It was year 1975 and VW sales were dropping. Japanese auto makers were rapidly advancing inside the US market with little boxtypes far cheaper than a Beetle. To address this threat, VW came up with a small front wheel drive car that was Spartan-like in every way. Enter the VW Rabbit, a water-cooled 4 cylinder, with a transversely mounted engine driving the front wheels for around the same price as a Japanese compact sedan. From that time on, the Rabbit has replaced the Beetle in the US consumer market. With this development, the Rabbit started off the influx of a new Volkswagen generation. Known and lauded for its very efficient fuel economy, the VW Rabbit never received many changes over the years of its production, but it did receive many improvements. When local production started in the US in 1979, the VW Rabbit part that underwent the most noticeable and defining change was its set of headlights. The front lighting system was replaced with new square-type headlights. In 1981, the Rabbit got another make-over. Gone were the small taillights, replaced by square-type ones, which include wrap around turn signals. In that same year, the engine grew from 1.6 to 1.7L , and the diesel variant from 1.5 to 1.6. In 1982, the sport compact version of the VW Rabbit was introduced — the 1.8L GTi, armed with tuned up VW Rabbit parts – stiffer suspension, alloy wheels, front air dam, and specially designed Recaro sport seats. Top speed, acceleration, and handling were tweaked on the GTi. Another edition was also released in 1982 called the Rabbit “black tie” edition. A set of black bumpers and mouldings was added as an add-on VW Rabbit part giving the car a meaner and sportier look. The interior had special seats, while the outside got a rear wiper. In July 1984, the VW Rabbit moved over to make way for the production of the new Golf. VW Rabbit’s convertible has continued to be produced after being re-designed and renamed from Rabbit convertible to Cabriolet and renamed once again recently to Cabrio. Although short lived, the Rabbit, gave Volkswagen the much-needed breathing room and a new headstart. However, the production of the VW Rabbit has still not completely died off. Rabbit MK1’s are still being produced by Volkswagen of South Africa as the consumer model. In fact, the “Rabbit of the Month” was made in November 1999. In the first half of the new century, the sales of the Golf, VW Rabbit’s successor, steadily dropped in the North American market. VW US decided that a re-branding is needed to save its lofty position in the automotive market. On 12 April 2006, at the Detroit Auto Show Volkswagen of America announced the return of the VW Rabbit. The “new” Rabbit is the same model as the Golf V being sold in the rest of the world. VW bosses were hoping that the nostalgia-factor coupled with a lower price tag will help thrust Rabbit sales. The strategy has worked quite well. In fact, the Kelly Blue Book, a top-rated website providing vehicle pricing and information, named the VW Rabbit as one of the “Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000″ because it provides “the consumer with results that are needed in today’s economy.” It noted the relatively high utility-per-dollar value of the VW Rabbit as the compact workhorse gives the performance, safety, environmental impact, fuel economy, styling and comfort at just a price range starting at $14,990. Yet, a closer look at the new VW Rabbit shows that indeed, it has evolved to a very valuable, highly functional compact vehicle. Capacity has become flexible with VW Rabbit’s leather-wrapped 60/40 split rear seating. A key VW Rabbit part added to the new version is the External Temperature Gauge designed to determine temperature outside the Rabbit, useful in crossing state lines, mountain ranges, and other climactic zones. The presence of an electromechanical power steering gives tighter steering and lessens pollutants, since it does not use harmful steering fluids. But what makes the VW Rabbit a cut above its contemporaries is its new five-cylinder engine, which obviously gives it more power to sweep past its competitors. Other add-ons that set the VW Rabbit in a class of its own are its variable windshield wipers, automatic climate control, heated side windows, cruise control, traction control system, cargo area tie-downs, power outlets at the cargo area, four-wheel disc brakes, and additional turn signals. Indeed, Volkswagen may have stamped its name in the international automotive arena, but it seems to have lived, died, and lived again in the American market with its Rabbit.

Americans have long been admirers of the fast and flashy Italian Ferraris, and the classic, sleek British Jaguars. Volkswagen brought to America and appreciation of the practical workhorse that was economical to operate, easy to maintain but still fun. However in the United States, a seat has always been vacant place to sit. Yet, in Spain SEAT refers to one of Spain’s well established auto manufacturers highly respected in Europe and the UK. Recently SEAT became a subsidiary of Volkswagen-Audi. So now have a mix of Spanish artistic passion and practicality with German precision engineering.
