Volkswagen likely to be Biggest Carmaker This Year

Thanks to loyal customers, great cars, and a solid reputation, Volkswagen maybe well on its way to becoming 2011′s Biggest Carmaker of the Year by surpassing Toyota and GMC in sales in emerging markets.

Last year, Volkswagen was the third largest carmaker, but experts estimate that the German company will see a 13 percent rise to 8.1 million vehicles this year. Experts also estimate that GMC will only gain 8% to 7.55 million, while Toyota will drop a whopping 9% down to 7.27 million.

The reason VW is seeing so much growth is due to their presence in other countries outside of the United States. Volkswagen sales in China are estimated to rise to almost 20% in 2011 and sales in India are estimated to double.

Toyota has taken a big hit since the earthquake that devastated Japan not too long ago. Toyota has had to shut down the Southeast Asian plants that have been destroyed due to floods in Thailand – an aftereffect from the earthquake. While this has taken a toll on Toyota, it has lead to the success of VW.

‘‘Growth in China, Europe and the U.S. are major contributors to VW’s expansion but they obviously also benefit from Toyota’s own misfortunes,” said Daniel Schwarz, a Frankfurt-based analyst at Commerzbank AG who recommends buying VW stock.

When Toyota recovers from their losses, it could be possible that Toyota jumps back up to the #1 spot. But with great cars like the 2012 Volkswagen Passat, the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta, and the classic 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, Toyota has some major competition.

Come to Volkswagen SouthTowne test drive the all-new Volkswagen Touareg or the practical Volkwagen Routan.

The All-new 2012 Volkswagen Touareg

The 2012 Volkswagen Touareg is something to behold. With its top-of-the-line features and distinctive design, this is an SUV that turns heads.

The stylish SUV features everything you want in a new car: a panoramic sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, keyless entry with a push-button start, and a remote rear liftgate. This Touareg gets great fuel economy thanks to Volkswagen’s “Think Blue” strategy. They were able to reduce the weight of the SUV some 350lbs! This saves the planet, while saving you money on gas.

The 2012 Volkswagen Touareg has some stiff competition. The 2012 Acura MDX, 2012 BMW X5, and the 2012 GMC Acadia all have great features and specs, but the Touareg comes out on top on certain categories. The Volkswagen Touareg has a whopping 32.1 cu. ft. of cargo space which is 8 more cu. ft. than the next top competitor. While they all share similar fuel economy, the Touareg is the only one that is a IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2011.

You can lease the Volkswagen Touareg right now for $0 down, $0 first month payment, and $0 due at signing. If you would rather purchase than lease, VW Southtowne is offering 0% APR for 60 months. So what are you waiting for? Head over to Volkswagen Southtowne and test drive the 2012 Touareg. You won’t be disappointed.

Volkswagen’s Top Safety Ratings

When I think of car safety, Volvo immediately comes to mind. Volvo has been known to be a car brand concerned with safety and always makes top marks in annual safety rating tests. This year, however, it seems like things have changed.

Volkswagen is currently leading the industry with nine 2011 IIHS Top Safety Pick awards. This is more picks than any other brand in the marketplace. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) “Top Safety Pick” award, is the highest rating a car can get from the non-profit safety research organization.

This award, given out annually, recognizes the vehicles that perform the best is protecting passengers in front, side, and rear crash test evaluations. Volkswagen’s models have have won the award this year include the Volkswagen  2011-12 Volkswagen Jetta, 2011-12 Volkswagen Golf, 2011-12 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen, 2011-12 Volkswagen GTI, 2011-12 Volkswagen Tiguan, 2012 Volkswagen Routan, 2011-12 Volkswagen CC, 2012 Volkswagen Passat, and 2011-12 Volkswagen Toureg. Talk about an impressive lineup!

“Volkswagen has shown an enduring commitment to engineer vehicles with safety performance that goes beyond basic government standards,” says Institute president Adrian Lund. “The 2005 Jetta was the first car to ace the Institute’s tough side impact crash test, and Volkswagens like the new 2011 Jetta continue to set the standard with the highest safety ratings.”

Come and visit Volkswagen SouthTowne in South Jordan and test drive these IIH Top Safety Picks. Right now, Volkswagen is currently offering to Pay Your Mortgage with any new or used purchase. We’re all about your safekeeping! Hurry! This offer ends November 30th 2011!

VW Advertising: Classic, Ground-Breaking, and Unique

In the past few years Volkswagen has created some great advertising that has won awards, increased sales, and gotten the public to interact with their brand. Last year alone we experienced not one, but two great ads from Volkswagen during the Superbowl introducing the 2012 Beetle and the 2012 Passat.

While we have seen some ground-breaking advertising by Volkswagen as of late, they have had a long history of capturing the people’s attention.

The very first VW Beetle ads in the U.S. came out in the 60′s to help promote the German car to American’s for the first time. Up until then, American’s were obsessed with muscle cars and their advertisements relied on persuasion and fantasy to get the sale. VW did something unique in order to sell their unique-looking car.

VW came out with print advertisements that had a lot of white space, a smaller image, and a uniquely short headline. Two of the most famous headlines are “Lemon.” and “Think Small”. They decided to focus on the VW Beetle’s form which brought a lot of attention from the public. It challenged the idea of what a car should represent and contradicted the traditional association of cars with luxury.

Experts say:

“The campaign has been considered so successful that it did much more than boost sales and build a lifetime of brand loyalty [...] The ad, and the work of the ad agency behind it, changed the very nature of advertising—from the way it’s created to what you see as a consumer today.”

Come be apart of a great history. Visit Volkswagen Southtowne and check out the new 2012 VW Beetle.