Auto & Car Blog

Filed under: Diesel, Manufacturing/Plants, Volkswagen

Volkswagen of America CEO Stefan Jacoby spoke at a Clean Energy Technology summit in Chattanooga, TN this week about plans for the company’s new factory there. Jacoby announced that the new mid-sized car that will be built there will include an optional clean diesel engine. The new car will replace the current Passat and be specifically targeted to the North American market when the plant comes online by 2011. Jacoby didn’t reveal any specifics about which TDI engine would be used, but the current European market Passat is equipped with the same 2.0L engine that is in the recently introduced Jetta TDI.

The VW executive also emphasized that the plant will be designed from the start to minimize resource use and environmental impact. VW will build a wetland area adjacent to the factory to help control flooding. Inside, the climate control system will use new greener refrigerants and reuse and recycling practices will be maximized.

[Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press]

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Filed under: Diesel, Volkswagen

The first ever season of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup wrapped up this weekend before the start of the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta. After eight races at tracks around North America since April, Josh Hurley’s second place finish in the last race was enough to put him over the top for the series championship. Hurley captured the pole position for the opening race at VIRginia Internation Raceway and then ran consistently enough, including a win at Portland, to accumulate 260 points. Liam Kenney won the Road Atlanta race and finished second in the championship. The championship means Hurley earns $100,000. If Hurley manages to get a professional racing contract within the next six months, Volkswagen will give him another $250,000 toward furthering his racing career.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Inaugural VW Jetta TDI cup goes to Josh Hurley

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Filed under: Trends, Economy, Green, Hatchbacks, Volkswagen, Rumormill

These days, when discussions turn towards the cars we’ll be driving a few years from now, efficiency and emissions are two unavoidable topics. Such is the case with the next-next generation of the VW Golf, following the sixth iteration that will hit European dealerships later this year. So, what will the seventh version have in store for us? Smaller engines and a smaller structure. For the last few decades, every succeeding redesign was just a bit bigger and more powerful that its predecessor. Expect that trend to end with the Mk VII Golf. You can bet that diesels will account for a larger percentage of sales too, possibly even in the States.

Just when are we likely to see Golf v7.0? Rumors point to 2012, but VeeDub is keeping quiet. What they do admit to, however, is working on it as you read this.

[Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req’d]

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Filed under: Diesel, MPG, Volkswagen, Lightweight

Despite the fact that the sixth-generation of VW’s insanely popular hatchback has yet to hit the driveways of actual customers, speculation on gen-seven is already well underway. Number-six continues the tradition of enlarging each successive model-year, but that trend is set to come to an end after this redesign. Europe is currently working on legislation to limit carbon emissions and the U.S. is set to cap manufacturer’s fuel efficiency at a much more stringent rate that what we have now. Therefore, the Golf, or Rabbit in the States, should shed a few pounds in its Extreme Makeover and will likely get some smaller entry-level engines. We’d imagine that Volkswagen is hard at work on diesel engines, especially considering the buzz surrounding the Jetta TDI these days, as well as small gasoline engines with forced induction. Whatever happens, expect efficiency to take top priority as the years pass by.

[Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req’d]

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Filed under: Diesel, Volkswagen, Green Daily, USA

If you are a fan of the diesel engine - and Volkswagen’s TDI engine series in particular - VW would love it if you’d go ahead and spread your love of the oil-burner with your family and friends. Of course, having the only 50-state legal diesel on the market, at least for a little while, the automaker stands to benefit from whatever pent-up demand there may be for efficient and clean diesels. Offering its Jetta in either sedan or wagon wagen forms, the German automaker hopes it has something to please everyone.

With consumer perception of diesel engines in America still mired in the ’70s and 80s era of mediocrity, VW will need all the advocates it can get to help educate the masses on the benefits of the compression ignition engine. Based on our first impressions, at least the automaker is starting off with a good product. Based on the success of this model, VW will make decisions on what other models to bring across the pond.

[Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req’d]

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Filed under: MPG, Volkswagen

It’s been reported that Eaton will be providing superchargers for use on the 1.4L TSI engines for the MK VI Golf including the Rabbit-badged version sold in the U.S. market. The 1.4L TSI is a direct injected four cylinder engine that’s been offered in multiple power levels for a variety of European Volkswagen models for the past two years. The top 140 and 170 hp versions use a combination of a supercharger and a turbocharger to give a performance boost through the engine speed range. The TSI engines provide output matching larger 1.6-2.0L engines with superior fuel economy. The MK VI Golf debuts at the Paris Motor Show next week and goes on sale in the U.S. as the Rabbit next fall. Volkswagen has not yet responded to a request for comment. If the 1.4L TSI joins the U.S. lineup it will join the new 2.0L TDI and hopefully replace the current 2.5L five cylinder.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req’d]

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Filed under: Paris Motor Show, Hatchbacks, Volkswagen

We already saw the first images of the new MK VI Volkswagen GTI and we now have them in all their high-res glory courtesy of VW’s German media site. As with the standard version of the Golf and the Scirocco, VW is abandoning the huge Audi-like grille of recent models in favor of something more subdued. The new GTI also harkens back to the original GTI of the late 1970s with its red-bordered grille. Under the hood, the new GTI gets the latest edition of the corporate 2.0L TFSI four cylinder cranking out 210 hp and a reasonably healthy 207 lb-ft of torque at just 1,800 rpm. The electronically controlled limited-slip XDS differential will help guide that torque to the wheel with the most grip and hopefully manage torque steer as well. The GTI is expected to hit 62 mph from a standing start in 7.2 seconds with a combined fuel efficiency on the EU cycle of 31.4 mpg. VW will start adding to the GTI’s cumulative tally of 1.7 million units sold next spring in Europe and in the U.S. during the summer of 2009, while the regular Golf VI will hit our shores as the new Rabbit in the fall of 2009.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Officially Official: 2010 Volkswagen GTI MK VI

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Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Volkswagen

Pickup truck sales have tanked here in the States, but in emerging markets, affordable haulers are still in demand. VW has announced that those markets would get a sneak peak at the concept version of its upcoming pickup truck offering at next week’s Commercial Vehicles Show in Hanover, Germany. Our friend Mike Levine over at Pickuptrucks.com says that while VW calls the upcoming truck a one ton, it’s more like a mid-sizer. Since the spy pics we showed you back in April were of a Toyota HiLux body sitting atop VW internals, we’d tend to agree with that statement.

Names on the table for VW’s upcoming truck are the Robust and Taro II, and it’s to be built in Pacheco, Argentina beginning next year. The Robust was not designed for the US market, so Stateside VW fans will have to cut the back out of a Touareg if they need an open truck bed.

[Source: Pickuptrucks]

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Filed under: Diesel, Volkswagen, USA

We’re here in Santa Monica, CA today for the first media drives of the new 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, so we did some asking around about additional diesel models for the lineup. VW of American Communications Director Steve Keyes filled in some details. First up, as expected, the next addition to the TDI lineup is the Touareg, which iscurrently scheduled to start production in mid-February 2009 at VW’s plant in Bratislava, Slovakia. By the time the first Touaregs with the 3.0L V6 diesel roll off the boat onto U.S. shores it will be at least late March, more likely the first week or two of April. Later in the summer, the new VW product onslaught continues with the next-generation GTI based on the new MK VI Golf that is debuting at the Paris show next month. That will be followed by more pedestrian Rabbits with both the 2.5L five cylinder gas engine and the 2.0L TDI in the fall. VW has decided to continue with the Rabbit name for the U.S. since it seems to be selling well and Americans apparently like it.

One model that won’t be getting the TDI treatment for a while is the new Tiguan crossover. According to Keyes, the Tiguan’s extra size and weight mean extra load on the 2.0L TDI. As a result of working harder, the exhaust flow is greater and a urea injection system would be needed rather than the lean NOx trap used on the Jetta and Rabbit. Since the current Tiguan is not designed for a urea tank, it won’t be getting a U.S. diesel anytime soon.

[Source: Volkswagen]

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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Sedans/Saloons, Volkswagen

Is “four-door coupe” an oxymoron or a clever twist on automotive design rules? That was a popular question among the 50 or so journalists invited to drive Volkswagen’s new CC from Atlanta to Nashville last week.

The seemingly contradictory term was apparently first used to describe the Rover P5 Mark II in 1962, but was revived more recently when Mercedes introduced its CLS in 2004. In both cases the cars’ low rooflines defied conventional saloon styling and needed a unique descriptor for marketing pizazz.

When rumors of the VW CC began to leak out, some speculated the CLS would be its main target. But Volkswagen learned from the disappointing U.S. acceptance of the Phaeton: Luxury buyers pay for brand cache as much as they do for supple leather and high-tech gadgets. This time around, says Brett Scott, VW’s product planning manager, they expect many of their customers to be Camry and Accord shoppers attracted to the CC’s stand-out styling.

