Sometimes you have to wonder whether psychologists just have a tad too much time on their hands. They just come up with all sorts of studies for the benefit of humankind. Even, if say, the most that they can actually do for most is to amuse us.

Just check out the results of this study they conducted correlating sound from a car’s engine to men and women responses. They took the sounds of a Maserati, a Lamborghini and a Ferrari, and a Volkswagon Polo then collected saliva specimen collected to check testosterone levels. And they found out that the sound does affect bodily responses.

The results found 100 per cent of female participants had a significant increase in testosterone secretion after listening to the Maserati, compared to only half for men.

Men fared better at the sound of a Lamborghini, with 60 per cent showing a testosterone increase.

I wonder how the Ferrari fared. The VW apparently caused a decrease in testosterone levels. Quite unfair for the VW. Even if they didn’t cite the engine displacements on the sports cars, I could only infer that the Polo only sports a 1.6L engine. Imagine what kind of “roar” that makes. That also shows that if you want to get some in-car action, better get the Maserati or better yet, plastic surgery.

Well, my conjecture still stays - the number of decibels the engine dishes out is inversely proportional to the size of a guy’s penis.

Source: The Telegraph

The US market can now welcome a new clean diesel vehicle with the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. With state legislation mandating the development of green cars and the US market shifting its focus to cars that could get you from the New York to California in just $200, diesel-powered cars have now become a popular choice for many. Good thing the Jetta TDI will be available in 50 states.

But does it really have attractive fuel economy numbers? The EPA rates it at 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway. Kind of fair to middling but not too spectacular though AMCI tested the car and got 38/44 city highway in real-world driving conditions, which if true, makes the numbers not too shabby at all.

Well, if it’s not the MPG rating that would attract US buyers, it might be the $1300 Federal Income Tax Credit - an incentive that the IRS issues via a certification letter since the the car qualifies for an Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle income tax credit. Any breaks from the IRS is surely more than welcome.

VW announced that the two variants - the sedan and the SportWagen would retail at starting prices of $21,990 and $23,590, respectively.

With SUVs down and out and people considering to buy smaller and more fuel-economic cars, the Volkswagen Golf, with all its reputation and heritage, is surely to be one of the more popular models.

The 2009 Volkswagen Golf was leaked online earlier this week but now Volkswagen has released the official details and images of the new six-generation Golf. The new Golf will arrive in European markets beginning this October with pricing starting around 16,500 euros - it will than arrive in other markets including Africa, Asia, Australia and North America.

The 2009 Golf exterior is influenced by the Volkswagen Scirocco and the interior is inspired by the Passat CC. The powertrain lineup kicks off with TDI common rail diesel engines with output ranging from 88-hp to 168-hp. Two 2.0 liter TDI engines will also be available producing 108-hp and 138-hp. Both 2.0 liter units return a fuel-economy of 52mpg and 48mpg respectively. Four versions of gasoline units will also be available with outputs including 79-hp, 101-hp, 120-hp and 158-hp.

With the exception of entry-level models, all 2009 Volkswagen Golf gasoline and diesel engines can be mated with a 6-speed or 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DSG). Depending on the engine torque, either a 6-speed or 7-speed DSG is used.

Source: Volkswagen

Better get a Golf now or you might not be able to get it anymore. Volkswagen has announced that it could stop selling the Golf stateside because of US economic woes. The weak dollar has put a lot of pressure on the badge as it isn’t selling as well in the US compared to Europe.

VW might as well prioritize funding marketing and sales of more profitable ventures in its quest to rival world leader Toyota. The Golf proved to be unpopular in the US with the Tiguan and Touareg doing better than the hot hatch. VW has been hit by billion-dollar losses due to weak sales and the weak dollar.

However, VW has intentions of putting up camp in the US to better penetrate the market. Having a factory on US soil would shave off costs put on by shipping and tax. But the US VW factory will only materialize in three years’ time and it is most likely that if the sales numbers won’t shape up, VW will be forced to bail out some of their models and we’d just have to wait for them to set up a US base.

Volkswagen will be making available the 2009 Scirocco by mid-November this year. Too bad these are all pegged in quid since there is still no word at all if and when Volkswagen will be bringing the new Scirocco to US shores. Price in the UK starts at £20,500 ($40,258 USD) for the entry level 1.4L TSI which is already decent enough with 122 horses under the hood and is good enough to return 39 miles per gallon of gas.

The other variants of the car include two other TSI versions capable of 160 and 200 horses respectively. And since this is Volkswagen we’re talking about, the Scirocco also has TDI (diesel) versions hiking up the economy to 44 mpg. Transmission options include the standard 6-speed manual and an optional 7-speed DSG tranny.

