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New safety and connected features help distinguish VW's lineup

Volkswagen may have wrested the title of world's largest carmaker away from Toyota this week, but the company still has some work to do in the United States. Despite its worldwide dominance, Volkswagen's American sales have languished. Unlike its red-hot Audi brand, mainstream Volkswagen sales have been afflicted by an assortment of maladies. An aging lineup, a reputation for mechanical gremlins and a lack of a competitive crossover vehicle have all hurt. In the US, the brand's cars claim only two percent of the overall market. As we reported earlier today, Volkswagen took steps this week to upgrade some broader aspects of its weaknesses here. At its Electronics Research Laboratory in Silicon Valley, the company announced it would make several advanced safety features and connectivity options available throughout the bulk of its lineup. Features that have long been available on its premium Audi cars will spread to its more economical offerings. In one big way, they will overstep their premium siblings. Volkswagen said Apple CarPlay, Android Auto (pictured below) and MirrorLink will all be available on a revamped infotainment system. Cars equipped with the new Car-Net-branded systems are arriving in showrooms now. Only last month, Hyundai became the first to offer CarPlay, debuting the smartphone-projection system in its 2015 Sonata. Chevy, Honda, and now Volkswagen, have quickly followed suit. On the safety-minded side, features like adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, park steering assist and automatic post-collision braking will be optional equipment on most of the brand's 2016 model-year cars. Previously, the features had only been available on the Touareg SUV. They're now available on most Golf variants, the CC, Jetta, Sportwagen and some Beetles. Though the Passat sedan is one of the company's most competitive cars, it was curiously absent from the announcements, though an update could come later this year. While the advanced safety equipment is a boon for motorists increasingly interested in the technology, Volkswagen also added some basic safety tech that's long been available in mainstream competitors' cars, adding features like blind-spot monitoring and lane-departure warning. One of the big differences consumers might note is the cost of the driver-assistance systems.

Volkswagen Scirocco GTS set for Shanghai reveal

Though we still can't get one over here, buyers in other markets can get the Scirocco in an array of trim levels. And at the Shanghai Motor Show this month, Volkswagen is introducing another. The new Scirocco GTS slots between the base models and the R performance version. Reviving the spirit of the original introduced more than 30 years ago and picking up where the last model left off, the new GTS splits the Scirocco lineup the way the GTI fits into the Golf range. It even packs the GTI's engine: a 2.0-liter turbo four with 210 hp, mated to either a six-speed manual or DSG. The GTS also packs standard 18-inch (or optional 19-inch wheels), a further departure from the R-Line aero kit and racing stripes running up the top. The interior is similarly upgraded with special trim, a golf-ball shifter (on manual versions) and more. All of this makes the Scirocco an even more tempting proposition – if only we could get our hands on one. Wolfsburg/Shanghai, 16 April 2015 Comeback of a GT icon: World premiere of the 220 PS Scirocco GTS in Shanghai - Exclusive GTS trim with new 18-inch alloy wheels - Scirocco GTS* has a new generation of infotainment equipment on board as standard Ten key facts about the Scirocco GTS*: 1. The new Scirocco GTS makes its debut as a separate and especially sporty GT version 2. 220 PS Scirocco GTS has a top speed of 246 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds 3. Individualised exterior with new 18-inch alloy wheels and optional GTS decor (decor standard in China) 4. Red brake callipers as an identifying feature 5. Exclusive GTS interior with black trim features, red stitching and the legendary golf ball gear knob 6. Included as standard: the "Composition Colour", from the latest generation of infotainment systems 7. Modular infotainment matrix (MIB II) available for all Scirocco models from the end of May 8. The Scirocco GTS can also be ordered with an extremely quick-shifting 6-speed DSG gearbox as an option 9. The spirit of the first Scirocco GTS (which made its debut in 1982) was carried forward into the year 2015 in the new GTS 10. With over a million sold, the Scirocco is one of the most successful sports cars in the world Some cars live for ever because they are constantly reinvented. The Scirocco, a pure-bred European sports car, is one of these cars that is forever young. Presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 41 years ago, it became an icon of compact German coupes.

VW spending $10 million on EV infrastructure, calls on Congress for help

It must be the season of big EV infrastructure announcements. In the last few days, we've heard from Bollore in France, PG&E in California and now VW. The German automaker says it will spend a total of $10 million on electric vehicle charging infrastructure by 2016. That includes the previously announced ChargePoint investment VW made with BMW and work the automaker is doing to get chargers for cars like the e-Golf installed as its dealerships. But Jorg Sommer, Volkswagen of America'sl VP of product marketing and strategy, said today in Washington, DC that automakers need help from the federal, state and local governments to turn electric mobility into a thing. Speaking at the 2015 Electric Drive Congress, Sommer said VW would like the Feds to support fast charging networks in urban areas as well as interstate corridors and that governments should "commit to cleaner fleets by purchasing EVs and PHEVs. This should be a US Government priority," he said. He also suggested that the plug-in vehicle multiplier credits under the EPA's greenhouse gas regulations should be extended beyond the 2021 model year. VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA TO INVEST $10 MILLION IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE BY 2016 Feb 10, 2015 Washington, D.C., February 10, 2015 – Jorg Sommer, vice president, product marketing and strategy, Volkswagen of America, today presented Volkswagen's holistic approach to e-mobility surrounding the launch of the zero-tailpipe emissions 2015 e-Golf, including a $10 million commitment to support electric vehicle infrastructure by 2016. During a presentation delivered at the 2015 Electric Drive Congress in Washington D.C., Sommer stated that Volkswagen believes continued legislative support is needed to reach the next level of electric vehicle adoption. "Automakers have effectively delivered electric vehicles that can satisfy the needs of most American drivers," said Sommer. "In addition to the investment we and other companies and industries are making, we would like to see Federal financing support for establishing fast charging networks in urban areas and interstate corridors. We'd like to see more state and federal organizations commit to cleaner fleets by purchasing EVs and PHEVs. This should be a U.S. Government priority, and federal purchasing guidelines should reflect that by giving fleet purchasers the flexibility they need," Sommer said.