2016 Volkswagen Golf R on 2040-cars

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VW launches special edition Touareg X

Volkswagen is no stranger to special editions, but its Touareg SUV has remained largely unspecial in terms of exclusive trims or unique packages. That's changed with the announcement of the Touareg X, a 1,000-unit run based on the V6 TDI Lux trim - mid-range diesel model, between the navigation-equipped TDI Sport and the TDI R-Line.
The already special Touareg gets 19-inch "Moab" wheels, LED taillights (to go along with its LED DRLs) and "Touareg X" badging, while all 1,000 units will be painted Moonlight Blue Pearl. Tweaks in the cabin are equally light, with a black-on-black-on-black color scheme dominating - black Vienna leather, a black headliner and piano black trim. Aluminum bits make an appearance in the form of the door sills and pedals, although that's about it.
Other than those few aesthetic tweaks, the Touareg X is equipped largely like the Touareg Lux on which it's based. That means navigation, a panoramic sunroof, power seats, LED running lights, dual-zone air conditioning and heated power seats, among other tech pieces. Pricing starts at $56,170, making for a slight bump of $1,195 over the standard Touareg Lux.

Volkswagen iBeetle gets integrated iPhone dock, little else

Apple fans have been itching to see the tech giant flex the full muscle of its iOS operating system in an automotive infotainment system for years, which is why we turned all sorts of excited when we caught wind of the Volkswagen iBeetle. The machine is headed to the Shanghai Motor Show for a debut, and VW promised it would be one of the "first cars in the world to have a genuine integrative interface for the iPhone that was coordinated with Apple." Listen closely, and you can hear the contented sigh of a million wallets opening.
Go ahead and close those up, kids.
In reality, the iBeetle offers little more than a dash-mounted dock and a special app that shows a few vehicle functions, which is about as far from an infotainment revolution as you're likely to find. In fact, the setup is little more than a factory rehash of aftermarket items, and hardly worth a whole model debut at an international motor show. And that's to say nothing of the fact that Apple relishes in changing the shape and form of its darling handheld at every generation. Volkswagen better be prepared to keep pace with appropriate docking mechanisms for the upcoming iPhone 5S, 6, 6S, et al.

Volkswagen Golf Wagon leaked ahead of official unveiling

Wagons ho! These three images of the upcoming Volkswagen Golf Wagon have leaked online ahead of the car's official debut, which may very well be at the Geneva Motor Show. Looking over the photos doesn't really bring any surprises - after all, this is a VW Golf with a wagon rear end grafted on, or basically what we expect next Jetta SportWagen will be.
We can only share these three images at this time, but fret not, folks. There's little doubt that all the details and images will be flowing from Volkswagen in short order. In the meantime, click on the images above to view them in high resolution.