In 1999 SEAT began production of the Leon, a 5-door hatchback. The Leon’s were SEAT’s best selling car, and were targeted as a sportier and less expensive version of the Volkswagen Golf.
The Leon has a front mounted engine with front-wheel and four-wheel drive. It might possibly have more engine options available than any other car today. A potential buyer can choose among six diesel engines, one valve engine, three valve turbocharged engines, four 8-valve engines, and two petrol engines.
In some areas the Leon was available with four-wheel drive. The Leon was equipped with electric power steering. It also had installed software with the capability of sensing that a car is starting into a skid. This was called the Driver Steering Recommendation System. However the idea of robotic control over the steering made many drivers more than a little nervous. So the company emphasized that this was only a suggestion that the driver could override at any time.
The Leon sold well in Britain although it never equaled the MK4 Golf. The car was popular with the upper class, younger crowd in Mexico. However, the Leon had problems in Mexico due to the condition of the roads. The sport-tuned suspension of the Leon was not designed to cope with the ubiquitous potholes and speed bumps that characterize Mexican roads.
The next generation of Leon was the Mk2 that went into production in 2005. It presents a more stylish image but the engine range is more limited. However, there is still a wide choice of engines. Both the Mk1 and the Mk2 are small cars intended for family use.
SEAT continued to introduce sports images. The top of the line is the 2.0 TFSI Cupra model. The Cupra can go from 0-100 km in 6.4 seconds making it the most powerful SEAT model ever produced. Again, buyers can choose from a variety of diesel and gasoline powered 4 cylinder engines.
SEAT has ventured into the electric car market with the Leon Twin Drive Ecomotive, which is a series plug-in hybrid that is powered by lithium-ion batteries.
SEAT has also entered various models in motorsport competitions such as the ECTS, an Italian endurance series, the World Touring Car Championship and the British Touring Car Championship.
An area in which SEAT excels is in value for the equipment offer as compared with cars in similar categories. The Leon 1.6 Essence model, that was equipped with electric front windows and a CD player was priced at 11,495 pounds in UK. The Ford Focus, offering identical accessories and engine power sold for fifteen hundred pounds more.
Various racing video games also feature the Leon. The Leon appears in Need for Speed; Pro Street, Forza Motorsport, and “Race – The Official WTCC Game”. In the game TOCA Race Driver 2, Leon is part of a championship series consisting of races that use the SEAT Leon exclusively.

It was year 1975 and VW sales were dropping. Japanese auto makers were rapidly advancing inside the US market with little boxtypes far cheaper than a Beetle. To address this threat, VW came up with a small front wheel drive car that was Spartan-like in every way. Enter the VW Rabbit, a water-cooled 4 cylinder, with a transversely mounted engine driving the front wheels for around the same price as a Japanese compact sedan. From that time on, the Rabbit has replaced the Beetle in the US consumer market. With this development, the Rabbit started off the influx of a new Volkswagen generation. Known and lauded for its very efficient fuel economy, the VW Rabbit never received many changes over the years of its production, but it did receive many improvements. When local production started in the US in 1979, the VW Rabbit part that underwent the most noticeable and defining change was its set of headlights. The front lighting system was replaced with new square-type headlights. In 1981, the Rabbit got another make-over. Gone were the small taillights, replaced by square-type ones, which include wrap around turn signals. In that same year, the engine grew from 1.6 to 1.7L , and the diesel variant from 1.5 to 1.6. In 1982, the sport compact version of the VW Rabbit was introduced — the 1.8L GTi, armed with tuned up VW Rabbit parts – stiffer suspension, alloy wheels, front air dam, and specially designed Recaro sport seats. Top speed, acceleration, and handling were tweaked on the GTi. Another edition was also released in 1982 called the Rabbit “black tie” edition. A set of black bumpers and mouldings was added as an add-on VW Rabbit part giving the car a meaner and sportier look. The interior had special seats, while the outside got a rear wiper. In July 1984, the VW Rabbit moved over to make way for the production of the new Golf. VW Rabbit’s convertible has continued to be produced after being re-designed and renamed from Rabbit convertible to Cabriolet and renamed once again recently to Cabrio. Although short lived, the Rabbit, gave Volkswagen the much-needed breathing room and a new