 5700 rpm. How many horsepower does the engine in the 2014 Volkswagen GTI have? The 2014 Volkswagen GTI's engine produces 200 hp @ 5100 rpm. How many horsepower does the engine in the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan have?
