Fast and Cool Dubs.. GRC, Waterfest, and Wolfsgart 2014

It's been a crazy month for Volkswagen. With two GRC races and two big Volkswagen of America sponsored enthusiast events, July has been jam packed with sweet dubs. Hot weather and cool cars? We couldn't think of a better combination for summer.

(Photo credit D. Pizzutiello, VW Product Specialist)

(Photo courtesy of D. Cary, VWoA)

There was lots of drama for the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team in New York and in Charlotte. The team's leading driver, Scott Speed, placed second in New York, but was disqualified due to "unapproved adjustments". His bad luck continued this past weekend in Charlotte, where he had tire and mechanical issues the entire weekend. He ended up placing in 5th place at Charlotte, and remains in second place overall for the entire series. 

Speed's teammate Tanner Foust had better luck this month, winning the Volkswagen Rallycross New York, Foust's first win this season. In Charlotte, Foust too had tire issues, causing him to miss the podium despite an awesome effort. 

Volkswagen is currently second in the standings for the Manufacturer Championship, right behind Ford. With four more cities, and five more races left in the season, there's still plenty of time for Foust and Speed to catch up and bring home an overall victory for Volkswagen Andretti. We're all rooting for you guys here at Stohlman, so keep on keeping on!

(VWR intake for mk7 GTIs unveiled at Waterfest 2014)

Waterfest returned to Englishtown, NJ a couple of weeks ago for its 20th year. A favorite among VW lovers, Waterfest is one of the biggest Volkswagen enthusiast events in the world. Considered a shopping show, owners not only come to show off their finely tuned wheels, but to buy parts for their current/next project. Vendors in turn bring their A game with drool worthy parts, and often discounted pricing. 

(Waterfest 2014)

Volkswagen again featured generations of the Golf in their display, showing the evolution leading up to the current generation mk7 GTI/Golf (now on sale at Stohlman). Because Waterfest was held at Englishtown's Raceway park, different types of contests were featured, including the 1/4 mile drag race, autocross course, and the tire burn-out contest. Who doesn't love the smell of freshly burnt rubber? 

Wolfsgart in Burlington, VT was this past weekend, a Northeast based show that features primarily German and European cars. From classics to modern models, Wolfsgart is car show combined with an all weekend camping experience, featuring Vermont's beautiful scenery as the backdrop. Along with best in show competitions, Wolfsgart organized activities like night cruises, a car rally, and a car limbo. Yes, you read correctly, a car limbo to see who's car rides the lowest. 

(Wolfsgart 2014)

The next big VW gathering is Dub Deliverance on August 16th at Summit Point, WV. Summit Point will be opening up its track to VW and Audi owners, in coordination with TrackDaze, NGP, and APR. If you'd like to participate, register with TrackDaze by August 8th or visit NGP's site for more info.

Let us know if you'll be attending Dub Deliverance, or any of the remaining GRC races this season @StohlmanAuto. Until next time!

Esther Cho

VW Product Specialist

@esther_ch5

We're #2! And New SUV Coming To Chattanooga

Hip hip hoorah! We’re almost there! General Motors announced last Wednesday their car and truck sales world wide from January through June was 4.2 million cars. Which means, Volkswagen advanced to the second place position in global auto sales with 4.97 million YTD. Toyota has not released their numbers yet, but it is expected that they will remain in first place, with an expectation of 10.1 million vehicles by the end of the year. 

So why is this a big deal? Not only is this an awesome accomplishment for VW, but it’s just another step towards the ultimate goal of world domination.. I mean the biggest auto manufacturer in the world by 2018. 

(Photo provided by @VW media)

In addition to this exciting update, Volkswagen also revealed more fantastic news. For those of you familiar with the CrossBlue concept we unveiled at the 2013 North American Auto Show in Detroit, an SUV based on this design is finally planned for production to take place at VW’s Chattanooga plant. CEO of VW Dr. Martin Winterkorn stated, “This model will play a key role for Volkswagen’s presence in North America.” 

The CrossBlue concept showed as a 3 row SUV. It was also initially equipped with a plug-in diesel-electric hybrid powertrain that was under development. This new concept is estimated to average 89 mpg, which would seriously change the automotive game. Similar versions of the conceptual powertrain were unveiled at various auto shows, including a dual electric motor direct injection gas V6 hybrid, which initially showcased on the CrossBlue Coupe concept, estimated to achieve 79 mpg, with a 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds. Pretty fast for not only a hybrid, but an SUV.

(Photo provided by +Volkswagen USA  media)

Chattanooga currently builds the Passat, which has been a success in the U.S. market. The Chattanooga plant currently employs approximately 1,500 employees for production for the Passat. There was much debate on whether another vehicle would go into production in Chattanooga due to the union saga, creating a standstill for the future of Chattanooga and Volkswagen. Tennessee is a Right to Work state, which allows employees to choose whether or not to join/support unions. Chattanooga was the only factory in the Volkswagen Group worldwide to not have any representation, causing the factory to have no representation in Germany. 