headstart. However, the production of the VW Rabbit has still not completely died off. Rabbit MK1’s are still being produced by Volkswagen of South Africa as the consumer model. In fact, the “Rabbit of the Month” was made in November 1999. In the first half of the new century, the sales of the Golf, VW Rabbit’s successor, steadily dropped in the North American market. VW US decided that a re-branding is needed to save its lofty position in the automotive market. On 12 April 2006, at the Detroit Auto Show Volkswagen of America announced the return of the VW Rabbit. The “new” Rabbit is the same model as the Golf V being sold in the rest of the world. VW bosses were hoping that the nostalgia-factor coupled with a lower price tag will help thrust Rabbit sales. The strategy has worked quite well. In fact, the Kelly Blue Book, a top-rated website providing vehicle pricing and information, named the VW Rabbit as one of the “Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000″ because it provides “the consumer with results that are needed in today’s economy.” It noted the relatively high utility-per-dollar value of the VW Rabbit as the compact workhorse gives the performance, safety, environmental impact, fuel economy, styling and comfort at just a price range starting at $14,990. Yet, a closer look at the new VW Rabbit shows that indeed, it has evolved to a very valuable, highly functional compact vehicle. Capacity has become flexible with VW Rabbit’s leather-wrapped 60/40 split rear seating. A key VW Rabbit part added to the new version is the External Temperature Gauge designed to determine temperature outside the Rabbit, useful in crossing state lines, mountain ranges, and other climactic zones. The presence of an electromechanical power steering gives tighter steering and lessens pollutants, since it does not use harmful steering fluids. But what makes the VW Rabbit a cut above its contemporaries is its new five-cylinder engine, which obviously gives it more power to sweep past its competitors. Other add-ons that set the VW Rabbit in a class of its own are its variable windshield wipers, automatic climate control, heated side windows, cruise control, traction control system, cargo area tie-downs, power outlets at the cargo area, four-wheel disc brakes, and additional turn signals. Indeed, Volkswagen may have stamped its name in the international automotive arena, but it seems to have lived, died, and lived again in the American market with its Rabbit.

It was year 1975 and VW sales were dropping. Japanese auto makers were rapidly advancing inside the US market with little boxtypes far cheaper than a Beetle. To address this threat, VW came up with a small front wheel drive car that was Spartan-like in every way. Enter the VW Rabbit, a water-cooled 4 cylinder, with a transversely mounted engine driving the front wheels for around the same price as a Japanese compact sedan. From that time on, the Rabbit has replaced the Beetle in the US consumer market. With this development, the Rabbit started off the influx of a new Volkswagen generation. Known and lauded for its very efficient fuel economy, the VW Rabbit never received many changes over the years of its production, but it did receive many improvements. When local production started in the US in 1979, the VW Rabbit part that underwent the most noticeable and defining change was its set of headlights. The front lighting system was replaced with new square-type headlights. In 1981, the Rabbit got another make-over. Gone were the small taillights, replaced by square-type ones, which include wrap around turn signals. In that same year, the engine grew from 1.6 to 1.7L , and the diesel variant from 1.5 to 1.6. In 1982, the sport compact version of the VW Rabbit was introduced — the 1.8L GTi, armed with tuned up VW Rabbit parts – stiffer suspension, alloy wheels, front air dam, and specially designed Recaro sport seats. Top speed, acceleration, and handling were tweaked on the GTi. Another edition was also released in 1982 called the Rabbit “black tie” edition. A set of black bumpers and mouldings was added as an add-on VW Rabbit part giving the car a meaner and sportier look. The interior had special seats, while the outside got a rear wiper. In July 1984, the VW Rabbit moved over to make way for the production of the new Golf. VW Rabbit’s convertible has continued to be produced after being re-designed and renamed from Rabbit convertible to Cabriolet and renamed once again recently to Cabrio. Although short lived, the Rabbit, gave Volkswagen the much-needed breathing room and a new headstart. However, the production of the VW Rabbit has still not completely died off. Rabbit MK1’s are still being produced by Volkswagen of South Africa as the consumer model. In fact, the “Rabbit of the Month” was made in November 1999. In the first half of the new century, the sales of the Golf, VW Rabbit’s successor, steadily dropped