Starting this month, prospective VW Routan buyers will have the option of equipping their minivan with Autonet Mobile’s Wi-Fi service, uconnect. Service for uconnect in your Routan will cost $29/month for 1GB of data or $59/month for 5GB of data.
I’ve always been a tad averse to Volkswagens since my days in HS. For some reason, I always associated a VW with a girl’s car. Perhaps the flower holder in the Beetle was a bit much, VW. I simply could not be associated with any brand that touted a flower holder as a feature. Heh. I would have given my right arm for a mint Scirocco, but all the ones I could find were in disarray having been driven hard by those ‘racer’ types. When the parental units are doing the purchasing – you tend to keep your mouth shut and hope they don’t pawn the old family van on you.
For the better part of a decade, I’ve steered clear of VW – mainly because I don’t drive anymore- but I have to hand it to them with their recent ad campaign. They’re clever and the viral online campaigns are a big time sink, which is smart on VW’s part. VW is one of the very few brands that find a way to thrive and not just survive when times are tough. And what better than to offer a sophisticated looking ride that offers countless amenities, a smooth ride and that doesn’t hit your wallet too hard? Enter the CC.
Flower children,
It looks like Volkswagen is considering bringing back the Microbus, a symbol of your generation I think I read once. The company wants more of a presence in the North American market; suggestions that it re-make the Microbus (or Kombi, depending on where you’re from) quickly followed.
And here’s the business, straight from a senior VW official:
We’re looking at ways to produce the Microbus that will make it competitive in North America. At the moment there is no firm decision but, with the exchange rate the way it is, there is no way we could entertain building it in Europe.
So there you have it, VW wants to bring her back, maybe.
Now, does this news appeal to anyone not a product of the 1960s?
via squob
What with all the hullabaloo about syncing your car with your phone or mp3 player, it’s only natural that rumors would arise about Apple having exclusive dealings with some company — and maybe even helping in the design of the car. Well, here’s some more fuel for the fire. This VW concept car featured in the German car mag Autobild looks more Apple-inspired than Apple-designed — even for a concept it looks a bit ridiculous. Rear-facing powder puff seats? Circular doors? Not likely, mein freund. [via Autoblog]
Feel free to correct my German.
Volkswagen is on a quest to find out exactly what the people want, and they’re not afraid to use new technology to do it. And since 56% of the people want more technology in daily life, 69% of the people want interactive surveys and another 60% of the people want a decision made on what the best thing is since sliced bread, Volkswagen thought they’d take a stab at all of it.
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Following the lead of Nissan and NEC, which both recently have started down this track, the German carmaker is looking into lithium-ion batteries to improve its hybrids and electrics. It sounds like the Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries in their cars are both heavier and more toxic than the alternative.
The Li-ion batteries would lower the weight of the car by hundreds of pounds, improving handling and mileage. You’ve already got them in your phones, media players, and so on, but adapting them for the high-capacity, high-throughput application of powering a car is a serious endeavor — which must be why Sanyo is pledging nearly a billion dollars over the next couple years to developing the technology.
Volkswagen says they are planning to produce a 1-Liter car, ready for sale by early 2010. The body of the car will be made of plastic and magnesium. A one-cylinder engine with a top speed of about 74 mph will power the gas sipping car.
With the rising price of fuel, the main selling point for this car is that it will get 235 mpg (hippies are going to love this thing). That might sound like a fantasy to some, but its true. VW developed a concept version back in 2002.
I know the Space Up! Blue from VW was announced last Fall, but this is the last time it will be seen in the US and I got the chance to take a look up close. For all intents and purposes for CG we’ll focus on the interface, which was eerily similar to Apple’s slew of touch screen devices. The monitor in the center is 7-inches of touch screen goodness. It utilizes proximity sensors that react to certain gestures. To scroll through the menu you can either tap on each icon or do the swipe thing and the icons will begin to carousel. When you bring up the phone icon, you hover your hand towards the side and it brings up a cluster of your contacts pictures. Depending on which corner, I think, you hover your hand over it brings a different cluster up for you to choose from. The driver gets an 8-inch monitor that shows info like vehicle speed, battery reserves, hydrogen volume and range as well as album art. Check out the gallery and more info the SUB after the jump.
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Hell, why stop with a phone? According to rumors somebody’s second cousin made up, Volkswagen and Apple are apparently having secret talks about an iCar. The car will be so technologically advanced, that etc. etc….blah blah. You know the deal with these Apple rumors. Several tie-ins with Apple products…draw in the consumer…etc.
Thankfully, we here at CrunchGear know this second cousin and have obtained concept renderings that Apple and Volkswagen DO NOT want you to see. See that Jellyfish above? Traction control. The crude rims? 802.11n. If only you knew.
Report claims Apple talking with Volkswagen over ‘iCar’ [AppleInsider]
Looks like Sirius and Volkswagen have successfully completed a deal that will make Sirius Satellite Radio standard in select VWs from 2008 to 2012. The Touareg 2, New Beetle, New Beetle Convertible, GTI, and GLI models will all have Sirius included standard, though you’ll still have to shell out the monthly bucks for a subscription to the service. Thankfully, VW includes a 3-month complimentary subscription for no charge.
Volkswagen also got Sirius in on its Canadian operations by offering Sirius standard in Touareg 2 and Triple White Beatle models. Same deal for the most part. Looks like XM fans will have to find a new car company or a new stereo if they plan on getting a V-Dub.
Sirius goes standard on select Vee-Dubs [Orbitcast]
