Nine months ago, German Karmann declared bankruptcy. The maker of the venerable Ghia, and until recently contract manufacturer and specialist for ragtops, fell victim to the sad fact that Fahrvergnügen doesn’t agree with carmageddon. Now, Volkswagen, one of Karmann’s main customers, picked up the core pieces of the maker. Volkswagen isn’t taking over Karmann (that would

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Karmann Lives, Kindof

One of the most overlooked arguments during last year’s bailout debates was the fact that America’s automotive industry was not under threat. Sure, a few companies based in Detroit were panhandling at death’s door, but so-called “import brands” had been employing more Americans than the Detroit three for years. And America’s transplant auto industry is

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New Plant Plans Highlight Strengths In The US Auto Industry

Cars are not a mere means of mobility. They respond to the driver’s will; they turn, speed up, slow down. Naturally, there’s a need for excitement…Of course, eco-friendly cars are a prerequisite for the future, but there must be more than that.  Morizo cannot afford to lose. I will tackle the challenge of creating a

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Ford and VW each had six Top Safety Picks, awarded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. But more interesting is that Toyota was shut out.

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Ford Leads in Top Safety Picks

More than 65,000 job seekers submitted applications to work at Volkswagen's new plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., the local newspaper there reported. The plant intends to hire 2,000 workers total; the first will be come onboard in the spring with hiring extending

Volkswagen will continue its pioneering work testing the boundaries between platform-sharing and brand-engineering, reports Autocar, with a new platform destined to underpin some 60 models globally. The modularen querbaukasten (modular transverse engine, or MQB) architecture will form the basis of models ranging from the sub-Golf Lupo to the Sharan MPV, starting with the next-gen Audi

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VW: 60 Models, One Platform

When we reported Chinese rumors that Veedub might open a factory in Southern China to make up for its lack of exposure and market share down south, we wondered “which of their two Chinese joint venture partners will get the new plant.” If the latest rumors are true, all options are wide open. It might

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Volkswagen To China: Have A SEAT

We weren’t the only outlet to note Volkswagen’s apparent 2010 production volume win over Toyota a few days ago. Not so fast, Toyota tells Automotive News [sub]. Volkswagen’s total included production by joint ventures in which it does not hold a majority stake, Toyota’s didn’t. On an apples-to-apples basis (with minority stake affiliates included) Toyota

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Toyota: We’re Actually Number One (Not That We Care)

While other brands are busy closing down dealers, Volkswagen is buying them. They buy the big ones, to be exact. The smaller ones have been eliminated ever since yours truly has been working for VW. In the USA, Volkswagen Group of America signed an agreement to buy the not so swank Potamkin family’s dealership in Manhattan

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VeeDub Going Retail

Volkswagen underscored its commitment to electric vehicles today by announcing creation of a new “electric traction” unit and naming Karl-Thomas Neumann, former head of the giant parts supplier Continental AG, as chief of the new operating group. ———- VW says it will launch retail version of E-Up! small EV in 2013. ———- Neumann, who served as head of electronics for VW before leaving for a post at