in the North American market. VW US decided that a re-branding is needed to save its lofty position in the automotive market. On 12 April 2006, at the Detroit Auto Show Volkswagen of America announced the return of the VW Rabbit. The “new” Rabbit is the same model as the Golf V being sold in the rest of the world. VW bosses were hoping that the nostalgia-factor coupled with a lower price tag will help thrust Rabbit sales. The strategy has worked quite well. In fact, the Kelly Blue Book, a top-rated website providing vehicle pricing and information, named the VW Rabbit as one of the “Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000″ because it provides “the consumer with results that are needed in today’s economy.” It noted the relatively high utility-per-dollar value of the VW Rabbit as the compact workhorse gives the performance, safety, environmental impact, fuel economy, styling and comfort at just a price range starting at $14,990. Yet, a closer look at the new VW Rabbit shows that indeed, it has evolved to a very valuable, highly functional compact vehicle. Capacity has become flexible with VW Rabbit’s leather-wrapped 60/40 split rear seating. A key VW Rabbit part added to the new version is the External Temperature Gauge designed to determine temperature outside the Rabbit, useful in crossing state lines, mountain ranges, and other climactic zones. The presence of an electromechanical power steering gives tighter steering and lessens pollutants, since it does not use harmful steering fluids. But what makes the VW Rabbit a cut above its contemporaries is its new five-cylinder engine, which obviously gives it more power to sweep past its competitors. Other add-ons that set the VW Rabbit in a class of its own are its variable windshield wipers, automatic climate control, heated side windows, cruise control, traction control system, cargo area tie-downs, power outlets at the cargo area, four-wheel disc brakes, and additional turn signals. Indeed, Volkswagen may have stamped its name in the international automotive arena, but it seems to have lived, died, and lived again in the American market with its Rabbit.

Volkswagen’s Polo. There’s something just that little bit special about it. Those clever men and women behind such iconic and era defining vehicles as the Beetle and the Golf GTi certainly have a knack for making compact cars. When the air-cooled engine of the beetle became superseded by more modern, water-cooled powerplants, and when the Golf began to grow bloated and put on weight with each successive iteration, the engineers at VW found themselves once again with a supermini-shaped hole and without a supermini-shaped peg to plug it with.
Cue the Polo. Legend has it, marketing chiefs at Volkswagen chose the name ‘Polo’ because, like ‘Golf’, it is a sport widely associated with a social upper-class; and while the original Mk1 Polo may have looked up rather than lived up to those lofty connotations, I can happily inform you that the opposite is in fact true of the current model.
I don’t mean to imply that the new Polo has suddenly appeared, well-built and sophisticated, after so many years of mediocrity within an oversaturated market. Rather, the car before us today is the product of those many years devoted to refining the original car.
That’s not to say that it’s been an entirely plush ride either: the engineers from Wolfsburg seemingly ignored some of basic principles of automotive design and construction when they built their third sub-compact car, however today’s Polo stands testament to both the successes the marque has enjoyed, and also to those failings suffered over the course of its lifetime. From the woeful build quality of the cars first off the production line, to the exhilaration of the record-breaking, supercharged MkII G40 variant; the current car really does feel like it has learned from every lesson.
My first ever experience of driving a car was in a first-generation Polo. I drove figure-eights in a good friends field and in spite of the fact that under my command the universal joint on the steering column failed, we remain friends to this day. Even with my youthful exuberance, I found it hard to find merit in the car. Most people, when asked to recall their first driving experience, talk of the liberty and exhilaration of the experience. I on the other hand, am more likely to mention the cramped interior or the sluggish 1100cc engine. Bear in mind these are the observations of a fifteen year old!
But each time the Polo had a makeover or a revision, the same Volkswagen engineers that had fumbled the ball during the car’s initial production, found ways to make up for their miscalculations. And they kinda over compensated…
The MkII G40 I mentioned earlier displaced just 1300cc but generated 115bhp. It reached 62mph in an impressive 8.1 seconds and could achieve a top speed of 122mph. Since the G40, Polo’s have been quick.
