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At the Los Angeles auto show in November, Volkswagen will unwrap a new mid-engine sports car concept. This marks the third iteration of a theme that started in 2003 with the Concept R and continued in 2005 with the EcoRacer.

Photo Gallery: VW, Audi Mull Low-Cost, Mid-Engine Sports Cars – 2008 LA Auto Show, VW Affordable Mid Engine Sports Car Concepts – Automobile Magazine

I only drove the Rabbit briefly, but my overwhelming impression is that it oozes quality and refinement for an $18,000 car. There is nothing about it that feels cheap, from the nicely damped exterior door handles to the typically well-crafted VW interior, with its great seats, to the smooth and refined 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. There’s nice steering feel and a supple ride, and I didn’t even mind that the inline-five, which at 170 hp provides plenty of power, was hooked to an automatic transmission, since it’s a six-speed unit that’s well mated to the engine. If it were me, though, I’d opt for the five-speed manual and use the thousand-dollar savings toward a four-door Rabbit, which has a base price of $17,485. Still, if you’re looking to get into a high-quality small car, the two-door Rabbit with a five-speed manual, starting at $15,490, is a very attractive proposition. And heated seats are only a $225 option!

Photo Gallery: 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit S – Volkswagen Golf Sport Hatchback Review – Automobile Magazine

Though we were intrigued by news of a sixth-generation Golf, as enthusiasts and devotees of the current GTI we wondered when the next hot hatch would arrive. It turns out the 2008 Paris motor show will grant us our first official look at the 2009 Volkswagen GTI – though VW managed to slip some information out in advance.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Volkswagen GTI – Next-Generation GTI, 2008 Paris Motor Show Coverage – Automobile Magazine

Nearly thirty-four years after the debut of the original, a brand-new Volkswagen Scirocco is set to revive the slumbering compact coupe segment. The project was initiated by former brand chief Wolfgang Bernhard, who was so good at cutting costs that the Scirocco isn’t significantly more expensive than the corresponding Golf/Rabbit. In fact, in Europe, the top-of-the-line Scirocco costs about the same as the two-door GTI and uses its 200-hp turbocharged engine.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Volkswagen Scirocco – Volkswagen Compact Coupe Review – Automobile Magazine

It’s one thing to become infatuated with a car after a short fling, as we did when we declared Volkswagen‘s GTI the 2007 Automobile of the Year. It’s something else to live with it for a full year – especially when we’re continually spoiled by machinery costing two, three, or even ten times as much.

Photo Gallery: 2007 Volkswagen GTI – 2007 Automobile of the Year – Automobile Magazine

Golf V, we hardly knew ye. After only five years (two in the U.S.), the fifth-generation hatchback departs, leaving us with this: the 2010 Volkswagen Golf, which we’ll continue to see badged as a Rabbit.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit – Volkswagen Hatchback – Automobile Magazine

Trieste, Italy, Sunday evening.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan – Road Trip in the New 2009 VW Tiguan Crossover SUV – Automobile Magazine