Also coming as standard are 17-inch alloy wheels, height-adjustable seats up front, leather trims on the steering wheel, parking brake handle, and shift stick, power windows and steering, air-con, braking assistant, and six airbags just in case you decided to smash the car into something.

Source: Volkswagen

The Volkswagen group is surely trying to develop their fleet this year with hotter cars especially with the clubsport quattro editions of the Audi A3 TDI and the TT. They’ve also unveiled their racer in the 24-hour Nurburgring race - the Volkswagen Scirocco GT24.

Then, they’ve also decided that the Passat R36 could get a little more oomph so they made a Passat R36 Variant Concept. It gets larger tailpipes, six-piston Brembo brakes and 20-inch wheels. Inside, the car sports Recaro race seats.

If you’re expecting more tuning, well you might get disappointed since it will still sport the same power figures. Powering the car is still the same 3.6L V6 engine that produces 300 hp. But hey, 300 hp? That’s might handful and the additions surely would boost performance somehow especially with the wheels and the brakes. And yes, sitting on race seats give you a sort of speed-placebo effect.

Source: eGMCarTech

Just last week, we posted this bit on a race-tuned 2008 Volkswagen Scirocco that would be competing in probably one of the toughest races - a 24-hour race around Nurburgring. It will be an interesting field where other cars like the Lexus LF-A will also be pitted to test its worthiness.

Anyway, back to the Scirocco. No pictures were available yet when the press release came out but thanks to snapshot happy friends around the ‘Ring, we finally get a glimpse of what the Scirocco looks like and it does look race ready - wing, aerodynamics, and a wide mesh grille to boot. Too bad we can’t see the tuned 2L powerplant that would be dishing out 300 horses.

On the driver’s seat would be two-time Le Mans winner Hans-Joachim Stuck and two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz.

Source: Volkswagen

One of the things that you have to appreciate when buying a car is the warranty and the maintenance program. With a lot of competition going on these days, automakers need to offer the best value per buck. It’s actually one of Hyundai’s strong points today - a 5-year warranty. Most automakers are limited to a 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty. Volkswagen, in a move to secure owner loyalty, launched its 2009 free maintenance program.

Yup, that’s free maintenance for all the scheduled maintenance checks slated in the booklet for all 2009 models. That’d cover the 10K, 20K, and 30K checks for these models. The new synthetic oil allows for longer intervals between oil changes. The program will start with the rollout of the new Tiguan. The Routan (the VW minivan) program would even cover 6K, 12K, 18K, 24K, 30K and 36K checks.

It’s a tall order what Volkswagen is doing here but the beauty is that other car manufacturers might be following suit. A worry-free three years of driving is would be definitely worth every buck you put down for a car.

Source: Volkswagen

So the LF-A will be competing the the 24-hour race in Nurburgring this May. And here’s another car who would be joining the fray - the comeback kid - Volkswagen Scirocco. We’ve seen the Scirocco in the Geneva Auto Show a couple of months ago and it looks quite promising given that the last time the Scirocco was made was back in 1992.

The stock Scirocco has a choice between two engines, both of which dish out horses that fall way short of something that could propel the Scirocco to a good finish. So to address the power concern, the race team tuned the Scirocco to dish out 300 horses from a 2.0L TFSI powerplant.

Piloting the vehicle will be two-time Le Mans winner Hans-Joachim Stuck and two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz. Remember that VW isn’t a rookie with 24-hour races around the ring. The VW Golf GTI won last year.

Here’s a bonus video on the Volkswagen Scirocco viewable after the cut.

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Prepare yourself folks. Here’s another badge beef issue. Porsche is taking issue with Audi’s use of the RS badge. Mind you that Porsche and Audi are “siblings” under the Volkswagen group. (Porsche holds a 20% stake in W.)

In the last Detroit Auto Show last January, we saw a tuned Audi TT-S and that S meant that you should be expecting something with it that makes it better than just a TT. Now that Audi is preparing something more powerful with a decision to slap on a RS designation, Porsche raises a red flag.

According to Porsche, the use of the RS badge is for their exclusive use only until the end of whatever runs they have say, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. They argue that Audi can only use the RS if used as a prefix with a numeric designation as with the case of RS.

Pretty petty or some marketing and branding honchos in both companies having some real issues. A bit of sibling rivalry? Perhaps. That Audi R8 should be giving the 911 a good run for its money. Just a thought.

Source: Winding Road