Scary Close Call Will Make You Move from Your Chair

Brazilian college student and motorcycle driver Renan Ribas together with his cousin, who was riding at the back, are extremely lucky to be alive after a Volkswagen Polo that had just made a dangerous and foolish pass slid out of control on the BR-280 highway in São Francisco do Sul, this past Saturday, clipping the bike before crashing into another vehicle. 

Now, That's What I Call Quick Thinking

Once in a very rare while, you can luck out and get yourself out of trouble avoiding an accident the last second, just like the two drivers featured in the following (unrelated) videos.

VW Uses 36 Dogs to Advertise Its Entire Model Range

Dogs have starred in car commercials for a long time and it's really hard to find a bad ad featuring man's best friend. That's not necessarily due to the quality of the ads, but because we humans tend to love dogs. Automakers know that, and the latest to use our four-legged friends to sell its cars is Volkswagen.

The German carmaker launched a range-wide advertising campaign in the UK to demonstrate the breadth of its lineup by using 36 beautiful dogs from various breeds.

To illustrate the tagline “There’s a Volkswagen for all of us”, the carmaker’s advertising agency created a new canine related campaign spearheaded by the TV commercial suggestively called “Woofwagen”. The 36 dogs that appear in the campaign represent each model in the lineup, from the Up! city car to the range-topping Phaeton and the special XL1 1-liter car.

“We had great fun matching dogs to cars and the filming was like nothing I’ve ever done before. The dogs were fantastic and we hope this ad puts a smile on people’s faces,” said Nikki Pates, VW communications manager.

You can watch the commercial after the break and a behind the scenes video after that.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

AE Tests the VW California without Turning its Engine On

The Volkswagen California is the closest thing to a house on wheels that I can think of. Sure, there are many purpose-built recreational vehicles that are larger, more comfortable and more luxurious, but most of them (including particularly huge American RVs) are more houses than they are cars… They’re big, they drink a lot of fuel and one has to be extra careful when behind the wheel, especially in urban environments.

Not the VW California. I think of it as the automotive equivalent of the Swiss army knife. The California has the exact same size and looks of the VW Transporter, and yet it comes with two beds, dining table, refrigerator, gas hob for cooking, drawers, cupboards and a lot more.

It can even be transformed into a sitting room by rotating the front chairs around. The California also comes with extra furniture like picnic chairs or an awning for rainy days. Considering all these factors, it comes to no surprise that the folks from AutoExpress didn’t even turn on the engine of the California during their video review. They didn’t have to. All the action is in the back.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

Rally Accident in Hungary Leaves Six Injured, One in Critical Condition

Word of caution: Some readers may find the images in the following video disturbing

A horrible accident that took place on Saturday afternoon (October 19, 2013) during a Hungarian rally in the village of Városlőd when a Volkswagen Golf Mk2 racer lost control of his car and plowed a group of spectators who were watching the vehicles fly by at speed, has left six people injured, one seriously.

According to media reports from Hungary, one elderly victim is in coma having suffered severe abdominal, chest, spine and head injuries.

The Golf was reportedly going around 150km/h (93 mph) when the accident happened, though; this is something that has not been confirmed. Police are still investigating the circumstances of the accident.

We've also attached a video report from the scene of the accident. We'd be much obliged if any of Hungarian readers can translate and share the most important parts of the interview in the comments.

VIDEO

Volkswagen Reveals Production Golf R Cabriolet in Video

It's been a year and a half since Volkswagen displayed the Golf R Cabriolet Mk6 Concept at the 2011 edition of the Wörthersee GTI meet in Austria, and even though the company has already presented the hatchback versions of the seventh generation Golf, it appears that the Germans will finally go ahead and produce the car.
VW released a video in which it simply states, "Take a look at the new Golf R. It boosts the level of adrenaline in just a few seconds and is now open to the top. The Golf R Cabriolet."

Scoop: MQB-Based 2013 VW Golf Estate or 2015 Jetta SportWagen

This fresh spy video from Spain shows the station wagon version of the seventh generation Volkswagen Golf that will be named the Golf Variant (Estate in Britain) when it is introduced in Europe in 2013, and Jetta SportWagen when it arrives in North America within the next two years.

C&D Puts the VW Passat Against Newcomers Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima

It's the most popular passenger car segment in the U.S.A. with well over 1 million annual sales and four representatives in 2011's list of the 10 bestselling models overall, including the Toyota Camry that finished 3rd behind the Ford F-Series and Chevy Silverado trucks, followed by the Nissan Altima (4th overall), Ford Fusion (6th) and Honda Accord (9th).
We are talking of course about the mid-size category, which is the subject of Car & Driver's (C&D) magazine latest comparison test.
The publication took its previous winner, the North American market VW Passat (not to be confused with the Passat sold in other regions) that beat the Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata, and compared it against three newcomers, the 2013 versions of the Ford Fusion (to be sold in Europe as the new Mondeo), Honda Accord and Nissan Altima.

New VW Golf Mk7's "People Are People" Commercial with Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan

For more than 30 years, Depeche Mode has been one of the most iconic and influential groups in the music industry, churning out one hit after the other, and it is the sounds of the English band that Volkswagen chose as the theme for one of the commercials it has prepared for the European launch of the seventh generation Golf hatchback.
The television spot is named "People Are People" after the homonymous song from Depeche Mode's fourth album, "Some Great Reward" that was released in 1984.