Autoblog

To emphasize just how quick its new Golf R32 hot-hatch really is, Volkswagen has mailed out a CD to potential customers and dealers containing some very short road-trip songs. The album, simply titled 'Short Car Songs,' contains three short classics, such as 'One Green Bottle,' 'It's a long way to Tip,' and 'She'll be coming around the mountain,' and is aimed at grabbing attention for the new car and getting people into showrooms to check it out.

Don't write this concept off as a waste perfectly good plastic just yet. Results on previous launches using this promotion have shown test drives going up 75% and sales up 25% on initial forecasts. All from simply mailing out a CD? Perhaps next time the songs should be distributed digitally via the iTunes Music Store.

[Source: Ads of the World via German Car Blog]

It's ba-ack. The VW Golf that drew 8.5 million hits the first time it appeared on eBay is back on the block. That was almost two years ago in May of 2005, believe it or not. In case you don't remember, this 1999 Volkswagen Golf was the personal conveyance of then-Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, until shortly before his ascendance to Popehood. The Cardinal sold the car and it ended up in the hands of one Benjamin Halbe, who had no idea who the former owner was, but hit the jackpot when Ratzinger became Pope. The 6-year-old grey car sold for almost €190,000 when press-hungry GoldenPalace.com decided they had to have it. Well, apparently the novelty has worn off and it's time to shed the vehicle from their collection of oddities.

GoldenPalace.com has put the VeeDub up for sale and promises that the proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity Great Britain. They also say that the car has not been driven since it was bought in 2005, so mileage should still be around 75,000 KM. In case the lucky bidder decides to drive the car, they should know that it has been started and features a 5-speed manual transmission, AC, PW, PL, tilt steering, cassette stereo, alloys, ABS, dual front airbags, side airbags, safety belt pretensioners, and presumably, God as your co-pilot. With more than eight days left, the bidding is already over $55,000.

[Source: eBay via German Car Scene]

In 1996 Volkswagen took four Harlequin Golf models on the auto show circuit. A similar Polo model sold in Europe inspired these cars that feature body panels painted in Pistachio Green, Ginster Yellow, Tornado Red, and Chagall Blue. Building four single-color cars and then exchanging their body panels was how these Harlequins were produced, and Volkswagen did this for approximately 275 cars that were sold in the U.S. as 1996 models. A Harlequin model's rocker panels, rear quarter panels and roof reveal its original color.

Volkswagen has officially kicked off sales of the renamed Rabbit (Golf MKV) in the U.S., and sharp-eyed viewers have caught a 2006 Harlequin Rabbit zooming around in one of the car's new commercials.

Is this VW just having some fun or is the Harlequin set to make a comeback?

Hats off to RossVW.com for all the info about the rarest VW model ever produced.


Check out the Volkswagen commercial in question here via YouTube.

Thanks to Michael for the tip!

Fans of the Volkswagen Golf in the U.S. had to wait a long time for this day, but today at the Chicago Auto Show, their wait ended as VW showed off the first U.S. spec examples of its Mark V Golf that has been on sale in Europe for quite some time now.

Set to go on sale this summer, the new Golf will feature a more robust 2.5L five-cylinder base engine that develops 150 hp. VW is touting it as a pure “German” car in both its engineering and driving dynamics. Aiding the latter will be the car’s new fully independent front suspension, as well as an optional six-speed auto with Tiptronic to divvy up the engine’s power delivery.

More live pics and press shots of the Mark V Golf, as well as VW’s press release, after the jump...