New Seat Mii Volkswagen Up

The world premiere of the VW Up! at last month's 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show last month was only the beginning for the German group as after the recent presentation of the Skoda Citigo, Seat is next in line to gain its version of the small city car with the Mii.

The new Mii is the Spanish firm's first offering in the segment after the termination of the Arosa mini in 2004, which was also based on a VW model, the Lupo.

As is the case with the Skoda Citigo, the only visible differences between the Seat Mii and the VW Up! are their front end styling, alloy wheel designs, tail lamp graphics and the interior trim colors and options.

The same goes for the powertrain choices as the 3.56m-long Mii, which tips the scales at just 854kg (1,883 pounds), will be offered with the VW Group's new 1.0-litre petrol engines with either 60HP (40kW) or 75HP (60kW).

The 60HP model is good for a top speed of 160km/h (99mph) and a combined fuel efficiency of 4.5lt/100km (52.3mpg US or 62.8mpg UK), while the 75HP variant reaches a top speed of 170km/h (106mph) and returns 4.7lt/100km (50mpg US or 60.1mpg UK).

Seat said it will also offer an Ecomotive variant featuring a Start/Stop system that will return a CO2 figure of just 97 g/km as well as a gasoline/CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) derivative that will emit a mere 86 grams of CO2/km making it one of the cleanest cars in the world.

The Mii will first launch as a three-door model in Spain this November, with sales to start in the rest of Europe in Spring of 2012. A five-door model will be added to the range before the end of next year.

Video Volkswagen Unleashes Guerilla

To demonstrate how important size is when it comes to parking in modern day cities, Volkswagen launched a new guerilla campaign for its new Up! city car right outside the Frankfurt Motor Show hall.

In the early hours of the morning, the German company's marketing team covered a line of cars in textiles featuring a life-size print of the new Up!.

You can watch the video right after the break.

Volkswagen Pays Tribute to Fender with New Beetle Concept

The high-performance Beetle R Concept was joined at VW's Frankfurt Motor Show stage by a second conceptual study that pays tribute to famed U.S.-based music instrument manufacturer, Fender.

Mimicking the styling used on an electric guitar customized by Volkswagen Design, the Fender Telecaster, the bespoke Beetle study is painted in a high-gloss "Black" finish with a fine red line framing the side windows.

Other special features on the outside include the chrome and aluminium accents on the door mirror caps, door handles, the trim strip beneath the side windows and side sills, while the twin tailpipes are arranged as they were on the original Beetle.

The concept Beetle rides on 19-inch wheels with polished aluminium caps, while track width extensions on the rear axle shift each of the wheels 10 mm outwards. Finally VW lowered the car's suspension by around 30mm.

Inside, the dashboard is trimmed in two-tone wood design pattern found on many Fender guitars, while certain controls on the center console were redesigned to look like those used on Fender's guitar and bass amplifiers.

Last but not least, the Beetle Concept features high-end audio system from Fender and a special socket in the boot area that allows for an electric guitar to be plugged in with its sound played over the subwoofer that is also integrated in the boot.

VW Wants Number One Spot

Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board has approved a cash influx of €62.4 billion (US$86 billion) into its automotive division over the course of five years. The investment is necessary if VW’s plan to overtake GM and Toyota and become the world’s number one car manufacturer is to succeed.

“The Volkswagen Group is investing a record amount in forward-looking projects to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s best automobile manufacturer”, said the VW Group’s CEO, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn. “We shall continue to extend our innovation and technology leadership. Top of the agenda for us are investments in environmentally friendly, sustainable models and drives.”

The majority of this investment, €49.8 billion (US$68.6 billion), will be in property, plant and equipment, with more than half invested in Germany. VW and its brands will focus on new vehicles on almost all classes, which will be based on modular architectures and use common components, allowing the cost-efficient continuous launch of models and expansion in new segments.

VW’s record spending to outsell GM and Toyota does not include its Chinese operations. The Group’s two joint ventures, Shangai-Volkswagen Automotive and FAW-Volkswagen Automotive, will receive a further €14 billion (US$19.3 billion) from 2012 to 2016 for the construction of two more plants.

This brings VW’s factory count in China to 11, out of the 62 that it has globally. “We are rather undersupplied there”, commented Winterkorn, who estimates that the VW Group could sell more than 2.4 million units this year in China.

After a best-ever 7.2 million units in 2010, VW Group estimates that this year it will increase its sales by 5% this year.

New Polo R is VW’s WRC

Volkswagen has finally decided to enter the World Rally Championship. Its contender will be the factory-backed Polo R WRC, which was on display at the 64th International Auto Show in Frankfurt.

What drew VW to the WRC was the change of rules by FIA for the 2011 season and onwards, which demand 1.6-liter turbocharged engines with direct injection, in order to keep up with the downsizing trend in road-going cars and lessen the development costs for the teams, thus drawing more competitors to the series.

The Polo-based rally car is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged TSI engine that delivers a maximum output of about 300 HP and 350 Nm (258.1 lb-ft) of torque. Weight is limited to 1,200 kg (2,645 pounds) and power is transmitted to all four wheels via a racing sequential gearbox.

Of course, apart from the FIA-mandated safety features such as a roll cage the Polo R WRC also gets a modified body with wide wheel arches and aero bits.