The 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan received a few minor changes compared to the previous generation. You can choose from four different trim levels: S, LE, SE, SEL. The 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan is considered a small crossover SUV and is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 200 hp and 207 pound-feet of torque. This power is transferred through the standard 6-speed manual transmission or the optional 6-speed automatic that’s available. Minor engineering tweaks have resulted in better fuel economy for the front-wheel drive Tiguan, now claiming EPA estimates of 22 mpg city/27 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined.

Like most Volkswagens, the interior exemplifies the upmost quality available. We didn’t feel there was a lot of cargo space, which is something we want to see a lot of in a small crossover SUV. It is somewhat pricey compared to its competition like the Ford Escape or the Land Rover LR2 and for the its price you could probably find something a lot more roomier but if you’re a VW enthusiast and are in the market for a crossover, this might be the one for you! The S trim starts out at $22,840.

By Tabitha Baez

<

Provided by duPont REGISTRY

Thanks to a generous donation from a private collector, 13 exotic cars will be auctioned off at the Leake Car Auction in Dallas, Texas, November 19–21, 2010, to benefit the Jesse Tree charity. Jesse Tree is a faith-based organization that works to connect people with the care and help, including health care, social, and ministerial services, in their time of need.

The baker’s dozen from Tony Buzbee’s, a hard-fighting lawyer, private collection includes a 2006 Saleen S7, 2008 Spyker C8 Spyder, 2003 Lamborghini Murcielago, 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo, 2003 Aston Martin Vanquish S, 2007 Bentley Azure, 2005 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, 1974 Volkswagen Thing, 1930 Ford Model A, 1962 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible, 2008 Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Convertible, 2005 Ford GT Coupe, and a 2002 Ferrari F360 Spider.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $7 for children. Leake Car Auctions anticipates that 500 cars will cross the auction block that weekend.

Read more on duPont REGISTRY's Press Blog.

Provided by duPont REGISTRY

In 1999, the duPont REGISTRY held a survey where it asked its subscribers and the visitors to its web site to pick the 10 best cars of the century. Using those opinions, along with the picks from a number of notable persons like Mario Andretti, Don Panoz, Carroll Shelby, and Reggie Jackson, it compiled a list of the Top 100 Cars of the Century and dedicated a special book to its cause (in a way it was the precursor to our annual editorial-based Exotic Car Buyers Guide). The book hit newsstands before the turn of the century and was a great success. Today we are going to take a look back at that list and reminisce on what cars were picked and why and compare it to how those cars would probably rank exactly 10 years later.

Taking the number one spot on our top 100 list was the Lamborghini Diablo. Unveiled in production trim in Monte Carlo in January 1990, the Diablo was in its ninth year and still being produced at the time the book was written. We praised the “devil” for its “staggering 530 bhp from the…5.7-liter V-12,” and “0-60 mph acceleration under 4 seconds.” In the review we wrote “Lamborghini is rumored to be working on the next generation supercar. Though it’s hard to believe, they will create an automobile that will surpass our number one car in speed, power, and aerodynamic style.” Of course none of us knew the Lamborghini Murciélago was going to be so fast and so powerful and garnish as much admiration from the motoring public with its stout 580-hp 6.2-liter V-12 engine as it did. However, looking back, we can’t help but think that if a Lamborghini were to make the top ten list, shouldn’t it be the Lamborghini Countach? A model that has influenced the styling of all the company’s cars for the past 40 years.

Continue our look back at the top 100 cars of the last 100 years.

Provided by duPont REGISTRY

duPont REGISTRY’s Facebook page, which previously held an artwork contest that we told you about here, is proud to announce that the winner of its Exotic Cars and Women Photography Contest is Tiffani Shipman, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tiffani’s entry was a picture of her posing next to a white Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 provided by Lamborghini Las Vegas and was taken by A.D. Cook at an old Audi dealership in Henderson, Nevada. Shipman works for South Central Sportchassis, which caters to such well-known celebrities as Shaquille O’Neal and Chirs “Birdman” Anderson, as a salesperson and is not a professional model. She hopes to one day host her own T.V. show, maybe on the Speed channel, which focuses on her hobby: frame-off restorations. Read more about Tiffani Shipman on her web site.

Second place was a photo submitted by Dennis Canuto of an unnamed woman Sloan Stewart sitting next to his 1995 Volkswagen Corrado and taken by Garret Newsom in the lower level of a parking garage in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Corrado, as Dennis explains it, was a rare car imported into the United States from 1990–94. The model owned by Canuto is a 1995 model that he imported from the City of Hamilton in the Canadian province of Ontario. Garrett wanted to create a “beauty and the beast” sort of motif, with the dark underground and metal piping representing a beast 's lair. The girl was added to highlight the “beauty” aspects of the automobile. You see view more of Newsom’s work here.

