Oh, vot a feeling....

According to Forbes .com

In the first quarter this year VW worldwide sales closed the gap on No. 1 automaker Toyota. VW sales of 1.4 million fell 11%, while Toyota's 1.8 million dropped 27%--narrowing the first-quarter sales gap to 363,000 vehicles from 840,000.

I see VW's everywhere. Especially the Golf. I actually wish I had one myself, instead of the grapefruit I currently drive (well, it's not so bad that it deserves to be called a 'lemon'!)

VW said it would build its new series of small cars (minicars) in Slovakia, the now-independent half of once-Czechoslovakia. Production starts in 2011, and VW expects at least 500,000 global sales a year.

VW is one of the world leaders in the development of diesel engines, and the article refers to this, as well as the fact that Toyota emphasises hybrid technology.

On a side issue, I read that Subaru will be launching a diesel Outback next year in Australia, to be followed by a diesel Forester. I know many Subaru fans have been asking about when they can expect a diesel version of their favourite model for years. It seems they won't have long to wait.

I digress.

The Forbes articles ends with this passage - with a cringe-worthy pun thrown in by the author at the end:

What's clear is that the German Volkswagen and Japanese Toyota are in a battle for world leadership in this industry. Maybe someday the Chinese will be challenging. Maybe someday Ford will be there. But right now it's Toyota in the lead with an ambitious Volkswagen nipping at its heels.

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