VW Group Design Boss Says “Flamboyant” is so Last Year, “Simple and Clean” is the Way to Go

Walter de Silva is a man who knows a thing or two about styling; after all, he is in the business for the last 40 years.

The Italian designer has worked at the I.DE.A institute under award-winning architect Renzo Piano, who designed the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the New York Times Building. In the automotive field, he has some pretty impressive designs in his long resume such as the Alfa Romeo 156, the Seat Tango concept, the Audi A5 and the VW Scirocco.

De Silva, who joined Audi in 2002 to become VW Group’s head of design overseeing all brands from Skoda to Bugatti in 2007, believes that the “overdesign” school, which began with BMW's Chris Bangle and his "flame surfacing" that has since been adopted by many automakers, is becoming obsolete.

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Reports , VW , VW Golf

Volkswagen Plant Begins Partial Production of Porsche Boxster

Common perception has it that all Porsches are manufactured in Germany. Yet the first- and second-generation of the Boxster roadster were assembled in Finland by Valmet, as was the Boxster-based Cayman coupe.

In 2011, Porsche terminated this deal and transferred production to Germany. Initially, the Boxster was manufactured at the carmaker’s main plant in Zuffenhausen alongside the 911.

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Porsche , Porsche Boxster , Reports , VW

Volkswagen Introduces Production Version of Amarok Canyon Edition at IAA

At the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March, Volkswagen's commercial vehicle division previewed a concept model of the Amarok named Canyon Edition, styled and configured for customers who enjoy outdoor sports and activities.

Volkswagen has now decided to offer a production version of the Amarok Canyon that was introduced at this week's IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hanover, Germany.

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Diesel , Galleries , New Cars , VW , VW Amarok

Volkswagen Introduces New and More Tougher Looking Cross Caddy

Volkswagen has applied its "Cross" theme and name to the passenger version of the Caddy that joins the Polo, Golf and Touran models of the same series.

The Cross Caddy is based on the Caddy Edition 30 (introduced last year) adding the usual bits and pieces for a more robust crossover look. That said, you won't be surprised to learn that the Cross Caddy is more of an exercise in style over substance than anything else.

The individualization of VW's people carrier starts with a protective armor that encompasses plastic moldings for the lower parts of the front and rear bumpers, the wheel arches and the side sills.

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New Cars , VW , VW Caddy

Volkswagen Adds Two New Entry Level Powertrains to Beetle Range in the UK

The ever-expanding lineup of the Volkswagen Beetle gains two more engine derivatives in Britain.

This time, the German carmaker has added a 1.2-litre TSI petrol delivering 104HP / 105 PS connected to a six-speed manual gearbox (joining the DSG version of the same powerplant) and the 1.6-litre TDI diesel 104HP / 105 PS with BlueMotion Technology, which is offered with either a five-speed manual or seven-speed DSG transmissions.

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Diesel , New Cars , UK , VW , VW Beetle

Spy Shots: 2014 Volkswagen Touran MPV Test Mule Wears New Model's Fascia

The onslaught of MQB-based models has just begun for the Volkswagen Group that has already introduced the new Audi A3, Seat Leon and VW Golf Mk7, all of which share the same modular platform and a brand-new family of diesel and gasoline engines.

One of the first variants of the 2013 Golf family will be the next Touran minivan that was spied in test mule guise while running around the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

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Scoops , VW , VW Scoops , VW Touran

Luc Donckerwolke Takes Over Bentley's Design Division

Luc Donckerwolke, the man responsible for the styling of many Lamborghini models of recent times such as the Gallardo and Murcielago as well as plenty of Seat vehicles including the IBE and Tribu studies, has been named new Director of Design at Bentley replacing Dirk van Braeckel who moves to Volkswagen Group design directed by Walter de Silva.

The 47-year old designer from Belgium joins Bentley from his role as Head of Advanced Design for Volkswagen Group where he was appointed just last year.

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bentley , Reports , VW

Volkswagen Sports Up the New Beetle with R-Line Packages

New Beetle customers in Europe now have the option to fit their cars with two R-Line packages that are based on the top “Sport” version, including one for the outside and the other for the interior of the retro-flavored hatch.

With the exception of the wider wheels, both R-Line kits bring purely cosmetic upgrades. The exterior package available as a standalone item that can be combined with any of the twelve available Beetle colors, while the interior package is offered only as an extension of the R-Line exterior details.

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New Cars , Paris Auto Show , Tuning , VW , VW Beetle