© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Two new Volkswagen cars have been added to the Volkswagen Malaysia range – the Passat CC and the Scirocco. The Passat CC is available at the showroom today, while the Scirocco is said to be at all showrooms next week onwards.

The following are the launch prices:

• Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 TSI – RM243,888
• Volkswagen Passat CC – RM239,888

The Passat CC’s price is a bump up from the Passat’s RM228,888.00 pricetag. The Passat CC has a 200 PS 2.0 liter TSI engine with turbocharging and direct injection but it does not use a DSG gearbox. Instead like the Tiguan it is mated to a 6-speed Tiptronic slushbox automatic. It is based on the Passat platform but with a sportier roofline (think of MB E-Class versus CLS-Class), and is 50mm lower to the ground and 30mm longer. If you need a little more in terms of looks, you can get an Abt kit.

Features are generous – 6 airbags, ABS, traction control, stability control, ISOFIX seat points, and adaptive chassis control which adjusts the suspension damping and power steering assistance characteristics to suit the driving pattern.

Look after the jump for e-brochures for both cars.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Volkswagen announced that a new 1.2 TSI powerplant is now available for the Polo, Golf and Golf Plus models. The engine is able to output 105 PS and 175Nm of torque that is achieved from as low as 1,500 rpm. As the term TSI suggests, the engine is fitted with a turbocharger and features direct injection.

The 1.2 TSI motivator is treated to an aluminium crankcase and a completely re-tuned direct injection system to help make the engine lighter and more fuel efficient. It also enables to the engine to achieve smooth power development and output lower emissions. The above mentioned features are also used in the 1.4 TSI, an engine that has been awarded the prestigious “Engine of the Year” award three years in a row since 2006.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Volkswagen has announced that it will take a 49.9% stake in sports car maker Porsche in a first step towards merging with the company. Volkswagen’s initial plan was to acquire 42% of Porsche and with the increase in stake, Volkswagen’s position in the equation will be stronger sooner than expected. The German auto giant also assured that the merger between both companies is still scheduled to take place in 2011.

Currently both companies are working together in certain areas such as manufacturing the Porsche Cayenne and the Volkswagen Touareg in the same plant as well as the utilization of Volkswagen’s 3.6 liter V6 by Porsche. The above mentioned 49.9% stake will cost $5.8 billion and the company also assured that it is committed in “preserving the independence and the interests of Porsche” – which is a good move.

Porsche will join other brands like Bugatti, Audi, Lamborghini as well as Bentley to become the company’s 10th brand. Volkswagen also announced that it plans to increase its preferred share capital by the first half of 2010 in order to refinance the participation and maintain Volkswagen’s good credit rating.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Rumors are circulating that German auto giant Volkswagen will replace the Passat with the company’s New Mid-Sized Sedan (NMS) in the US. The new sedan is expected to hit the market in 2011 and will be manufactured at the auto maker’s Tennessee plant.

It will most probably be longer than the Passat and should be priced with a cheaper price tag (by about $8,000). According to the source, the new sedan will be built in the US so that the automaker can take advantage of the weaker US dollar when compared to the Euro. Thanks to exchange rates, German-built cars will carry a significantly higher price tag when sold in the US hence it would cost lower if the cars were built in the US. It is unclear if the new mid-sized sedan will be offered in other markets.

Generally Americans and Europeans have different expectations of their D-segment sedans. Euro D-segment cars tend to be smaller and sleeker like the Accord Euro while American market cars are just plain large – the bigger the better, refinement is not as important. An unnamed Volkswagen executive has said in the past that the NMS project was born because the company felt American customers don’t really appreciate the refinement of the Passat, hence dismal sales in comparison to competitors like the Camry and the Accord. The Passat is also more expensive because of the extra costs that go into its refinement.

Source

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

A small storm is brewing within the Volkswagen group, not something we can see on the outside, but enough that a very important car has its launch delayed by a few months. Volkswagen group production head Joachem Heizmann told German publication Automobilwoche that the Volkswagen Up will only start production after March 2011, which is later than his boss Martin Winterkorn had hoped.

The reason? Time-consuming petty jealousies between various departments and brands. Right now, Volkswagen group brands that are confirmed to be selling a version of Volkswagen Up! are the Volkswagen brand and the more value-oriented Skoda brand. These two brands are represented in Malaysia respectively by the principal themselves (VW Malaysia), and a unit of the Berjaya Group (Skoda – Quasar Carriage).