The MkIIIF had an entirely galvanised body and chassis mated with an over-engineered electrics and engine management system. I once installed aftermarket door speakers in a modern Japanese supermini, and the door cards were made of pressed plastic and behind them the door panel itself was made of what appeared to be wafer-thin tin. I did the same to my Polo GTi manufactured in the same year, and the corresponding door card was made out of a super-dense fibreboard with a plastic and fabric external covering and a medium-density foam internal filling to act as a sound dampener. Since the MkIII, Polo’s have been reliable and well built.
And now we’re on the MkIV, which is in fact approaching the end of its production cycle. With the next model scheduled to debut at the Geneva motor show later on this year, I wonder what we’ll say its contribution to the Polo legacy has been. Will we say ’since the MkIV, Polo’s have been economical and environmentally responsible? The Polo BlueMotion would have it so. With a 1.4l diesel engine which returns up to 72mpg while outputting just 99 grams of CO2, it’s certainly possible.
One thing is for sure though, right now, with a new version on the horizon, there are some exceptional deals to be had throughout the current Polo range. From humble beginnings, the current Polo has evolved into a sophisticated and distinguished car.

It was year 1975 and VW sales were dropping. Japanese auto makers were rapidly advancing inside the US market with little boxtypes far cheaper than a Beetle. To address this threat, VW came up with a small front wheel drive car that was Spartan-like in every way. Enter the VW Rabbit, a water-cooled 4 cylinder, with a transversely mounted engine driving the front wheels for around the same price as a Japanese compact sedan. From that time on, the Rabbit has replaced the Beetle in the US consumer market. With this development, the Rabbit started off the influx of a new Volkswagen generation. Known and lauded for its very efficient fuel economy, the VW Rabbit never received many changes over the years of its production, but it did receive many improvements. When local production started in the US in 1979, the VW Rabbit part that underwent the most noticeable and defining change was its set of headlights. The front lighting system was replaced with new square-type headlights. In 1981, the Rabbit got another make-over. Gone were the small taillights, replaced by square-type ones, which include wrap around turn signals. In that same year, the engine grew from 1.6 to 1.7L , and the diesel variant from 1.5 to 1.6. In 1982, the sport compact version of the VW Rabbit was introduced — the 1.8L GTi, armed with tuned up VW Rabbit parts – stiffer suspension, alloy wheels, front air dam, and specially designed Recaro sport seats. Top speed, acceleration, and handling were tweaked on the GTi. Another edition was also released in 1982 called the Rabbit “black tie” edition. A set of black bumpers and mouldings was added as an add-on VW Rabbit part giving the car a meaner and sportier look. The interior had special seats, while the outside got a rear wiper. In July 1984, the VW Rabbit moved over to make way for the production of the new Golf. VW Rabbit’s convertible has continued to be produced after being re-designed and renamed from Rabbit convertible to Cabriolet and renamed once again recently to Cabrio. Although short lived, the Rabbit, gave Volkswagen the much-needed breathing room and a new headstart. However, the production of the VW Rabbit has still not completely died off. Rabbit MK1’s are still being produced by Volkswagen of South Africa as the consumer model. In fact, the “Rabbit of the Month” was made in November 1999. In the first half of the new century, the sales of the Golf, VW Rabbit’s successor, steadily dropped in the North American market. VW US decided that a re-branding is needed to save its lofty position in the automotive market. On 12 April 2006, at the Detroit Auto Show Volkswagen of America announced the return of the VW Rabbit. The “new” Rabbit is the same model as the Golf V being sold in the rest of the world. VW bosses were hoping that the nostalgia-factor coupled with a lower price tag will help thrust Rabbit sales. The strategy has worked quite well. In fact, the Kelly Blue Book, a top-rated website providing vehicle pricing and information, named the VW Rabbit as one of the “Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000″ because it provides “the consumer with results that are needed in today’s economy.” It noted the relatively high utility-per-dollar value of the VW Rabbit as the compact workhorse gives the performance, safety, environmental impact, fuel economy, styling and comfort at just a price range starting at $14,990. Yet, a closer look at the new VW Rabbit shows that indeed, it has evolved to a very valuable, highly functional compact vehicle. Capacity has become flexible with VW Rabbit’s leather-wrapped 60/40 split rear seating. A key VW Rabbit part added to the new version is the External Temperature Gauge designed to determine temperature outside the Rabbit, useful in crossing state lines, mountain ranges, and other climactic zones. The presence of an electromechanical power steering gives tighter steering and lessens pollutants, since it does not use harmful steering fluids. But what makes the VW Rabbit a cut above its contemporaries is its new five-cylinder engine, which obviously gives it more power to sweep past its competitors. Other add-ons that set the VW Rabbit in a class of its own are its variable windshield wipers, automatic climate control, heated side windows, cruise control, traction control system, cargo area tie-downs, power outlets at the cargo area, four-wheel disc brakes, and additional turn signals. Indeed, Volkswagen may have stamped its name in the international automotive arena, but it seems to have lived, died, and lived again in the American market with its Rabbit.

