Volkswagen of America announced that it has joined forces with Fender, the maker of iconic Strat and Tele electric guitars, to equip selected 2012 models with the all-new Fender Premium Audio System. The new Jetta GLI will be the first to get the system, developed exclusively for Volkswagen, before other Jettas, the new 2012 midsize sedan and 2012 Beetle receives it.

The Fender Premium Audio System is a collaboration between Fender and Panasonic. Claimed to “deliver uncompromised clarity, regardless of volume, with a unique sound that Americans will love”, the nine-speaker system took three years to develop.

It features proprietary Panasonic speaker technology that covers the cabin with directional sound from front door speakers that generate imaging beyond the capabilities of traditional speaker designs. It cuts through noise with front dual voice coil speakers, with extended range for all musical genres. The design features lower inter-modulation distortion and smooth mid-range response to eliminate harshness. It is harmonically complex, with extended range tweeters and properly voiced 16 cm speakers revealing original instrumentation timbre and harmonic richness.

“The best seat in the house is now behind the wheel of a Volkswagen. Our two iconic companies – one with a passion for driving, one with a passion for music – are joining forces to bring the raw emotion of live music to the driving experience,” said Jonathan Browning, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America.

Neat news for MkVI Golf owners – following on the LED tail lamps introduced by Volkswagen for the car a year ago, the company has now debuted bi-Xenon with LED combination headlamps as an option for the vehicle.

The LEDs are integrated into the main headlights, with 15 diodes each helping to create a three-dimensional optical light bracket. Besides the advantages of improved visibility from the daytime running lights, there’s no doubting that many a Golf GTI owner will find the bling a visible improvement.

Going from 1,310 euros for the Golf, the LED combination bi-Xenon headlamps are also available as an option for the likes of the Polo, Touran and Touareg.

Looks like buyers of the Golf TSI and the Golf GTI here have some aesthetical upgrades to think about – these LED lamps and the LED tail lamps as well!

Gallery after the jump.
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Volkswagen is planning to invest around 51.6 billion euros in its automotive division over the next five years. More than half of this investment will be in Germany, with primary spending to be on property, plants and equipment, it said in a statement.

It’s no secret that the VW is aiming at surpassing Toyota as the top carmaker globally by 2018, and as such, the Strategy 2018 programme it has set out will see the company investing around 27.7 billion euros to modernise and extend the product range of all its brands, these being VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Bentley, Porsche and Lamborghini.

The focus will of course be on new vehicles, derivatives and replacement models in all product classes, and the aim is to achieve a systematic model rollout with a view to tapping new markets and segments. This will be supplemented with the launching of new generations of engines with enhanced performance, fuel consumption and emission levels. In particular, it will drive forward the development of hybrid and electric motors.

Additionally, a 13.6 billion euro has been set aside for cross-product investments over the next five years. The company’s new assembly plant in the US – in Chattanooga, Tennessee – will begin operating in 2011, and production capacity in Russia is also being increased. It has also announced plans to open two more plants in China.

As scheduled, Volkswagen has lifted the veil on its revised Eos coupé cabriolet at the LA Auto Show. The facelift, featuring a wide range of technical and visual enhancements, will begin selling in Europe from mid-January and in the US from the end of March 2011.

The exterior design revisions – a reprofiled bonnet, new grille (complete with chrome highlights), headlamps with LED running lights and reworked bumper with new airdams and fog lights in front and new tail lamps at the rear – brings the Eos into line with the latest iteration of VW’s design language as seen applied to the new Polo, Passat and Sharan.

A range of powertrains abound, including a 1.4 litre TSI with 122 or 160 PS, a 210 PS 2.0 litre TSI unit as well as 140 PS 2.0 litre TDI engine. BlueMotion Technology variants will also be available featuring Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems.

As previously, the facelift features an advanced five-piece folding roof with an integrated tilt sliding glass sunroof that takes 25 seconds to actuate fully, though the difference from before is that going from a closed coupé to an open cabriolet can now be carried out remotely via the key fob, that is if the car is specified with Keyless Entry. Park Assist will also be available for the first time on the Eos.

Inside, new trim finishes enhance the interior of the Eos, and highlights include a leather multi-function steering wheel, an eight-speaker CD stereo system and sports seats. Also available as an option is ‘cool leather,’ which reflects the sun’s rays to prevent it heating up as conventional leather does.

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According to reports, the production version of Volkswagen’s Up! compact is slated to make its debut in September next year at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with the car then going on sale towards the end of 2011. Currently, the car is going through its final prototype phase, with pre-production next on the cards.

The first version to come about in the range will be a three-door hatch, with a five-door hatch among the other variants planned. Powertrain choices for the vehicle – which will be made in Slovakia at the VW plant in Bratislava – will be three-cylinder petrol and diesel units, and for starters the production Up! will feature conventional transmissions, followed by a dual-clutch box later.

Originally, the concept was planned as a rear-engined offering, but the production version is expected to feature a front-mounted engine to keep production costs down.

An electric version of the car – based on the Up! blue-e-motion, no doubt – is planned for introduction in 2013, which is when the electric Golf and Jetta variants are also due to make their market debut.