Here’s a campervan that has a lot more junk in its trunk.

Overland Motorhomes Ltd. in South Wales, UK, has doubled the size of a Volkswagen T5 Transporter by adding on an electrically extendable rear pod. The T5 DoubleBack gives you the drivability of a van with the space of a motorhome. Drive your compact van to your destination, and once there, make camp with the electrically extending pod that self-levels on two legs, giving you almost 2 meters of additional usable space.

The T5 Doubleback is great for families and couples, and it can seat two or three passengers in either captain’s chairs or benchseat layouts. You’ll have everything you need for a stress-free campout, including an elevating roof with fold-out bed and a kitchenette.

“The DoubleBack has been inspired by a desire to see a truly spacious, comfortable camper with all the practical advantages of a smaller vehicle,” says Craig McCormack, Founder.

If you’re interested, the T5 Doubleback will be available at the end of March for £54,995 (US$87,019). You can find out more about it at the T5 Doubleback website. Watch the promo video of the van in action after the jump.

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The 50,000th VW Passat rolled off the assembly line this week at the company’s manufacturing facility in Chattanooga Tennessee.

A little under one year ago Volkswagen built its first vehicle in Tennessee, and the company announced this week that a white, 2.5-liter, 170-horsepower Passat SE would roll off the line and mark the 50,000th vehicle to be produced at the plant.

“An incredible amount of care goes into each vehicle we produce in Chattanooga,” said Frank Fischer, chief executive of VW’s Chattanooga operations, in a press release. “Producing 50,000 cars at this level of quality is a huge accomplishment for our team.”

The VW plant at Chattanooga was the first auto plant in the world to receive platinum certification from the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

10. Chevy Impala: 14M units sold

The numbers are always changing and a new list of the Top 10 best-selling vehicles in history, compiled by 24/7 Wall St. has a new model on top.

There are some surprises on the list, but for the most part it all makes sense. Whether they’ve been in production for a long time or they’re reasonably priced worldwide, the top 10 best-selling cars of all time might not be the most exciting, but are clearly the most popular throughout history.

The Chevrolet Impala is the only GM vehicle on the list and has quite the history since hitting the market 54 years ago. Starting its life as a large two-door performance coupe, the Impala evolved into a versatile sedan. Or as we like to call it, a rental car. Ironically, it isn’t actually offered as a coupe anymore, which seems like a distant memory after 10 generations of upgrades.

With the newest version of VW’s iconic Beetle already on sale, Volkswagen is expanding the car’s product range and appeal with a diesel powered model.

Unveiled today at the Chicago Auto Show, the Beetle TDI makes use of a familiar 2.0-liter turbocharged engine to make 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. Along with that big torque number, fuel economy is high, with a 29 mpg city rating and a 39 mpg highway rating. Buyers can choose from either a six-speed manual or VW’s DSG dual-clutch automatic.

Three trim levels will be offered: TDI, TDI with sunroof and TDI with Sunroof, Sound and Navigation. That top-trim level gets a five-inch touch screen and a Premium audio system.

With both gas and diesel versions of the coupe now available, look for a convertible version to bow at the New York Auto Show in a few months time.

GALLERY: 2013 VW Beetle TDI

Volkswagen will transform one of its many concept cars into a reality at this year’s Geneva Motor Show with the reveal of a high-performance version of the Golf Cabriolet.

The Golf GTI Cabriolet, which was previewed at the Worthersee GTI meet last year (along with a Golf R Cabriolet), will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine making 208 hp. In addition, the drop-top GTI will get an upgraded suspension and interior, a choice of six-speed manual or DSG transmission, 17-inch wheels and VW’s impressive electronic limited slip differential.

While VW does offer the same engine in the Eos convertible, this is the first time a full GTI package has been offered with a convertible option since the original GTI.

With the big reveal announced, the only question remaining is whether the Golf R Cabriolet will also see production.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Did you think that every automaker’s secrets were revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit? Think again.

At least ten new models will debut at this year’s Chicago Auto Show, which kicks-off this Wednesday, February 8th. Here’s a quick round up of what to expect:

Acura

The ILX Sports Sedan will debut, and replace the TSX. The new ILX will be based on Honda’s Civic platform, and share the powertrain choices. Additionally, the ILX will show off three engines, including a Hybrid. The ILX will be targeted towards a younger crowd, and is being called a “gateway” to the luxury brand lineup.

