Volkswagen Spy Shots Cars

Just two weeks after we saw the ID.5 GTX being tested in the wild, Volkswagen revealed the ID.5. Today, we’re looking at the production version of the ID. Buzz with nearly no camo yet still a bit different compared to the original 2017 ID. Buzz concept.

The Volkswagen Passat isn’t as dead as the media would lead you to believe, and the Aero B – a Passat-sized EV – isn’t going to replace it right away. In fact, the ICE-powered Passat will see one more generational shift that should keep it on the market, at least in some places, until the end of the decade. At that point, it will probably be replaced by the second-generation Aero B, but that’s still 8 years from now and we’re getting ahead of ourselves, so let’s take a look at these new spy shots of the Volkswagen Aero B.

Volkswagen was supposed to debut the ID.5 GTX at the 2021 IAA Mobility Show in Munich, but canceled it at the last minute. We saw a camouflaged version ahead of the show which didn’t hide much of the styling cues, but it was still with some skin. Now, the coupe-version of the ID.4 was recently spotted stretching its legs at the Nürburgring without nearly any camouflage this time.

Volkswagen recently announced the ID.4 GTX. With it, the German brand announced the beginning of its sporty EV lineup. What’s more important, however, is that during that same presentation, the new ID.5 was shown for the first time and with it, an ID.5 GTX was confirmed. This is the latest vehicle to utilize VW’s MEB platform for EVs. Moreover, the ID.5 will be a sleeker version of the ID.4. Think of it as an ID.4 Coupe.

The Mk. 8 Golf GTI TCR will build on top of an already amazing package to take things to the next level. As a model that’s more oriented toward the driver, it’ll feature a whopping 300 horsepower, all of which will be shunted through an eight-speed DCT. There’s no definite on-sale date as of yet, but it should launch in late 2020 as a 2021 model.

Update 5/12/2020: The Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR was spotted in the wild with almost no camo. Check it out in our special “Spy Shots” section below!

The Volkswagen Arteon came to our attention back in 2017, during its unveil at the Geneva Motor Show. Three years into the fastback-shaped sedan’s career, Volkswagen is planning to give the Arteon a well-deserved nip and tuck which would keep customer interest fresh and address the areas that needed further improvements.

With the refreshed Arteon, however, we’re expecting Volkswagen to introduce a spicier, more performance oriented version under its notorious R badge. Our suspicions are backed up by a recent set of spy shots that show a virtually undisguised test mule that wears a lot of R-specific features. Allow us to detail, then.

Update 4/29/2020: The Volkswagen Arteon R was spotted once again, this time sporting a look that represents the upcoming facelift and what we can expect from the new Arteon R. Check it out in our special Spy Shots section below!

The 2021 Volkswagen SMV is a brand-new SUV that the German firm will unleash on the Chinese market sometime in 2020. Based on a concept vehicle unveiled at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show, the SMV is slightly bigger than the Atlas, currently the company’s longest SUV.

Specifically, at 201 inches long the SMV is almost three inches longer than the Atlas, sold as the Teramont in China. The production model doesn’t have an official name yet, but it was spotted testing in cold weather in Sweden. But don’t get your hopes up, although Volkswagen is testing it in Europe, the SMV will be a China-only vehicle. Let’s find out more about it in the speculative review below.

With Dieselgate still not just an ugly distant memory in the back of Volkswagen’s brain, Wolfsburg looks like it’s leading the electrification revolution in the car world, driven by the traction offered by the behemoth that is the Volkswagen Group. But Volkswagen, as a brand, irrespective of what its other sisters and brothers are doing, has become synonymous with electrification plans of all sorts.

This so-called offensive will ultimately rub off on VW’s future models. TheID.3 is already out of the bag, but for now, the company is busy at work preparing the new Golf 8 for debut. When that finally happens on October the 24th, the new Golf will also come as a mild-hybrid model, the first in its history, as well as in the shape of conventionally-powered versions (i.e., diesel and gasoline variants). What’s more, the VW Golf will also receive a plug-in hybrid iteration under the GTE moniker, but no e-Golf model - since the ID.3 is already here to cover the all-electric ground. So with the e-Golf out of the scene, we’ll focus on the new VW Golf 8 GTE, which was caught during pre-production tests by our spy photographers.

The 2020 Volkswagen ID.3 is an all-electric compact hatchback that the German automaker unveiled at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. The 2020 ID.3 is the first Volkswagen based on the new MEB platform, which will underpin a full range of electric vehicles in the future. Heavily based on the ID Neo concept, the 2020 ID.3 is similar to the Volkswagen Golf in size, so it’s pretty much a replacement for the e-Golf.

A competitor for models like the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt, and Tesla Model 3, the 2020 Volkswagen ID.3 is available with three drivetrains that provide different outputs and mileage ratings. The range-topping model will deliver in excess of 200 horsepower and return more than 300 miles of range on a single charge. The 2020 ID.3 will cost less than €30,000 in Europe. Sadly, this EV won’t come to the United States. Let’s find out more about it in the detailed review below.

