The combination of model history, coupled with hot hatch performance, all comprehensively illustrated through major photo shoots and detailed pictures, make this the complete guide to the five Golf generations. With all models, including Golf spin-offs, assessed, enthusiast-driving opinions shared and marketing policy discussed, this book is a unique hot Golfology!

In the early 1970s, Volkswagen was in deep trouble. Its venerable rear-engine air-cooled Beetle could no longer meet upcoming government regulations and its once phenomenal sales numbers had begun to slide. Something new was needed and the Giugiaro-designed Volkswagen Golf rose above all of the other concepts and designs. The Golf (called the Rabbit in the U.S.) was a modern car so different from the ancient Beetle, and in fact so different from anything else on the market that in Europe it's not called the "compact" class or "hatchback" class; it's called the "GOLF" class. This book covers the fascinating transition from Beetle to Golf and the subsequent development of the car that became Volkswagen's new icon. Included are Volkswagen archival photographs of early development projects and details about the people who built these charismatic cars. The story is more than facts and figures. It is an adventurous tale of a company whose future rested on the fenders of a hatchback economy car - a car that ultimately became a favorite of car enthusiasts around the world.

The definitive illustrated history of a true world beater. Discover the full story of the amazing VW Beetle--from pre-war KdF-Wagen to today's New Beetle. The book features a color technical appendix illustrating chronologically the major design modifications made during the Beetle's lifetime. Full-color studio photography of 26 milestone models.

A shocking expose of Volkswagen's fraud by the New York Times reporter who covered the scandal. Updated with a New Afterword by the Author. When news of Volkswagen's clean diesel fraud first broke in September 2015, it sent shockwaves around the world. Overnight, the company long associated with quality, reliability and trust became a universal symbol of greed and deception. Consumers were outraged, investors panicked, the company embarrassed and facing bankruptcy. As lawsuits and criminal investigations piled up, by August 2016 VW had settled with American regulators and car-owners for $15 billion, with additional fines and claims still looming. In Faster, Higher, Farther, Jack Ewing rips the lid off the scandal. He describes VW's rise from "the people's car" during the Nazi era to one of Germany's most prestigious and important global brands, touted for being "green." He paints vivid portraits of Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech and chief executive Martin Winterkorn, arguing that their unremitting ambition drove employees, working feverishly in pursuit of impossible sales targets, to illegal methods. With unprecedented access to key players and a ringside seat during the course of the legal proceedings, Faster, Higher, Farther reveals how the succeed-at-all-costs culture prevalent in modern boardrooms led to one of corporate history's farthest-reaching cases of fraud-with potentially devastating consequences. As the future of one of the world's biggest companies remains uncertain, this is the extraordinary story of Volkswagen's downfall.

The story of the Golf - with a difference! The emphasis is on the hotter hatch, without ignoring the range that made an acknowledged market leader.

This illustrated history celebrates the 75th and 70th anniversaries of Volkswagen's two most iconic vehicles, from the first Beetles spearheaded by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1940s to the buses that became synonymous with a generation. Volkswagen is one of the most beloved brands in motoring history, thanks largely to two instantly recognizable vehicles: the Beetle (a.k.a. Bug) and the Bus. More than 23 million VW Beetles have buzzed into the world since 1945, while the VW Bus presaged the minivan by thirty-plus years. Volkswagen: Beetles and Buses examines and celebrates all aspects of the vehicles and the many cultural associations that have swirled around them for more than seven decades. The diminutive rear-engined and easily mass-produced Beetle became the most popular imported car in America during the 1960s. Its success was due to its familiar face, its wildly clever ad campaigns, and the sheer numbers produced. The equally compact yet spacious Bus (a.k.a. Kombi, Microbus, Type 2, Transporter, and simply “van”) has won millions of fans around the world with its practicality, simplicity, and design. In this beautifully illustrated and authoritatively written celebration, author Russell Hayes looks back at the vehicles while focusing on the classic air-cooled VWs that ran into the late 1970s. Along the way, readers witness the Beetle and Bus at work and at play and learn about vehicle development and growing roles in popular culture, including star appearances in films like The Love Bug, Little Miss Sunshine, Footloose, Fight Club, The Big Lebowski, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, as well as television shows like Lost and Once Upon a Time and on the covers of the Beatles’ Abbey Road and Bob Dylan’s Freewheelin’ album. The story is brought up to date with coverage of the New Beetle and plans for the VW Buzz, a modern electric version of the iconic Microbus due in 2022. Volkswagen: Beetles and Buses deserves a place in the motoring libraries of VW owners, automotive enthusiasts, and those simply interested in pop culture. It's the ultimate illustrated history of these beloved vehicles.