(Photo provided by +Volkswagen USA media)

The workers voted no - 53% to 47% - on the existing United Auto Workers union based out of Detroit in entering Chattanooga back in February, but VW continued to encourage the workers to consider assembling some type of workers council, so that the group could move forward in expanding production in Tennessee. After many months of debate following the vote, the UAW created a local union to represent workers for Chattanooga, with Volkswagen Group’s approval. Volkswagen issued a statement that said, “Just like anywhere else in the world, the establishment of a local organization is a matter for the trade union concerned. There is no contract or other formal agreement with UAW on this matter.” The local chapter will be recognized when they can get a majority of the workers to join, but Volkswagen has already began its expansion process at the plant.

Approximately $900 million will be invested in the production of the new SUV, with around $600 million being invested in Tennessee. More money also means more jobs. Approximately 2,000 jobs will be created, in addition to an independent National Research & Planning Center of the Volkswagen Group of America. The R&D facility will identify consumers’ feedback for the U.S. market and expedit the integration for Volkswagen models. This will create opportunities for approximately 200 qualified engineers in Chattanooga. 

With the goal of delivering 800,000 Volkswagen Group vehicles in the US by 2018, production for the new SUV will begin in late 2016. A total of $7 billion is planned to be invested in North America to achieve this goal as well, to allow the brand to reach their Mach 18 sales goal. Not to make any promises, but I would estimate a mid-late arrival at dealerships in 2017 for the highly anticipated new SUV.

Will you be in the market for 3 rows in the future? Do you think Volkswagen will reach its Mach 18 goal? Share your thoughts with us on twitter @StohlmanAuto. Until next time!


Esther Cho
VW Product Specialist
@esther_ch5

Germany FTW! and MLS Legend Loves VW

Before the holiday, we discussed Volkswagen's connection to the world's sport, soccer. Although the United States was knocked out of the FIFA World Cup tournament in the round 16, their defeat wasn't an easy feat for the Belgium National Team. Tim Howard showed us an amazing performance, even getting himself briefly named as Secretary of Defense of the United States on Wikipedia. I would have loved to see the Howard edit up until the end of the tournament, no offense of course to the actual Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, but unfortunately Wikipedia didn't deem it as an acceptable statement. The big story however comes from the motherland of Volkswagen Group. Germany had a stunning game against Brazil yesterday, practically massacring the host nation with a 7-1 win. The German National Team broke all sorts of records, including scoring 5 goals in the first 29 minutes. Jaw-dropping. Germany will be playing in the World Cup final game on Sunday versus either the Netherlands or Argentina, who will be facing off this afternoon at 4pm EST. I'd say it's safe to assume that most of us at Stohlman VW will be rooting for "zee Germans". Plus there's internet rumors swirling that everyone affiliated with Volkswagen Group will get a raise if Germany wins the World Cup. Fingers crossed, folks.

In related news, Volkswagen sponsored the Philadelphia Regional Junior Masters tournament in Lehigh Valley a few weeks ago. The kids showed an amazing amount of talent and teamwork in the beating hot sun, which wasn't unnoticed by special guest, MLS legend, John Harkes. A resident of Northern Virginia, Harkes was a former player for the New England Revolution, Columbus Crew, and our very own home team, winning two MLS Cups with DC United. He was also a member of the #USMNT (U.S. Men's National Team), appearing in the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups. Harkes recently was given a TDI Touareg by VWoA, and with it he drove up to the Philadelphia area to meet fans and the young players at the tournament, providing great insight to the kids about fine tuning their game. 

(John and I with his 2014 Touareg TDI)

Harkes took some time with me at the tournament to discuss his thoughts on his new whip. As a current Audi A6 owner, he felt that the Touareg was "comparable in quality and feel" to our cousin company's fit and finish. But that's not what really impressed John. "It's just like the commercials, I can just keep driving past gas stations without having to refuel.. The mileage is remarkable." Harkes also discussed how he remembered driving diesels when he played in England. He praised our diesels for how far along they've have come, from how quiet the Touareg's engine is, to the great performance thanks to the 406 lb-ft of torque. Harkes had been driving the Touareg TDI for about a month when we spoke, and he was in love and sold on the brand. We even discussed the possibility of him getting a Jetta for his son in the future. 

Mr. Harkes also took the time to throw a shout out to Stohlman VW, showing his appreciation for the great men and women that set Stohlman apart from the rest. We're fans of you too, John. Thanks for truly being an amazing individual on and off the field. 

Tweet us with your predictions for the final game this weekend @stohlmanauto. Until next time!

Esther Cho

VW Product Specialist

@esther_ch5