While the Up! is expected to satisfy the market of consumers that are looking for smaller and more fuel efficient transportation, bear in mind that when such cars come to Malaysia, unless things change with the policies and taxation system here it may not necessarily gel with the whole affordable transportation anymore.

Countries that are designated as “developing countries” such as ours are usually offered special models low-cost models – just look at what is sold in South America and Eastern Europe and you will get an idea.

Source

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

A delicious trio of the Volkswagen Scirocco, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk6 and the Volkswagen Passat CC are now listed on Volkswagen Malaysia’s website with specifications though there are no prices yet. I understand a preview of the Scirocco and the Passat CC (not sure about the Mk6) was done at Volkswagen showrooms a few weeks ago. According to sales advisors at Cartrade-ABT when they showcased their Abt-kitted cars a few weeks ago as well, the Scirocco is expected to go for around RM250k while the Mk6 GTI will be cheaper. But these are just preliminary prices and things may change.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Can’t decide between a Scirocco R or a Mk6 Golf R? This promo video featuring both the cars won’t help you make that decision – both look equally good painted in the same blue colour scheme having a bit of fun on a race track.

Personally in terms of design I’m kinda leaning towards the Mk6 Golf R instead. How about you? That’s besides the fact of course that the Golf R actually has an all-wheel drive system while the Scirocco R still have to put everything through the front wheels.

With every generation there’s supposed to be improvements all-round but I think one definite part where the Mk5 R32 has an edge over the new Mk6 R is the fact that the R32 probably sounds so much better – there is just so far that a 4 pot can go. Wonder why they didn’t lump the 5-cylinder from the TT-RS into this baby instead.

Check out the video after the jump.

GALLERY: Volkswagen Scirocco R

GALLERY: Volkswagen Golf R

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Even the humble little Polo cannot escape the tuners, but it’s really not surprising considering it’s a good looking little car in the first place, very tempting to spice it up a little.

Other than the Abt bodykit and suspension pack you see above, they’ve also worked some magic in the engine bay. The new 1.2 liter TSI engine has had its stock output upgraded from 105 horses up to 130 horses, yet Abt says fuel consumption and CO2 emission values remain stock standard.

The 1.6 liter TDI version also peaks out at 130 horses, and this upgrade is available with the highest 105 horsepower tune. The 90 horsepower version gets upgraded to 110 horses while the baseline 75 horsepower version gets a boost up to 90 horses.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

The Golf R is something quite different in the new Mk6 range. While the Mk5’s R car was the R32 with a 3.2 liter V6 putting power through an all-wheel drive system, the new Mk6 Golf R will feature a 270 PS version of the EA113 2.0 liter TSI engine. The engine code of EA113 seems to indicate this is a high power tuned up version of the Mk5 GTI engine (which is also found in the Scirocco) and not the EA888 timing chain engine that you will find in the Mk6 GTI.

Volkswagen is really shouting about how the new turbo engine is so much more frugal than the V6 – 10.7 liters per 100km versus 8.5 liters per 100km on average. CO2 emissions have also dropped from 255g/km to 199g/km. Like the outgoing R32, the Golf R will use an all-wheel drive system.

This is the latest version of the 4Motion system which means now activation of the AWD differential no longer requires a difference in speed between the front and rear axles. This is because pressure is now activated by an electric pump. A computer controls the ideal drive torque for the rear axle, up to nearly 100% of drive torque.

The sprint to 100km/h takes only 5.7 seconds with the manual and 5.5 seconds with the optional DSG, down from 6.5 seconds on the R32. Torque numbers for the new car is also higher than the outgoing model – 350Nm versus 320Nm. Peak torque starts at 2,500rpm and this figure continues all the way up to 5,000rpm. This means a nice fat and meaty powerband.

Turbo boost pressure is set at 1.2 bar. To handle the higher power output, the engine has reinforced bolts which is not found on the regular TSI engines. The conrods and cylinder block are also stronger.

The ESP system now has a Sport mode which allows greater ‘allowances’ for you to fool around before the system kicks in to save you. The Golf R can be ordered with an optional DCC dynamic chassis control system, which varies various systems such as power steering assist maps for three different drive settings – Sport, Normal and Comfort.