It was year 1975 and VW sales were dropping. Japanese auto makers were rapidly advancing inside the US market with little boxtypes far cheaper than a Beetle. To address this threat, VW came up with a small front wheel drive car that was Spartan-like in every way. Enter the VW Rabbit, a water-cooled 4 cylinder, with a transversely mounted engine driving the front wheels for around the same price as a Japanese compact sedan. From that time on, the Rabbit has replaced the Beetle in the US consumer market. With this development, the Rabbit started off the influx of a new Volkswagen generation. Known and lauded for its very efficient fuel economy, the VW Rabbit never received many changes over the years of its production, but it did receive many improvements. When local production started in the US in 1979, the VW Rabbit part that underwent the most noticeable and defining change was its set of headlights. The front lighting system was replaced with new square-type headlights. In 1981, the Rabbit got another make-over. Gone were the small taillights, replaced by square-type ones, which include wrap around turn signals. In that same year, the engine grew from 1.6 to 1.7L , and the diesel variant from 1.5 to 1.6. In 1982, the sport compact version of the VW Rabbit was introduced — the 1.8L GTi, armed with tuned up VW Rabbit parts – stiffer suspension, alloy wheels, front air dam, and specially designed Recaro sport seats. Top speed, acceleration, and handling were tweaked on the GTi. Another edition was also released in 1982 called the Rabbit “black tie” edition. A set of black bumpers and mouldings was added as an add-on VW Rabbit part giving the car a meaner and sportier look. The interior had special seats, while the outside got a rear wiper. In July 1984, the VW Rabbit moved over to make way for the production of the new Golf. VW Rabbit’s convertible has continued to be produced after being re-designed and renamed from Rabbit convertible to Cabriolet and renamed once again recently to Cabrio. Although short lived, the Rabbit, gave Volkswagen the much-needed breathing room and a new headstart. However, the production of the VW Rabbit has still not completely died off. Rabbit MK1’s are still being produced by Volkswagen of South Africa as the consumer model. In fact, the “Rabbit of the Month” was made in November 1999. In the first half of the new century, the sales of the Golf, VW Rabbit’s successor, steadily dropped in the North American market. VW US decided that a re-branding is needed to save its lofty position in the automotive market. On 12 April 2006, at the Detroit Auto Show Volkswagen of America announced the return of the VW Rabbit. The “new” Rabbit is the same model as the Golf V being sold in the rest of the world. VW bosses were hoping that the nostalgia-factor coupled with a lower price tag will help thrust Rabbit sales. The strategy has worked quite well. In fact, the Kelly Blue Book, a top-rated website providing vehicle pricing and information, named the VW Rabbit as one of the “Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000″ because it provides “the consumer with results that are needed in today’s economy.” It noted the relatively high utility-per-dollar value of the VW Rabbit as the compact workhorse gives the performance, safety, environmental impact, fuel economy, styling and comfort at just a price range starting at $14,990. Yet, a closer look at the new VW Rabbit shows that indeed, it has evolved to a very valuable, highly functional compact vehicle. Capacity has become flexible with VW Rabbit’s leather-wrapped 60/40 split rear seating. A key VW Rabbit part added to the new version is the External Temperature Gauge designed to determine temperature outside the Rabbit, useful in crossing state lines, mountain ranges, and other climactic zones. The presence of an electromechanical power steering gives tighter steering and lessens pollutants, since it does not use harmful steering fluids. But what makes the VW Rabbit a cut above its contemporaries is its new five-cylinder engine, which obviously gives it more power to sweep past its competitors. Other add-ons that set the VW Rabbit in a class of its own are its variable windshield wipers, automatic climate control, heated side windows, cruise control, traction control system, cargo area tie-downs, power outlets at the cargo area, four-wheel disc brakes, and additional turn signals. Indeed, Volkswagen may have stamped its name in the international automotive arena, but it seems to have lived, died, and lived again in the American market with its Rabbit.