With an impending approach of the numerous Volkswagen ID electric cars, the spy photographers come into their own finally having a proper reason to film camouflaged Volkswagens. The latest that fell victim to a spy photographer’s lens is a curiously uncovered Volkswagen Tiguan. It was wheeling, silently, in nearly the same way as that Golf Sportsvan I wrote about earlier. As it turns out, this one famously hides the body of the next Volkswagen ID Crozz. It is definitely one of the most important electric vehicles that will appear in the next year or two, and this is essentially all that we know about it.

Update 08/11/2019: We spotted the Volkswagen ID Crozz testing with what we believe to be official metal. Check out our latest spy shots and what we’ve learned in our special spy shots section below!

The European version of the Volkswagen Passat is set to get a facelift for the 2019 model year, bringing it more in line with the new look of the new Volkswagen Arteon and maybe even bring some new updated engines and technology into play as well. It was recently spotted being put through the general testing phase, so it’s time to get the speculation mill running at full speed.

Updated 12/06/2018: The Volkswagen Passat is inching closer to production status and we’ve just updated the gallery below with the latest spy shots.

The Volkswagen T-Roc R is not yet officially unveiled, but we know what it looks like thanks to a fresh round of spy shots. The car has been spotted at the Nurburgring numerous times where it’s undergoing high-performance tests while giving us a clue of what to expect. Spy shots reveal the T-Roc R sans any camouflage, and it looks largely similar to the regular T-Roc with just a few minor updates to make it stand out.

New spy shots of the Polo-based Volkswagen T-Cross are giving us a clear idea of what to expect when the smallest member of VW’s crossover family hits dealerships next year. The T-Cross was seen testing in and around the Nurburgring with heavy camouflage covering its front and rear sections. The crossover’s design elements are slowly unraveling, and from the looks of it, the T-Cross is going to be what we all thought it’d be. It’s a high-riding Volkswagen Polo with some design elements culled from its big brother, the T-Roc.

When Volkswagen debuted the second-generation Tiguan for the 2016 model year, it debuted alongside the Tiguan PHEV GTE Concept – a model that served as a preview for the upcoming Tiguan PHEV. Now, it looks like the production version of the Tiguan PHEV is about to make its debut as it was spotted with zero camo cruising around public streets. As you can see it’s not all that different from the standard Tiguan, but it does have its differences. If the concept is any representation of what we can expect, and it obviously is, the production model should deliver between 210 and 220 horsepower and offer up some 30 miles of all-electric range for those of you with a short commute.

About six years old as of 2017, the second-generation Volkswagen Touareg is being prepared for the history books as the German company is testing a redesigned model. Spotted on the road on many occasions in the first half of 2016, the third-generation Touareg was once again caught in traffic by our paparazzi.

Likely to arrive sometime in 2017 and go on sale in U.S. dealerships for the 2018 model year, the third-gen Touareg will get a serious makeover inside and out. A refreshed engine lineup is also on the table, with both gasoline and diesel powerplants set to receive updates. The big news is obviously the new MLB platform, which will make the SUV lighter than its predecessor and allow for better interior packaging and more luggage space.

Hidden under heavy camouflage, the SUV has very few details to share with us at this point, but we know just enough for a speculative review on what it may bring to the table. Find out more about it below and stay tuned for updates.

Updated 03/23/2018: We know you’ve come here to learn all about the new, third-gen Touareg, so we’re busy updating this review as you read this. Until we’re done, we’ve added a special section below with a new gallery of images and a link back to our featured news on the new Touareg.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2018 Volkswagen Touareg.

Volkswagen teased the world with its CrossBlue concept at the 2013 North American International Auto show in Detroit, but little news has come from the German automaker about the three-row SUV. That’s no longer the case since these spy shots surfaced of an early pre-production mule first reported by the Chinese auto website Autohome.

Volkswagen’s marketing department has seemingly chosen another “T” name, going along with Touareg and Tiguan. Meet the Teramont.

The spy photos show plenty of the Teramont’s design details, though details of its engineering remain a mystery. A V6 badge is seen on the tailgate, but what V-6 engine VW is using is still unknown.

A report from Auto Evolution suggests the Teramont is slated for debut at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show in mid November. If it does make its debut, VW will likely slate the Teramont for the 2019 model year, allowing time for further testing and manufacturing rollout. In that case, the SUV will make its appearance in U.S. Volkswagen dealerships in Q4 of 2017. The report also suggests the Teramont will be produced at VW’s Chattanooga, Tennessee assembly plant.

Continue reading to learn more about the Volkswagen Teramont.

The Volkswagen CC made its debut at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show as the Passat CC. The only big different between the CC and the Passat was the CC’s sweeping roofline that gave it a sleeker appearance at the sacrifice of head and cargo room inside. From the start, the car was offered with a full range of engines that included a 1.8-liter four-cylinder, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a 2.0-liter diesel, and a 3.6-liter V-6. It went through a facelift in 2011 that brought about a 1.4-liter gasoline mill into the mix and an upgrade of eight horsepower to the 2.0-liter gasoline unit. As part of the facelift, Volkswagen restyled the front and rear of the car but left it unchanged otherwise.

