Volkswagen is looking at producing a small car (similar to the Polo pictured above) at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant alongside the upcoming New Midsize Sedan, set to replace the Passat when it debuts in 2011. The Chattanooga facility could also host a new engine plant as well.

The new U.S. plant is a vital factor in VW’s goal to move close to 1 million units in North America by 2018, as it will help significantly reduce the costs of producing vehicles for sale in North America. Volkswagen’s New Midsize Sedan will be cheaper and more suited to American tastes than the Passat. The Passat currently retails for about$27,000 while a comparable Accord can be had for under $20,000, thanks to an unfavorable euro-dollar exchange rate.

A new small car or SUV would help expand the product lineup, enabling VW to continue to move units while saving money on importing vehicles from Mexico or Europe.

[Source: Autoweek]

Volkswagen‘s all new Passat has been revealed in a rendering obtained by Auto Express, one the allegedly came from a German dealer brochure. The new car clearly adopts the “corporate face” that Volkswagen is instituting, similar to the front fascias of both the new Polo, Golf and Touran.

Auto Express reports that motivation will come from 1.4L and 1.8L direct injection turbo units, as well as a pair of diesels. At some point, a 270-horsepower Passat R is expected to join the range, ostensibly with all-wheel drive. Of course, the new Passat won’t make it over here, as Volkswagen is developing an all new sedan, built for North American tastes, as a replace the outgoing Passat.

[Source: Auto Express]

It’s always been a goal of mine to learn how to slide into a parking spot, similar to how all the cool guys do it in Hollywood blockbusters. It’s a totally frivolous thing to master, and the chances of ever being able to use it are negligible. In any case, it looks like it will become a totally obsolete party trick now that robots can do it too.

Yes, that’s right. Robots. Stanford University and Volkswagen have had a long partnership in developing autonomous vehicles, fancy speak for cars that drives themselves. As the video explains, making a car go straight on its own isn’t too difficult, but turning is a little bit tougher. Sliding the car is a whole other operation in itself, as the handling characteristics are vastly more unpredictable. Evidently, the Stanford researchers have found a way around this, and have put together a couple neat videos to explain the process in layman’s terms.

Video after the jump

[Source:  Crunchgear]

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Yes, the above video features a car parking itself. “What’s the big deal,” you ask, seeing as certain Lexus models can already park themselves?

This Passat is different. The car, nick named Junior 2 (Junior being the autonomous Audi TT-S), has been modified by the Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Laboratory at Stanford University to valet park itself. The system uses a night vision camera, cruise control radar, and two tiny laser sensors to both navigate through a parking lot, find an empty space, and park. And besides, the Lexus doesn’t entirely part itself, it still requires a driver in the car to operate the pedals – and to push the auto-park button.

After the jump we’ve embedded a second video, taken from the back seat as all of this is taking place. And yes, it’s controlled via an iPhone app. Color us impressed when the system learns how to find us cheap parking…

[Source: BotJunkie]

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