Joining the ILX will be a new RDX. The popular SUV will be redesigned and will show off a wider track, a longer wheelbase and a new V6 engine. The RDX will be showing off some new technologies as well, including Pandora Internet Radio, and a Text-to-Speech SMS voice texting.

See the rest of our Chicago Auto Show preview below:

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Volkswagen first showed off its XL1 Concept at the 2011 Qatar Motor Show, and the futuristic-looking coupe will be making its way to production, albeit in a limited run.

The XL1 will be will be built on Volkswagen’s new modular MQB platform and even though no official photos of what the production model will look like has been released, sources believe that it will closely resemble the concept pictured above. What has been confirmed – at least as confirmed as rumors can be – is that the XL1 will have a new 800-cc, two-cylinder diesel powerplant with 48-hp and 88 lb-ft of torque and will be mated to a seven-speed DSG transmission.

The diesel engine will work with a 27-hp electric motor putting out 103 lb-ft of torque with the electricity being stored in lithium-ion batteries. The XL1 will be able to travel up to 24 miles in all-electric mode and is expected to go 0-62 mph in 11.9 seconds with a top speed limited to 99-mph.

It is believed that the XL1 will be delivered starting next year but Volkswagen did not confirm how many they will be producing or its cost.

GALLERY: Volkswagen XL1 Concept

[Source: Autoweek.nl]

The 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI will be going on sale this summer and will make its official debut at the upcoming 2012 Chicago Auto Show. VW has fed us some information ahead of its debut, however, revealing that it’ll be available in three trim levels and is expected to get 29-mpg city and 39-mpg highway.

The Beetle TDI will be powered by a 2.0L turbocharged diesel engine with 140-hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. The engine can be mated to either a six-speed manual transmission or Volkswagen’s innovative, dual-clutch DSG six-speed automatic. For the inside, the TDI models feature an extra instrument pod with oil temperature and boost gauges along with a stopwatch.

The three models the Beetle TDI will be available in are TDI, TDI with Sunroof, and TDI with Sunroof, Sound and Navigation. The upgraded models are pretty self-explanatory, with the base model coming with 17-inch wheels standard while the Sunroof model also adds a Premium VIII audio system with a full-color touchscreen display. Lastly, the top-of-the-line model has an RNS 315 navigation system with a five-inch touchscreen display and Fender Premium audio system.

Pricing has not yet been announced.

GALLERY: 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI

See AutoGuide’s complete 2012 Chicago Auto Show Preview Here

Slated for an official introduction at this year’s Paris Motor Show, the seventh generation Volkswagen Golf is one of the most anticipated vehicle launches of the year.

However, the Golf VII’s arrival is significant not only because it’s a huge seller (particularly in Europe) but because it also marks the first use of VW’s new MQB (Modularen Querbaukasten or Modular Transverse Matrix) vehicle architecture, which can be adapted for a huge range of different vehicles, from small sub compacts like the Polo, to large family sedans such as the Passat.

In addition, MQB was also conceived to be manufactured at different facilities world wide and even adapted for different brand vehicles within the VW group, such as Audi, Seat and Skoda. All of these different companies will utilize the same production equipment that can accommodate cars of not only different lengths and wheelbases but also tread as well. Up to 60 different models will appear on the MQB platform.

One of the prominent features offered by the MQB platform is the uniformly mounted engine in all cars built on the MQB. This will allow the Volkswagen group to have different cars rolling off of the same production line back to back.

The idea is that potentially, huge cost savings will be realized, as will higher volumes, particularly important since VW seems intent on pushing both General Motors and Toyota aside for the undisputed title of the world’s largest automaker.

Volkswagen‘s Super Bowl ad was teased last week with a musical performance of  dog’s barking the imperial march, which was very entertaining by itself, but it was not evident how VW would tie together both dogs and Star Wars. Well now we know as the company just released the entire commercial for our viewing pleasure.

It is actually two commercials rolled into one, a clever trick to keep both the dog and star wars theme alive. While the dog is cute, it’s only fitting that Volkswagen kept their Star Wars ties strong following the success of last years Super Bowl ad featuring the “Vader kid.”

Well done Volkswagen, well done.

Watch the ad after the jump and tell us what you think in the comments section below.

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