Look after the jump for some nice original high resolution photos, for your wallpaper usage pleasure

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Here’s yet another concept car in the up! range of cars. We’ve previously seen the up! and the larger space up!. Here comes the 3+1 seater E-Up!, which as you can probably tell is powered by an electric motor. The electric motor is rated at 40kW continuous with a burst power of 60kW, and torque is rated at 210Nm. Although this is a concept car for now, Volkswagen confirmed a production EV version will be launched in 2013. Quite interestingly the 3+1 seating is similiar to the Toyota iQ.

This is how VW’s Martin Winterkorn sees mobility in the near future. Cars with pure petrol and diesel engines – which in the foreseeable future will continue be unbeatable for mid- to long-range distances – will be supplemented by cars like the E-Up! in upcoming years, especially in the city. This can be a reality in 5 years time. But production numbers of an electric car can only match that of a Polo in current times only in 2020, and that’s earliest!

The E-Up! weighs just 1,085kg, and out of that the lithium ion batteries housed in the underbody (protected by a crash-protected tray) alone takes up 240kg. The electric motor is lighter at 140kg. The E-Up! is meant to be charged at home in the owner’s garage, or on the road when a charging infrastructure has been set up.

Volkswagen predicts that quick charging infrastructure could possibly allow the E-Up! to be charged up to 80% of its battery life within an hour’s time. At home, a regular 230V outlet can do the same in 5 hours tops.

So in terms of cost according to European electricity rates, the E-Up! can go 100km for 2 Euros (actual range has not been revealed by Volkswagen). The charging port is hidden behind the Volkswagen logo at the front. The solar panel on the roof can generate a small amount of electricity, enough for some auxiliary electrical systems and to cool the interior by powering the car’s ventilation system.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

A German paper managed to get a scoop on a rather interesting concept car that Volkswagen plans to show at the Frankfurt show that’ll open in just a few days time. This concept car is supposedly called the Volkswagen L1 Concept and guess what its rated fuel consumption is – 1.49 liters per 100km! Most people are calling it a 1 liter car, which it actually is not, but nevertheless a “1.49 liter car” is still impressive.

It’s a small 3,800mm long two seater car and you sit in it in tandem – which means the driver at the front and the passenger behind him or her. The L1 Concept is powered by a twin-cylinder diesel engine mated to a 7-speed twin clutch transmission. It’s only got 29 horsepower but at a kerb weight of 380kg, that’s more than enough. CO2 output is rated at just 39g/km.

UPDATE: We now know more information about the new L1. The official fuel consumption has been rated at 1.38 liters per 100km. The 800cc two-cylinder diesel engine is essentially half of Volkswagen’s BlueMotion 1.6 TDI engine and it makes 27 PS (39 PS in “sports mode”) and 100Nm of torque at 1,900rpm, but is assisted by a 14 hosepower electric motor powered by a lithium ion battery situated at the front of the car. The hybrid unit sends power to the wheels via a 7-speed DSG transmission.

The electric motor sits between the TDI engine and the DSG gearbox. This sounds like a motor assist system but the motor is capable of running on its own as a zero emissions EV with the TDI shut off via decoupling from the TDI with an auxiliary clutch. When its time for the TDI unit to be restarted, this electric motor acts as a start-up generator.

To retain the L1’s aerodynamic shape, door mirrors have been eliminated. While they’re at it, they also took out the rear view mirror though since it is inside the car it doesn’t improve aerodynamics. Instead, functions of both the door and rear view mirrors have been replaced by cameras which send images to OLED displays on the left and right of the instrument panel. There are no doors – the passengers get in from the top.

The L1 is built around a safety cell made out of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which itself weighs only 124kg. If you add everything else in, the L1 tops out at 380kg kerb weight, which is pretty damn light. The weight is well acounting for – 122kg goes to teh drivetrain, 79kg for the chassis, 35kg for the interior furnishings, and 20kg for the electricals. The L1 measures 1,200mm wide, 3,813mm long and 1,143mm tall, which Volkswagen says is similiar to the length of a Volkswagen Fox and the height of a Lamborghini Murcielago.

Look after the jump for more shots of the L1.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Volkswagen have already identified a base in Indonesia for the Touran MPV, but they have also been looking for a way to assembly their passenger cars here in Malaysia. Other than Proton, DRB-HICOM was also a potential partner name that came up in the past.

