VW Golf Tops European Sales Chart in First Half of 2009, Ford Fiesta Finishes Second

Despite the heavy competition from the new Ford Fiesta that increased its sales in Europe by a hefty 34.2 percent to 243,340 units in the first half of 2009, VW's Golf continues to dominate the sales charts in the Old Continent with sales up 12.7 percent to 254,023 units in the same period, according to data released by Jato Dynamics. The rest of the top five list was rounded out by the Peugeot 207 with 193,778 units (-20,6 percent), the Opel - Vauxhall Corsa with 181,751 units (-14.1 percent) and the Renault Clio with 144,512 units (-28.0 percent).

Notably, the first ten places were occupied exclusively by European automakers - okay Opel / Vauxhall (at least for the time being) and Ford are controlled by their American parent companies.

Volkswagen was also Europe's top-selling car brand in the first half of the year with 842,787 vehicles sold, up 0.7 percent over the same period in 2008. Ford finished in second place with 666,548 units, down 3.6 percent over last year, followed by GM's Opel - Vauxhall division with 557,739 units (-16.8 percent), Fiat with 542,115 units (-1.4 percent) and Renault with 520,763 units (-18.4 percent).

Data: Jato Dynamics

RDX Racedesign Styles up the VW Golf VI

Sometimes vehicle owners don't feel like dealing with the hassles and increased costs of mechanical upgrades on their cars preferring to focus their attention on the styling aspect of tuning. If you happen to agree with the above and own a sixth-generation VW Golf, then you may want to take a look at the latest offerings from RDX Racedesign.

The tuner has launched a new bodykit for the Golf VI that comprises of a front spoiler (€149), side skirts (€149), rear apron (€149), roof spoiler (€149) and headlamp covers (€49.95). The overall cost for the aero kit is €646 which comes to around $920 US at today's exchange rates.

ABT Does the New VW Golf GTI VI: 260HP and 300HP Versions

You knew it was coming: ABT Sportline's take on the sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI. Building on the basic GTI, the German firm's engineers first turned their motorsport-honed attention to the car's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot that delivers 210HP in standard form. The craftspeople at ABT developed two performance kits for the new GTI, with the first adding the usual ECU and exhaust system upgrades that lift output to 260 horsepower.

In addition to these enhancements, the second kit adds a new turbocharger that helps boost power to 300HP allowing the car to accelerate from rest to 100km/h or 62mph in under 6.0 seconds. In comparison, the factory Golf GTI VI sprints from 0 to 100km/h in 7.2 seconds.

Helping to improve the GTI's handling is a set of lower, stiffer springs plus a high-performance brake system and newly designed 18- or 19-inch alloys wrapped in beefier rubber.

The German tuners also developed an appearance package for the GTI that takes the red pin stripe theme to a new level. The kit consists of a new grille, front bumper with LED daytime lights and a lip spoiler, side skirts, roof spoiler and a rear diffuser that houses two pairs of diagonally positioned tail pipes.

And finally, the tuning folks at ABT upgraded the GTI's interior with red accents on the steering wheel, the instrument gauges the dashboard and the door trims.

ABT said that pricing for the comprehensive sport package for the new GTI will be announced at a later date.

It Came from eBay Hell: ‘80s VW Golf Stretch Limo with Mercedes Nose

So you want your own limousine? Sure, I can dig that. Who hasn’t thought of trading in their daily commute for something that’s chauffer driven? And what better place to start your search than on eBay, where you’re sure to find something both unique and affordable, if not exactly well built or driveable.

Here’s one such find, based on a 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit (Golf for the rest of the world) with a Mercedes-Benz nose piece. The seller’s description reveals that this vehicle has new brakes, struts, a new exhaust, new wheels and tires, new windshield and gas tank. And it still has its original motor and transmission, with a twin barrel carburettor with aluminium intake and header which the seller assures us makes it, “Fast for what it is.”

Inside there are two bench seats facing each other, and an electrically operated tinted glass partition that can separate the passengers from the driver. Classy.

The interior is in need of a lot of attention, though. There’s no headliner, no carpet and the custom interior panels have yet to be fitted. The air conditioning’s not hooked up and there’s no sound system, either. The car’s also missing a, “Few other odds and ends.”

On the upside, it has a clear title and the car comes with a fixer upper GTI engine and a white rabbit plush toy that has been stretched and has a VW hat on its head. Sadly there are no pictures of the latter. The starting price is a low, low US$4,999.00 (€3,676). Price for a first generation Rabbit, but not bad for something with such...uh...”unique qualities.”

The strange this is, this car has been on sale before, almost two years ago. And it was in the exact same state it’s in now. We don’t know what this means, except maybe that the owner grew tired of working on it. Take that however you want, and leave your comments below.

Link: eBay