Archive for Volkswagen

Abt’s kit for the Volkswagen Passat CC (Comfort Coupe) is quite limited at the moment but features engine tuning programs for both the 1.8 and 2.0 TFSI engines, a 4 tailpipe exhaust system, a choice of Abt wheels, a choice of either lowering springs or a full-fledged sports suspension with compression, rebound and height adjustment, as well as aesthetic bits for the interior. Look after the jump for two more photos.

Click here to read the rest of Abt kit for the Volkswagen Passat CC

Click for hi-res photo

Volkswagen has unveiled a single photo of the sedan version of the third generation Volkswagen Gol unveiled in July this year. No, that’s not a typo of Golf. The Gol is a different car. The Volkswagen Gol is basically a low-end Volkswagen designed for “developing countries”, something like Toyota’s IMV cars. The Gol is based on the Volkswagen Polo’s PQ34 platform, and this sedan is based off the Gol hatchback.

Look after the jump for a photo gallery of the Gol hatchback.

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Gol Sedan first photo unveiled!

Click for details and photo gallery of Mark 6 Golf

Now that we’ve seen what the base Mark 6 Golf will look like, I’m sure alot of people are waiting in anticipation for signs of the next generation iconic Golf GTI. According to Autocar, sources inside Volkswagen have revealed that the Mark 6 Golf GTI will get the new 211 PS Valvelift EA888 engine found in the Audi A4 and A5.

The EA888 engine with a timing chain is already found in some of the new Mark 5 GTIs, but lacks the Valvelift variable valve lift system. 211 PS may not seem a big deal of an increase as compared to the Mk5’s 200 PS, but torque has increased substantially from 280Nm to 350Nm of torque in the new Valvelift engine.

Styling wise, the new GTI will appear sportier and more low-slung thanks to the existing qualities of the model it is based on. Bumpers on the front and rear will be unique to the GTI, and its headlamps will receive some form of daytime LED running lights. Standard alloys will be 18 inch with the option for 19 inchers, an inch up from the Mark 5 GTI.

The source also reveals that the Mark 6 will lose the R32 but gain a more powerful tuned up version of the GTI with 4MOTION to replace it. The EA888 in the “R” GTI will be tuned to produce 272 PS and above, similiar to the European spec Audi TTS. This is supposedly because the VR6 engine in the R32 will no longer be feasible with upcoming EU emissions legislations.

After a low resolution leak yesterday, Volkswagen has decided to just release the initial info for the Mark 6 Golf, with full details to be revealed at the Paris Motor Show. The new Golf carries over the design language that made its debut with the Scirocco. The front grille is now slimmer and wider extending all the way to a headlamps, which is kind of like a modernised Mk4 Golf. This gives the Golf the effect of a more low-slung look. This means the upcoming Mark 6 GTI will likely look so much more sportier as well.

In the engine bay, the turbodiesel line-up is now fully common rail direct injection instead of the Pump Duse system and is available with various output levels: 90 PS, 110 PS, 140 PS and 170 PS, while the TSI petrol engines put out 80 PS, 102 PS, 122 PS and 160 PS.

The dashboard uses a dual-cowled design with white backlit dials. The interior shows use of aluminium and chrome highlights, kind of like an Audi’s dash but without all the red backlighting. The new Golf also promises to be quieter. It has a special damping film in the windshield and a newly developed seal for the doors and side window guides to reduce noise. The wing mirrors are also aerodynamically shaped to reduce wind noise. Other NVH tricks include new engine bearings, quieter tyres fitted as standard and sound proofing for the engine bay.

The Golf now features an optional Volkswagen Adaptive Chassis Control (similiar to Audi drive select) which is standard on the Scirocco and an option on the Passat CC. With ACC, the driver will be able to select between normal, comfort and sports modes which will vary the suspension, steering and accelerator behaviour accordingly. The car’s cruise control system has also been enhanced, now using a series of sensors to reduce the vehicle’s speed automatically if there is an obstruction in its path. The system can bring the car to a complete halt if necessary.

Safety enhancements include a more advanced ESP system, seatbelt sensors for the rear passengers and a new head restraint system designed to reduce whiplash injuries.

Look after the jump for more hi-res photos.

Click here to read the rest of 6th Generation Volkswagen Golf Details and Photos

The next generation Mark 6 Volkswagen Golf is set to make its first public appearance at the London Press Club Ball, with its press kit unveiling set to be somewhere in the next few days, but a small set of photos have already found its way onto the internet.

As expected, the new Golf looks like a more family-oriented Scirocco, with the rear end borrowed from the Touareg. The thinner and wider grille at the front gives the same effect to the rest of the car. Have a look at the Mk6 Golf after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Golf Mk6 leaked photos on the net

Volkswagen has gotten the approval from regulatory bodies to take up a majority voting stake in Swedish truck maker Scania in a deal that costs 2.8 billion euros, which will bring its shareholding in Scania up to 37.73% and voting rights up to 68.6%.