The contest consisted of a select group of 15 entries; voting was held from July 6–8, 2010, via Facebook. In total the contest garnished more than 727 comments and 250 “Likes.” View all the entries on duPont REGISTRY's Facebook page.

Provided by duPont REGISTRY

A group of short sellers filed a lawsuit on Monday against Porsche for not being forthcoming with its plans to take over Volkswagen and for manipulating the shares of Volkswagen stock. A short sale, or being short, is when an investor burrows stock, sells it, and promises to repurchase shares at a later date. The hedge funds—Elliott Management, Glenview Capital Management, Glenhill Capital Management, and Perry Partners—say that Porsche began buying up Volkswagen shares through manipulative trades to hide its stock position and in an attempt to take over the company while at the same time not telling investors of its plan. Believing that Volkswagen stock was overpriced, the four funds named as the plaintiffs began borrowing Volkswagen shares and immediately selling them short. These investors say they were unaware that Porsche controlled the market for the shares and that they were borrowing stock from Porsche.

In October 2008, Porsche had acquired nearly 75 percent of the outstanding shares of Volkswagen when it disclosed its position to the market. This disclosure led Volkswagen’s stock to shoot up in price—at one point making Volkswagen the world’s most valuable company. The disclosure by Porsche caught the hedge funds off guard and set off a fiery of buying by the funds to cover their short positions. The firms are seeking to reclaim the approximate $1 billion that they had lost.

After the takeover of Volkswagen by Porsche was unsuccessful, Volkswagen ended up buying Porsche in mid-2009.

[via NY Times Blog and Bloomberg]

Provided by duPont REGISTRY

Autoblog is reporting that the Audi A7 should arrive on our shores by 2011. The four-door coupe will be priced around $80,000 and compete directly with the Mercedes-Benz CLS and may even be cross shopped with the Porsche Panamera base car or a Volkswagen CC. We can expect power to come from Audi’s 4.2-liter V-8 making 350 hp. A 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 making 300 hp is a possible base engine offered later down the road.  Shoehorning Audi’s 5.2-liter V-10 under the hood would make for a great RS version; but it is unlikely for the immediate future. 

[via Autoblog]

Provided by duPont REGISTRY

Volkswagen will be adding the Porsche brand to its already staggering portfolio, which includes Audi, Lamborghini, and Bentley. The two companies have been locked in a power struggle for nearly four years as Porsche slowly tried to acquire a majority stake in VW. It was not until earlier this year—when Porsche extended itself too thin by securing a credit line of 10-billion Euros to acquire more VW shares—that the talks started to turn towards VW taking control of Porsche. The credit crunch and a drop in sales led the company to then seek refuge in the hands of Volkswagen.

The agreement came on the heels of the announcement that Porsche’s CEO Wendelin Wiedeking was stepping down from his position after a 16-year run. Wiedeking was choked up at as he announced that he would be leaving the company and donating half of his 50-million Euro severance package to a foundation for Porsche’s workers.

“You make the speech damn hard,” he said. “Without you, I wouldn’t have been anything.”

When Wiedeking came in 1993, Porsche was hemorrhaging money.  He was able to turn the company around and by the early 21^st Century, the company was making more profit per car than any other manufacturer.

[via Bloomberg]

Provided by duPont REGISTRY

Toyota has reported its first yearly loss ever. Nissan would be better off throwing money out the window. The American public didn’t even need to buy General Motors or Chrysler products to help keep them afloat. BMW is going as far as cutting the development of the X7 in order to try to stop the bleeding. Ford’s future is uncertain. Volkswagen AG said strong sales in China helped push its total sales up 0.6% for 2008. Honda and Porsche, the two companies we all ordinarily admire, are expecting losses for their fiscal years.

So what types of cars are people buying? It looks like Ferraris. Ferrari is reporting a two percent increase in cars delivered to 6,587 in 2008. It also saw a rise in profits of 27% to $441 million during the same time. A large portion of that increase was due to America. Ferrari's U.S. sales jumped 26 percent—a greater increase than the brand saw in any other market.

There maybe a couple different reasons for this. Ferrari autos are more of an investment to many buyers; an investment that has a higher chance of a better return than on many stocks in the long run. Ferrari's one-to-one personalization program also was a major contributor, pushing sales of the brand's non-car related activities up by 28%. 

Despite the increase, Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo warned that “the economic climate in 2009 still remains very uncertain as the crisis takes its toll across the globe and it is hard to say how the situation will develop from here.”

[via Driving.ca]

Provided by duPont REGISTRY