2005 Volkswagen New Beetle Gls Convertible 59,287 Miles 1-owner!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Watch the VW E-Golf get made

If you've ever been on a tour of an automotive factory, you know how mesmerizing it can be to see humans and robots work together to build our four-wheeled friends. The swift automation, the cleanliness, the trained hands deftly fitting pieces together and watchful eyes inspecting every piece of the car, it's all quite impressive, especially if the vehicle is one you, as an observer, are fond of. Even just seeing a fresh, gleaming badge being applied to immaculately painted sheet metal is enough to curl ones toes. Such is the case with this video from of the E-Golf being pieced together in the Volkswagen's Wolfsburg plant. There's no narration or music - just the sounds of production - so it's easy to follow the singular motions that go into the process without distraction, with a slight sense of actually being on the floor. This solo video is only seven minutes long, so it's not quite the epic that was the BMW i3 production series. Therefore, we miss a lot of the initial build, such as pressing the sheet metal, painting, and putting together a lot of the inner workings. What is refreshing to see is how much of the final touches of the electric Golf are done by hand using actual hand tools (and with typical German efficiency). There's even a person riding a bicycle through the factory at one point, which is common at Wolfsburg and also rather quaint. Enjoy the video below, and if you have a suggestion for a good soundtrack to go along with it, sound off in the comments. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

GM outsold VW globaly in first quarter, Toyota reports numbers next week

General Motors released its first quarter sales figures this week, reporting that it sold 2.36 million cars and trucks worldwide. That figure represents an increase of 3.6 percent when compared to the same period last year. GM's growth was attributed to many factors, including global Cadillac sales that were up 26 percent and Chevrolet posting a one percent increase over last year (this marked Chevy's tenth straight year of record global sales).
Volkswagen came in just behind GM, as the German automaker reported global sales from January through March at 2.27 million vehicles, an increase of five percent when compared to last year. While that number was strong, VW is cautioning that markets outside China and the US, such as those in Europe, are becoming a challenge as economies falter.
Yet to report sales is Toyota, current holder of the global world sales crown (the Japanese company sold 9.75 million cars last year, against 9.29 million sold by GM and 9.1 million vehicles sold by VW). Even though GM and Toyota both say they don't care who sells the most units, it is unquestionably a strong bragging point and sales equate to revenue. That said, Toyota will report its first quarter numbers next week.

VW LogBox and Race App performance data logger for R models [w/video]

Now that it's got a 300-horsepower Golf R to brag about, Volkswagen wants you to be able to brag about it accurately with the LogBox and Race App performance data logging combo. Plug the LogBox into your VW's OBD II port and it sends data over BlueTooth to the Race App, measuring variables like acceleration, distance, G-force and engine performance. If you're on a circuit, it uses Google Maps to make a map of the track, and you can record live video in-app to match with the data. Volkswagen says the LogBox will be available for R models and "a range of further Volkswagen cars," so you'll want to hit up your dealer with questions before ordering. It's available from the VW accessories store for 299 euros ($365 US), but right now the free app is only available in German, in the German-language iTunes and Google Play store. We imagine that will be corrected shortly; in the meantime, the video can show you how it works. News Source: Volkswagen via YouTube, World Car Fans Volkswagen Technology Videos app vw golf r performance data recorder