Volkswagen Up! News

Five game-changing, price-leading EVs from overseas, and what they could mean for the market in Australia.

Volkswagen can’t be accused of taking things easy.

Even if you exclude Tesla from the data, new electric car sales are ramping up in Australia, and it's not hard to see why.With skyrocketing petrol prices and most popular models facing increasingly longer wait times, it's little wonder why Australians are

Sometimes the best cars don't win comparison tests. That was the case this week.

Micro cars may be on the nose in Australia but no one seems to have told the makers.

How can the same car score five stars for crash safety in Europe and only four stars in Australia?

Want proof the Australian new-car market is getting tough? Several models have disappeared from showrooms because they can't handle the competition.

A vote by 75 motoring journalists from 22 countries has awarded the compact prestige car the World Car of the Year award for 2015.It finished on top of a 24-car field and eventually beat the two other finalists, the Ford Mustang and Volkswagen Passat.The other big prizes for 2015, Green Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year, went to the plug-in hybrid BMW i8 and the Mercedes-AMG GT coupe.The winners were announced at the New York Motor Show today at an event hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum at the culmination of a six-month voting process.The C-Class delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.The awards are in their 11th year and previous winners include the Audi A6, BMW 3 Series, Lexus LS460 and Volkswagen Golf, Polo and Up.To be eligible for the overall World Car award, candidate cars must have become available for sale on at least two continents between January 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015.The WCOTY wins by Mercedes-Benz follow its victories in the Green Car contest in 2007 with the E320 Bluetec and 2012 with the S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and its Luxury Car success with the S Class in 2014.“We are extremely delighted of winning the honour of World Car of the Year,” says the chairman of Daimler, Dr Dieter Zetsche.The WCOTY victory follows a similar success for the C-Class in the CarsGuide Car of the Year award.The WCOTY judging panel says: “Taking its design and technological cues from the S-Class, the C-Class employs an all-new aluminium/steel hybrid platform and updated rear-drive powertrains that delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.” WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2015Overall winner: Mercedes-Benz C-ClassGreen Car: BMW i8Performance Car: Mercedes-AMG GTLuxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S CoupeDesign: Citroen CactusPREVIOUS WORLD COTY WINNERS:2014: Audi A32013: Volkswagen Golf2012: Volkswagen Up2011: Nissan Leaf2010: Volkswagen Polo2009: Volkswagen Golf2008: Mazda22007: Lexus LS4602006: BMW 3 Series2005: Audi A6

THE Audi A3 small car -- which owes much of its DNA to the Volkswagen Golf -- has won the 2014 World Car of the Year, as voted by 69 jurors from 22 countries. The luxury hatch toppled the widely-tipped favourite, the Mazda3 from Japan, in the awards announced at the New York motor show today.The Audi A3 was among five German cars that took out a cleansweep of the 2014 World Car of the Year categories, and it was Audi’s second win in 10 years, having won the inaugural award. Indeed, German cars have won seven of the past 10 World Car of the Year awards, Japanese brands have won the remaining three.Accepting the award on behalf of the company, Audi's North America president Scott Keogh said: “The Audi A3 has only been on sale three weeks and already it’s off to a flying start.”Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi, said: “This major award win is an achievement that the whole company can celebrate.”The Audi A3 was among 24 finalists that included the BMW i3 electric car, which won the Green Car of the Year and the Car Design of the Year. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class was the Luxury Car of the Year while the Porsche 911 GT3 was awarded top performance car honours.But the Mazda3 had emerged as an early favourite for the outright World Car of the Year award following rave reviews globally since it went on sale late last year. The previous generation Mazda3 has been Australia’s top selling car for two of the past three years, and was the vehicle that ended the Holden Commodore’s record 15-years as the market leader, in 2011.The Mazda3 is returned to the top of the sales charts so far this year -- after being overtaken by the Toyota Corolla in 2013 -- and is likely to take out top-seller status this year buoyed by the new model which went on sale in January.World car of the year winners2014 – Audi A32013 -- Volkswagen Golf Mk72012 -- Volkswagen Up2011 -- Nissan Leaf2010 -- Volkswagen Polo2009 -- Volkswagen Golf Mk62008 -- Mazda22007 -- Lexus LS4602006 -- BMW 3 Series2005 -- Audi A62014 World Car of The Year category winnersGreen car of the Year -- BMW i3 electric carCar Design of the Year -- BMW i3 electric carPerformance Car of the Year -- Porsche 911 GT3Luxury Car of the Year – Mercedes-Benz S-ClassThis reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Australia's record-low new-car prices have claimed their first casualty -- and it's from an unlikely brand. Volkswagen is poised to stop selling the Up city car, at $13,990 the cheapest European on sale locally.The Up has been crushed by the weight of Japanese competition in the Light Car class which have limboed to new lows because the Yen being has been artificially devalued over the past 12 months. When the Volkswagen Up went on sale locally in September 2012 it matched the competition on price, but it has since been undercut by an $11,990 Suzuki Alto and $12,990 Mitsubishi Mirage, among others.In Australia, sales of the Up have failed to meet expectations despite the car winning numerous awards, including the World Car of the Year. Volkswagen has sold only 2000 Ups in the past 18 months. So far this year sales are down by a staggering 92 per cent: just 53 cars have been delivered in the first three months of 2014.Volkswagen Australia has told dealers that the Up will no longer be imported, and once the current stock sells out the model will disappear from Australian showrooms. Carsguide understands there are also no plans to re-introduce the model locally as a Skoda, Volkswagen's sister brand.Volkswagen Australia boss John White would not confirm the local extinction of the Up, however he has foreshadowed a clean-out of the Volkswagen model range. "Sales aren't where we want them to be on the Up," said Mr White. "It's a choice we have to make."He said Volkswagen Australia was reviewing the range of cars it sells locally. "Part of the strategy we are adopting is that we want to streamline and de-proliferate our line-up," he said. Mr White said the Up was brought into Australia "for an entry-level statement" and a sales driver.But the main stumbling block for the Up has been the lack of an automatic transmission, which accounts for 80 per cent of sales in the class. "I don't think we can do enough volume that is profitable for dealers and for us in the long term," said Mr White.Since launch, the Up has rarely been without a "drive-away" promotional offer. Currently, Volkswagen is advertising a low-interest finance rate on the car, with repayments of just $8 a day as well as $500 cash back. "That low end of the market is very aggressive," said Mr White.Meanwhile, Volkswagen has also told dealers it will not take the facelifted Scirocco R performance hatch, bringing a premature end to that model. Its void will be filled by the just-released Golf R. The stylish Eos convertible also has no immediate successor once it fades from view in the coming months. Instead, Volkswagen buyers looking for a convertible will only have the Golf cabriolet to select if they're after a sun-lover.While Volkswagen's Up may be struggling in the Light Car class, the Golf is set to make another splash in May and June, with dealers expecting big shipments of the base model Golf to coincide with the re-introduction of $22,990 drive-away pricing.When the new generation Golf was launched in April 2013, it started with a $24,990 drive-away price. That was trimmed to $23,990 drive-away in September 2013 and then cut even further to $22,990 drive-away in November 2013, when sales took off."When we hit the sweet spot with that car at $22,990, sales spiked and it put us more in the mainstream with the Mazda3 and the (Toyota) Corolla," said Mr White. "We will make sure we have a competitive entry point to advertise (the Golf) in the coming months."