All photos Copyright (C)2008 Chris Tutor / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen CC

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Filed under: Minivans/MPVs, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Volkswagen

In what could very possibly be the worst auto-related commercial we have ever seen, Volkswagen has somehow convinced Brooke Shields (really Brooke, are things this bad?) to shill its new, at least to VW showrooms, Caravan Routan minivan. Apparently, what the people want is a badge-engineered Volkswagen version of the Pentastar minivan platform. In the extended commercial, Shields attempts to explain with a straight face that Americans are getting pregnant just so they can buy a Routan and enjoy its German engineering. Except that it’s not German engineered, unless you count the fact that Daimler was still married to Chrysler when the van was developed. We certainly don’t. Sure, the Routan’s Chrysler-sourced suspension was probably tweaked by Volkswagen, and it’s got softer styling up front to differentiate it from its Auburn Hills-based brothers, but those credentials are far from enough to call it “German engineered”. It’s likely that the Routan is a perfectly fine minivan, maybe even markedly better than the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country, but does VW honestly think people won’t realize it’s true origins? To watch the absurdness unfold, click past the break.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading VIDEO: Brooke Shields pretending VW Routan is NOT a Dodge Caravan

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Filed under: Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Porsche, Volkswagen

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Porsche 914

Once every 40 years or so, when the stars are aligned just right, there arises the cosmic possibility for Volkswagen and Porsche to collaborate on a small sportscar. The stars in question seem to be Porsche chairman Dr. Ferdinand Piech, a spirit of takeover cooperation between the two German automakers, and the input of third-party contractor Karmann. It was Dr. Piech, the same man who has been driving Porsche’s takeover of the Volkswagen group, who had ushered the original Porsche 914 into reality. But when Volkswagen launches its latest concept at the LA Auto Show this November, it hopes the little Elise fighter will garner enough attention to put the project into production as soon as 2011 with versions for both VW and Porsche.

The original Porsche 914 was based largely on borrowed Volkswagen mechanicals. Karmann was also heavily involved in the 914 project, and could be tapped once again to build the new sportscar for both Volkswagen and Porsche, with the project potentially spawning an Audi R4, as well. Although some sources suggest the Porsche version could adopt the 2.7-liter flat six from the base Boxster, with Zuffenhausen admittedly considering the possibility of going back to four-cylinder engines, anything’s possible. Sources point out, however, that the four-cylinder version of the 914 was the top selling model. While you consider the idea of a budget Porsche, check out the high-resolution images of original 914 images in the gallery below.

[Source: Motor Trend via PistonHeads]

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The Tiguan, Volkswagen’s compact sport utility vehicle (SUV), is the Top Safety Pick for 2008 of the Insurance Institute for Highway Travel. The award is the highest rating from the non-profit research organization. It recognizes the vehicles that perform best in passenger safety through a series of evaluations: front, side and rear crash tests. Only […]

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2008 Jetta SportWagen Debuts at the NYIASBy Benjamin HudsonThe Jetta SportWagen is a sporty and vibrant wagon version of Volkswagen’s top selling model and has made its official US debut at the New York Auto Show. The Jetta SportWagen is a mixture of…

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Filed under: Hybrid, Hydrogen, GM, Volkswagen

The 2007 Shanghai Auto Show is set to get underway on the 20th of April and China’s largest auto manufacturer, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC), will be on hand to debut a new fuel-cell vehicle. SAIC, which recently made headlines when it bought the Rover brand off BMW, said that the Shanghai-branded fuel-cell prototype will utilise fourth generation fuel-cell technology developed in-house to produce a peak power output of 60 kW / 80.5 hp that should propel the vehicle to a top speed of 150 km/h / 93 mph.

SAIC is investing one billion yuan (US$129 million) in developing cleaner, more energy efficient vehicle technologies. The company plans to produce 50,000 electric vehicles of various types by 2010, some 95 percent of which will be hybrids. Via a joint venture with Volkswagen, SAIC is aiming to produce 500 Touran hybrids before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Analysis: SAIC have also partnered with GM to develop hybrid vehicles of the booming Chinese market. Clearly they’re planning to roll out the latest tech to the Chinese market as it comes online in Western nations as well. I think Shanghai is going to be an interesting show this year.

Related:

• Video: Rick Wagoner on GM’s commitment to energy diversity. And new E-Flex concepts soon?
• Chinese government to promote greener cars
• Shanghai Automotive building a hybrid “Rover 75″

[Source: Shanghai Daily]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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Filed under: Diesel, MPG, Volkswagen

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion.

The Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion is already on sale in the United Kingdom where it claims the title of producing the lowest carbon dioxide emissions of any passenger car available there at just 102 g/km. The BlueMotion also takes the U.K. prize for highest fuel economy at a remarkable 72 mpg / 3.3 L per 100 km. But how does it do it?

Fuel efficiency improvements are made by reducing the weight of the BlueMotion over regular Polos, using higher gearing and reducing drag. Reducing the weight over the regular Polo appears to have been via leaving some of the more common creature comforts out - namely sound proofing, air-conditioning, electric windows, and the CD player - all of which are absent. The aerodynamics have been improved by using a smoother grill and front bumper, adding a small rear spoiler and fitting the vehicle with lightweight alloys fitted with low-rolling-resistance tyres.

Channel 4’s Tom Bird had this to say about the performance, “It’s also very slow. The official performance figures show a 0-62mph time of 12.8 seconds and a top speed of 109mph, but - as with all performance figures - they would be achieved with your foot to the floor and the engine at its least economical. In normal driving, with the driver exercising restraint, the BlueMotion just crawls and clatters along, with the high gearing discouraging anything resembling zipping about. Drive it with a very light foot, and I’m in no doubt that you could easily get 700 miles from the 45-litre tank, but you’d need the patience of a saint to achieve that.”

Analysis: Bird went on to say that his real-world fuel consumption was a somewhat disappointing 47.5 mpg / 5.0 L per 100 km. It sounds like the trade-offs to achieve its remarkable environmental performance may be more than the regular consumer is ready to bare at this stage.

Related:

• VW Polo BlueMotion at the New York Auto Show
• Mercedes-Benz E320 wins World Green Car award
• Geneva Motor Show: VW’s new diesel line-up detailed

[Source: Channel 4]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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A new Volkswagen Golf V is stored with other new cars awaiting owners at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg, Germany.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Flex-Fuel, Hybrid, AutoblogGreen Q & A, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

Click on the image for a gallery of 29 images of the VentureOne concept and the Carver three-wheeler.

This is the second part in an interview with Ian Bruce, founder of Venture Vehicles, where he talks about safety aspects of the VentureOne concept, and projected sales growth. In the first part of the interview, Ian shared with us his background with Venture Vehicles, and comments on the design of the VentureOne. Click here to go to part one of the interview.

If you haven’t already, be sure to read our guide to the VentureOne first as background to this insightful interview.

ABG: Is the small internal combustion engine used in the hybrid variant taken straight out of a motorbike? What flex-fuel capabilities does it have?

IB: The genset is the other main component in our series-hybrid configuration, and we have a great deal of flexibility in choosing the final configuration. The principal requirement is that it run efficiently while generating a sustained 15kW using standard gasoline, E100, or any blend in between. We only require a small sensor in the fuel system that can detect the relative percentage of ethanol in the fuel and adjust the injection volumes to suit. We plan to use the airflow from the battery cooling system to keep the fuel lines and engine at a minimum temperature, and avoid any cold weather start-up problems associated with E100.

Interview continues after the jump.
Click on the image for a gallery of 29 images of the VentureOne concept and the Carver three-wheeler.

This is the second part in an interview with Ian Bruce, founder of Venture Vehicles, where he talks about safety aspects of the VentureOne concept, and projected sales growth. In the first part of the interview, Ian shared with us his background with Venture Vehicles, and comments on the design of the VentureOne. Click here to go to part one of the interview.

If you haven’t already, be sure to read our guide to the VentureOne first as background to this insightful interview.

ABG: Is the small internal combustion engine used in the hybrid variant taken straight out of a motorbike? What flex-fuel capabilities does it have?

IB: The genset is the other main component in our series-hybrid configuration, and we have a great deal of flexibility in choosing the final configuration. The principal requirement is that it run efficiently while generating a sustained 15kW using standard gasoline, E100, or any blend in between. We only require a small sensor in the fuel system that can detect the relative percentage of ethanol in the fuel and adjust the injection volumes to suit. We plan to use the airflow from the battery cooling system to keep the fuel lines and engine at a minimum temperature, and avoid any cold weather start-up problems associated with E100.

Interview continues after the jump.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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Environmentally conscious Europeans, hold on to your plan to buy a car till 2007! It will be witnessing the launch of 104 new car models. Along with featuring fresh color combinations, new technology, the car engines will be made eco-friendly to…

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For Volkswagen, a bumper sticker should say more than just a clever proverb or a humorous quip. Volkswagen’s Electronics Research Laboratory is developing a high-tech bumper sticker that will let drivers indicate their mood. The wafer-thin, highly-flexible programmable foil sticker will display text and images like a computer screen. It will continuously update what the […]

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