Volkswagen: Phaeton W-12 on 2040-cars

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Porsche-Piech buy 10% stake in VW's holding company

In August, 2009, as the scuttled merger of Porsche and Volkswagen had gone bad and Porsche was backed up against the ropes, Porsche Automobil Holding SE (PAHSE) relinquished a ten-percent stake in itself to Qatar Holdings as well as options it held on 17 percent of VW shares. The sale meant that, for the first time since the founding of the company 61 years before, an entity outside the Porsche and Piech families had a say in the running of PAHSE.
Buying that ten-percent stake back returns full ownership to the two families, the holding company's sole possession being ownership of 50.7 percent of VW's common shares. The price paid wasn't disclosed, but at market rates the purchase would be worth close to $1.25 billion. Qatar intends to hold onto the 17-percent stake it has in Volkswagen.

Volkswagen bringing new Tiguan to Frankfurt

As expected, Volkswagen will introduce the new Tiguan crossover at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. While the brand hasn't quite gotten on the endless teaser train, VW's German Facebook page has released a simple shot of the new crossover covered up on the Wolfsburg factory line. We're not able to learn much from the single image released by VW Deutschland, as the sheet being used hides virtually all the body's details. The caption for the image is no help either, simply saying that the first Tiguan for Frankfurt has rolled off the Wolfsburg line. So yeah, that's about it. But while this image isn't terribly informative, we already know quite a bit about the new Tiguan. Its looks will likely be inspired by the Cross Coupe GTE and CrossBlue Concepts, while additional body styles could be offered later in the CUV's life. For performance fans, there will likely be a 300-horsepower R model, in addition to the standard array of gas and diesel engines. Check out the image from VW Germany's Facebook page, and then be sure to head back in a few weeks for the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Volkswagen Golf R Variant ready to haul ass, stuff

Volkswagen seems to be playing a cruel trick on the American automotive public at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It's displaying its sexy Golf R Variant with no clear intention of actually selling the model here. The hot wagon launches in Europe in the spring, but the automaker makes absolutely no mention of the model's prospects in the US. Hopefully, its appearance in LA at least indicates VW is considering bringing it stateside. The great thing about this wagon is that it has everything that the regular Golf R offers, but there's even more room to carry stuff. The same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine makes 296 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque with a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox and 4Motion all-wheel drive. Performance is very close, too, with the Variant R taking 5.1 seconds to get to 62 miles per hour versus the 4.9 seconds the standard R needs to read 60 mph. The two of them also have the same tech goodies like ESC Sport stability control and multiple damping modes. The real advantage to opting for the estate is its ability to carry up to 57.2 cubic feet of cargo in the back. This hot rod wagon would seem to be perfect for the family that needs to haul some extra junk in the trunk, but doesn't want to sacrifice performance. Whether the Variant R makes it to the US remains a mystery, though. Scroll down to read the specs and feel a twinge of jealousy.