1. ♦

    VW Design Chief Says All New Design Coming to Scirocco

    April 2, 2013

    According to CarAdvice, VW Design Chief Walter de Silva told them that it was his desire to revolutionize the 4th generation Scirocco which is do out within 2-3 years:

    “It must be completely different. Completely,” de Silva said.

    “We don’t want to repeat the body style of the Scirocco, we want to change that.”

    The lead stylist admitted the new Volkswagen Scirocco was still in the design phase, and said that – while confirmed for production – few specifics of the car had been signed off at this stage.

    “At the moment it’s only a studio [project],” he said. “It’s not defined at the moment.

    “We are still working … but we are looking 360 degrees.”

    Will this be enough of a total design change to allow the Scirocco to finally be sold in the U.S. without fear of cannibalizing sales from the Golf or GTI? I sure hope so.

  2. ♦

    MINI Celebrates 500,000 Vehicles Sold in the USA

    April 2, 2013

    MINI issued a press release today stating that they had sold 500,000 vehicles in the U.S. market since it’s debut 11 years ago.

    “This milestone is an incredible achievement for MINI, and we’re proud to have so many Motorers as part of the MINI family,” said Jim McDowell, Vice President – MINI USA. “11 years ago, doubters said a small car could not succeed here, but MINI proved that small could be premium, fun to drive and have real character, creating a whole new segment that has grown significantly in the years since then.”

    U.S. sales have grown from 24,590 units in 2002, to 66,123 units in 2012. MINI currently has 116 dealerships nationwide with plans of expanding to 130 dealerships by the end the year.