There has been a number of suitors for Scania before, but none of them went through such as Volvo in 1999 (a deal that was not approved by the EU because it would create a monopoly) and an attempted hostile takeover by MAN in 2006.

Volkswagen is also a leading shareholder in MAN, so we may see some sort of merger between MAN and Scania in the end after all, although they have mentioned before in the past that they would keep Scania as a separate premium brand.

I have no idea what’s gotten into the people who run the Perak State Government’s heads… perhaps this is an attempt to woo Volkswagen back to Malaysia (and Proton). The Perak State Government announced today that it is going to set up a world class city in Perak and call it Volkswagen City. It will offer a “variety of services and products linked to the German automaker”.

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said that the new Volkswagen City will be a tourist city catering to the increasing number of Volkswagen enthusiasts around the world, offering spare parts and exhibition galleries for the Volkswagen brand. As for where and when, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar said the matter had not yet been discussed with the relevant parties.

Perak is also host to Proton City, a township located 5km north from Tanjung Malim. Proton City is home to industrial, commercial and residential properties including Proton’s car assembly plant and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

Source

Cartrade-ABT is the new sole distributor for Abt Sportsline performance products in Malaysia. Cartrade-ABT will be focusing on Abt Sportsline upgraded cars and kits for Audi and Volkswagen cars and its first showroom is in Bangsar at 79, Jalan Maarof.

Expected turnover for the first year is RM50 million, a target that may very well be achieved considering how popular the Volkswagen Golf GTI is on Malaysian roads. Shown above is the Abt Sportsline GTI VS4-R, which is a Golf GTI tuned by Abt.

There will also definitely be a market for Abt kits for the newly launched Audi A4 - you can see how the other two premium German manufacturers have responded to the demand of kitted up C-segment luxury sedans here in Malaysia in the form of the BMW 320i Sports and the Mercedes-Benz C200K Avantgarde.

Volkswagen’s TwinDrive Plug-in Hybrid Prototype is based off a regular 4-door Volkswagen Golf, or at least that’s what you think from appearances. Under the hood is something completely different - an electric motor paired together with either a TDI turbodiesel or a TSI turbocharged gasoline engine.

The main method of propulsion in the city is the electric motor, which is powered by high density lithium ion batteries that can be charged via a plug-in power socket. For long range extended hour journeys the combustion engine can be used.

Volkswagen has insisted that unlike other hybrids where the motor supplements the combustion engine (like in large Toyota hybrids), Volkswagen designed their TwinDrive system to have the combustion engine complement the electric motor.

Combining both the TSI/TDI engine and the electric motor results in a peak power of 174 horsepower, and this is reflected on the car’s dashboard via a kilowatt meter instead of an RPM meter. Twenty units of the TwinDrive Golf prototypes will be deployed as part of a test fleet. In a 100km test journey from Potsdam to Berlin, the Golf TwinDrive managed to use just 8kWh of electricity and 2.5 liters of fuel.

A photo gallery is available after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Golf TwinDrive Plug-in Hybrid

The Volkswagen Gol is one Volkswagen that is sold mainly in Brazil and some other markets where it is known as the Volkswagen Pointer.

It’s a relatively low-cost car of sorts, heavily localised in design like how the Volkswagen Lavida was conceptualized for the Chinese market. In fact it would not be entirely off target to call this new third generation Volkswagen Gol a hatch version of the Chinese Lavida, since they are both based off the PQ34 Volkswagen Polo platform.

This new third generation Volkswagen Gol looks like a Scirocco with four doors, with some elements from the new Tiguan thrown into the mix. It measures 3900mm long, 1660mm wide and 1450mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2470mm. Luggage space in the boot comes up to 285 liters. It has quite a budget interior, to the point that it’s meter panel excludes an RPM meter, but a temperature gauge is retained.

Two engines are available, a 1 liter and a 1.6 liter from the EA111 family. They are tuned for city driving, which means lots of torque low in the rev range. The 1.0 liter engine puts out 95Nm of torque at 3,850rpm, which is close to the 100Nm per liter ratio and nearly 1,000rpm lower than the usual peak torque point. If ethanol (it is Brazil after all) is used as fuel, you get 104Nm, more than the 100Nm per liter ratio. Peak power of 72hp (76 for ethanol) kicks in at 5,250rpm. It’s decent power for a car that weighs 934kg.

The 1.6 liter is also very torquey at low RPMs, offering 154Nm at 2,500rpm with petrol fuel! With ethanol you get an additional 2Nm of torque at the same peak point. Peak horsepower is 101hp at 5,250rpm, with an additional 3 if you use ethanol.

A full gallery of the third gen VW Gol is available after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Third Generation Volkswagen Gol Details and Photos