It’s been more than four years since the facelifted CC started production and it’s overdue for a generational shift if it VW wants to stay competitive in the market. We’ve been wondering when we were going to see the next-gen model testing in the wild and today, our wonders were put to rest with a decent run of spy shots that were taken just outside the Audi/VW test facility at the infamous Nürburgring. Unfortunately, it’s sporting a lot of camouflage and padding, but we can still see that VW has put some serious effort its redesign.

So, let’s quit wasting time and dive on into these spy shots and talk a little bit about the second-gen Volkswagen CC.

Continue reading to learn more about the upcoming Volkswagen CC.

Rumors about the Golf R400 heading for production have been swirling for months, and even though Volkswagen’s chief powertrain engineer Heinz-Jakob Neusser officially confirmed the hot-hatch’s existence a month ago, we had yet to see a prototype on the go. That ends today though, with the very first batch of spy shots showing the R400 stretching its wheels somewhere in Germany.

Showcased in concept car trim at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show, the Golf R400 will hit dealerships as the third and most-powerful high-performance version of the beloved hatch. It will slot above the already powerful and nimble Golf R and obliterate everything in its path performance-wise, including the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG and the Ford Focus RS. On paper, the R400 promises to become the most powerful and quickest, factory-built hatchback.

When will you be able to buy it? That’s still a mystery as of this writing, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the R400 break cover at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Should that happen, it will arrive in showrooms for the 2016 model year. Meanwhile, there is no word as to whether it will cross the pond to the U.S., so you shouldn’t get your hopes up yet. Still, Volkswagen would be crazy to not bring it Stateside, more so since the A45 AMG isn’t available here.

Continue reading to learn more about the Volkswagen Golf R400.

Something is brewing inside Volkswagen’s lab over there in Germany, and if these recent spy photos sent to us by our photographers are any indication, we might be in store for a special-edition Golf GTI sooner than later. The car itself is a little curious because the appearance of this mysterious Golf GTI caught us by surprise, something which you usually attribute to a special-edition model that’s in the middle of testing and development ahead of a unexpected reveal.

If that’s the case, we already know where the car is going, but that still doesn’t take away the fact that this model it’s suspected to be a more performance-oriented version of the Golf GTI. All the elements are certainly there to make that assumption. After all, the car was spotted taking in some hot laps at the Nurburgring and we all know that when somebody’s taking that route, it’s not because they’re in on a joyride.

On top of that, certain markings and components can be clearly seen that leads us to believe that this isn’t your ordinary Golf GTI. For one, there’s a new front lip spoiler, a can’t-miss, roof-mounted rear wing, lowered suspension, and a new set of 18-inch wheels, among other things.

Oh, and if you look just past the doors, you’re going to see a Wiechers sticker plastered on the sheet metal — as good a sign as any that there’s a racing pedigree to this Golf GTI. Wiechers, after all, is a German motorsport company that’s made a name for itself with its track-car parts and reason stands to suggest that there are a lot of Wiechers items inside this Golf GTI.

We’re hitching our wagons on this vehicle being a Golf GTI Club Sport that could make its debut at the 2014 Wörthersee this coming May. The timing seems to fit the schedule, so don’t be surprised if Volkswagen, who has a history of bringing along tuned-up versions of its lineup to Wörthersee, makes the official introduction then.

Click past the jump to read more about the Volkswagen Golf GTI Club Sport.

If you listened to the Episode 004 of the TopSpeed Podcast, you’ll know that we all love the idea of Volkswagen creating a Golf R Wagon. While there are plenty of questions we don’t have answers to - will it be sold in the US, will it get more power to make up for the extra weight, will it even be affordable, etc. – one thing is certain, Volkswagen is making sure it will be blast to drive.

Just after we got our first spy shots of the Golf R Wagon sitting still, we now have photos of Volkswagen blasting this thing around the Nurburgring. Yes, that Nurburgring. Talk about having confidence in your cars.

If you missed the first post, the new Golf R Wagon will essentially just be a stretched version of the new Golf R. That means it gets motivation from a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that is good for about 300 horsepower, and power is sent to all four wheels through Volkswagen’s trick Haldex-based AWD system.

Be careful not to drool on your keyboard. We hear it can cause electrical issues.

Click past the jump to read more about the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R Variant.

Last time we caught the next-generation Volkswagen Passat out testing, all we saw was a mule. Today, however, it looks like Volkswagen took the real deal out for a testing session in Spain. As expected, the car wears tons of camouflage, but even it’s still easy to see that is will be completely revised.

The new Passat will be built on Volkswagen’s new MQB platform — also used for the new Golf — making it the biggest car on that platform. Despite being larger than the current generation, the next Passat will be about 140 to 220 pounds lighter and will get a family of four-cylinder, turbocharged diesel and gasoline engines to help increase fuel efficiency. Volkswagen also plans to work in a plug-in version of the next Passat.

The model will be offered either as sedan or wagon and with optional Haldex 4Motion all-wheel drive. It should arrive on the market sometime in late 2014.

Click past the jump to read more about the new Volkswagen Passat.