It was year 1975 and VW sales were dropping. Japanese auto makers were rapidly advancing inside the US market with little boxtypes far cheaper than a Beetle. To address this threat, VW came up with a small front wheel drive car that was Spartan-like in every way. Enter the VW Rabbit, a water-cooled 4 cylinder, with a transversely mounted engine driving the front wheels for around the same price as a Japanese compact sedan. From that time on, the Rabbit has replaced the Beetle in the US consumer market. With this development, the Rabbit started off the influx of a new Volkswagen generation. Known and lauded for its very efficient fuel economy, the VW Rabbit never received many changes over the years of its production, but it did receive many improvements. When local production started in the US in 1979, the VW Rabbit part that underwent the most noticeable and defining change was its set of headlights. The front lighting system was replaced with new square-type headlights. In 1981, the Rabbit got another make-over. Gone were the small taillights, replaced by square-type ones, which include wrap around turn signals. In that same year, the engine grew from 1.6 to 1.7L , and the diesel variant from 1.5 to 1.6. In 1982, the sport compact version of the VW Rabbit was introduced — the 1.8L GTi, armed with tuned up VW Rabbit parts – stiffer suspension, alloy wheels, front air dam, and specially designed Recaro sport seats. Top speed, acceleration, and handling were tweaked on the GTi. Another edition was also released in 1982 called the Rabbit “black tie” edition. A set of black bumpers and mouldings was added as an add-on VW Rabbit part giving the car a meaner and sportier look. The interior had special seats, while the outside got a rear wiper. In July 1984, the VW Rabbit moved over to make way for the production of the new Golf. VW Rabbit’s convertible has continued to be produced after being re-designed and renamed from Rabbit convertible to Cabriolet and renamed once again recently to Cabrio. Although short lived, the Rabbit, gave Volkswagen the much-needed breathing room and a new headstart. However, the production of the VW Rabbit has still not completely died off. Rabbit MK1’s are still being produced by Volkswagen of South Africa as the consumer model. In fact, the “Rabbit of the Month” was made in November 1999. In the first half of the new century, the sales of the Golf, VW Rabbit’s successor, steadily dropped in the North American market. VW US decided that a re-branding is needed to save its lofty position in the automotive market. On 12 April 2006, at the Detroit Auto Show Volkswagen of America announced the return of the VW Rabbit. The “new” Rabbit is the same model as the Golf V being sold in the rest of the world. VW bosses were hoping that the nostalgia-factor coupled with a lower price tag will help thrust Rabbit sales. The strategy has worked quite well. In fact, the Kelly Blue Book, a top-rated website providing vehicle pricing and information, named the VW Rabbit as one of the “Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000″ because it provides “the consumer with results that are needed in today’s economy.” It noted the relatively high utility-per-dollar value of the VW Rabbit as the compact workhorse gives the performance, safety, environmental impact, fuel economy, styling and comfort at just a price range starting at $14,990. Yet, a closer look at the new VW Rabbit shows that indeed, it has evolved to a very valuable, highly functional compact vehicle. Capacity has become flexible with VW Rabbit’s leather-wrapped 60/40 split rear seating. A key VW Rabbit part added to the new version is the External Temperature Gauge designed to determine temperature outside the Rabbit, useful in crossing state lines, mountain ranges, and other climactic zones. The presence of an electromechanical power steering gives tighter steering and lessens pollutants, since it does not use harmful steering fluids. But what makes the VW Rabbit a cut above its contemporaries is its new five-cylinder engine, which obviously gives it more power to sweep past its competitors. Other add-ons that set the VW Rabbit in a class of its own are its variable windshield wipers, automatic climate control, heated side windows, cruise control, traction control system, cargo area tie-downs, power outlets at the cargo area, four-wheel disc brakes, and additional turn signals. Indeed, Volkswagen may have stamped its name in the international automotive arena, but it seems to have lived, died, and lived again in the American market with its Rabbit.