VW HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY TO THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR VAN

The Volkswagen Transporter was first produced in March 1950, making this month its 60th anniversary. The popular van has subsequently sold over 10 million units worldwide and gone through five generations of evolution. The latest T5 facelift was launched in the fourth quarter of 2009 and comes in styles such as the people-carrying Caravelle as well as the campervan California.


That first model, the T1, featured a four-cylinder, air-cooled, 1.1-litre petrol engine typically fitted at the rear end. It made 18 kW (25 PS / 25 bhp) and could muster a top speed of 97 km/h (60 mph) when really pushed.


In comparison the latest T5 model is powered by a 2.0-litre common rail turbo diesel unit pushing out between 62 kW (83 bhp / 84 PS) and 132 kW (178 bhp / 180 PS), and can run up to 192 km/h (119 mph).



Over the years the Transporter became an icon for both business and leisure use. From rock bands to fleet managers, to families of seven, people bought it for its generous interior space and comfort.

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Press Release

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY TO THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR VAN

Production of the Volkswagen Transporter van officially started in March
1950 and during the 60 years since then it has become one of Volkswagen
Commercial Vehicles' best-selling models globally, the number one imported
van in the UK as well as one of the most iconic and popular vans in the
world.

With over 10 million produced, the Volkswagen Transporter has evolved
through five generations of functional and practical bodystyles, each
representing the ultimate multi-purpose vehicle of its time and loved by
business and private users alike for transporting goods or people for work
or leisure. This unique heritage is the focus of the current ‘Evolution of
Van' advertising campaign for the new Transporter which was launched in the
UK in January.

The first T1 ‘split-screen' model was powered by a four-cylinder,
air-cooled, 1.1-litre petrol engine mounted at the back of the vehicle. It
produced 25 PS of power and had a top speed of about 60 mph. By comparison,
the new Transporter enjoys the refinement of Volkswagen's latest 2.0-litre,
common rail, turbocharged diesel engine, available with power outputs
ranging from 84 PS to 180 PS and a top speed of up to 119 mph, plus the
latest stability control systems and braking technology that would have
sounded like something from a science fiction novel 60 years ago.

Although the design has evolved over the years, the first and the latest
Transporter share the same badge on the front and the same design principles
of a generous loadspace and an enviable reputation for quality and
durability.

Similarly, comparing the latest Volkswagen California with a T1 campervan
shows that both make efficient use of the space available to create a
vehicle equally suitable for daily trips to work or the shops, as for
weekend escapes or continental capers.

Over the years, Volkswagen Transporters have endured challenging round
the world trips by enthusiastic travellers, been used as the preferred
choice of travel for rock bands since the 1960s to the present day, and been
relied upon by many businesses needing a fleet of delivery or passenger
carrying vehicles.

The first Transporter was imported into the UK in 1955, and the latest
version of the van as well as today's people-carrying and campervan
versions, the Caravelle and California, arrived in the UK this January, 55
years later.

BMW will build electric cars in Leipzig

BMW plans to assemble their electric cars at a manufacturing facility in Leipzig, Germany. Amongst these vehicles is a subcompact, referred to internally as the "Megacity," which the automaker plans to release midway through 2013 with a different name.


“The BMW Group will build the car of the future in Leipzig with high-tech innovations from Bavaria,” BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer said in a statement. “The main reasons behind this decision are the qualities that Germany has to offer: we have a tried-and-tested production network here and high levels of education and outstanding competencies at our disposal.”


BMW plans to launch an entire family of electric vehicles from the Megacity subcompact, which is designed for major metropolitan areas. BMW hasn't decided on a production name for the car.


A heavy use of carbon fiber will help keep the Megacity lightweight. A joint venture with BMW and SGL Group will produce a carbon fiber fabric that will later become carbon fiber reinforced plastic. The automaker has not said what parts will be made from the material.


At the Detroit auto show in January, BMW presented its ActiveE concept, an electric-drive vehicle based on the 1-series coupe. Next year, BMW development chief Klaus Draeger plans to launch another test fleet of electric cars based on the ActiveE.
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VW intends to topple Toyota

10 million sales by 2018 is new goal

BY ANDREAS CREMER
BLOOMBERG NEWS

Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, said it plans to increase sales to more than 10 million vehicles by 2018 as it seeks to dethrone Japan's Toyota.

VW's management board approved business targets, including profit margins, measured by earnings before interest and taxes, of at least 5% for the automotive business in the "medium term," Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen said in a statement Wednesday. The target doesn't include Porsche, which will be integrated by 2011, it said.

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has a target of beating Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, in global deliveries and profit margins. VW sold 6.29 million cars and SUVsworldwide last year, an increase of 1.1% from 2008. Toyota said last month that 2009 vehicle sales, including those of affiliates, fell 13% to 7.81 million vehicles.

"It shows plenty of ambition in the whole Volkswagen Group," said Stephen Pope, chief global equity strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald in London. "By being able to learn from Porsche's discipline, it gives them that extra springboard."

By 2018, Volkswagen, which includes the Audi luxury division and Czech unit Skoda, should have a pretax profit that exceeds 8% of sales, the company said.

Volkswagen shares fell 18 cents, or 0.3%, to 65.72 euros after rising as much as 1% on the Frankfurt exchange before the announcement. The automaker has a market value of 25.7 billion euros ($36 billion).

"With the implementation of 'Strategy 2018,' the Volkswagen group is seeking global economic and environmental leadership in the automotive industry by 2018," VW said in its statement. The plan would include "significant cost cutting, in part through the more prominent use of the modular design principle."

VW foresees steps to promote research and development of hybrid and electric cars, according to the statement. VW will also maintain "strict discipline" on spending and aim to keep the expenditure on fixed assets in automaking at about 6% of sales in the medium and long term.