Datuk Syed Zainal confirmed sometime last week that Proton was indeed in talks with a foreign car company and hoped that something can be agreed upon before the end of the year. He did not mention which company this is, but in a Reuters report a Volkswagen spokesperson managed to be reached for comment and he confirmed that they were in talks with Proton. According to the spokesperson, the confirmed plant in Indonesia was not sufficient to serve the entire ASEAN market – it looks like they’re planning to come to this region in a big way!

These talks with Proton could be the reason why the reviewed NAP announcement has been pushed to the end of next month instead of being announced this month as previously indicated. “It’s a complicated matter. We cannot rush,” said MITI minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed. Proton is of course at the center of the Malaysian automotive industry, thus most decisions will actually surround the company.

The foreign car company was referred to by Datuk Syed Zainal as potentially Proton’s “missing link”, which means the talks could extend beyond Proton being a contract assembler for Volkswagen – Proton could be asking to license or collaborate on certain Volkswagen tech such as platforms or engines, especially diesel engines!

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

If you’ve been looking to get a Mk6 Golf GTI or a Scirocco from Volkswagen Malaysia and are exploring for tune-up options, Cartrade-ABT is already one step ahead of you. They’ve showcased the gorgeous ABT Scirocco and the ABT Golf GTI Mk6 at their Bangsar showroom last weekend.

While the confirmed prices for the Mk6 GTI and the Scirocco are not out yet (the Scirocco is rumoured to be priced at about RM240k+), pricelists for the ABT kits for the two cars are already out. But potential customers wanted to see the bodykit in flesh first before committing so Cartrade-ABT flew two units in.

ABT VSR GTI

ABT Wheels Package (19 inch with Continental tyres and spacers) – RM23,500
ABT Aerodynamic Package (ABT bodykit with quad pipe stainless steel rear muffler) – RM18,500
ABT ECU Performance Tuning (upgrade to 260hp and 360Nm) – RM6,000
Total: RM48,000
Full package price: RM47,000

ABT Scirocco

ABT Wheels Package (19 inch with Continental tyres, ABT sport springs and spacers) – RM21,500
ABT Aerodynamic Package (ABT bodykit with quad pipe stainless steel rear muffler) – RM18,500
ABT ECU Performance Tuning (upgrade to 240hp and 340Nm) – RM6,000
Total: RM46,000
Full package price: RM45,000

Of course if you just want to go fast without the ABT Kit, you can opt for just the ECU tune-up (via OBD) package for RM6,000. I’n not sure on when the GTI will be arriving but the Scirocco should be very very soon.

Look after the jump for photos of the two ABT cars.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

If the Volkswagen Polo were the price of a Honda City or a Toyota Vios, would it be part of your consideration if you were looking for your first non-national car? Volkswagen definitely hopes so, and even after 1) talks with Proton hit a dead end and 2) a US$140 million assembly base has been identified in Indonesia, it is still trying to negotiate a deal for local assembly of Volkswagen cars in Malaysia.

The most recent potential partner seems to be DRB-HICOM but The Edge claimed last month that talks between VW and DRB-HICOM had hit a wall. Read it all here in this Bloomberg story. It could be something to do with the upcoming National Automotive Policy review that is supposed to be revealed at the end of this month.

Source

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

As it turns out, the 3-door Volkswagen Polo is just as handsome looking at the 5-door Volkswagen Polo. Volkswagen has definitely got its baby B-segment hatchback’s styling sorted out nicely. Most importantly to me, the Polo now looks unisex, while its predecessor looked a little feminine to me.

6 engines will be available with the car, with the most fuel efficient being a 75 PS turbodiesel that uses only 3.3 liters per 100km and puts out only 87g/km of CO2. The most powerful engine so far is the 1.2 liter TSI, putting out 105 PS thanks to its direct injection and forced induction. Of course, that’ll only be until the Polo GTI hot hatch is unveiled, which could feature either a 150 PS or 180 PS engine, assuming it mimics what’s offered with the hot version of the Ibiza.

Look after the jump for a full hi-res gallery of the 3-door Polo.

Related Posts:
Volkswagen Polo: 5-door version.
Volkswagen Polo GTI 1.8T Test Drive Review
Volkswagen CrossPolo 1.6 Test Drive Review

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Volkswagen has converted its South American centric Volkswagen Gol into a front wheel drive car-based single cab pickup, or “ute”, whatever you prefer calling it. The Gol-based ute is called the Volkswagen Saveiro and is powered by a 1.6 liter inline-4 flex-fuel engine thats shared with the Gol, producing 104 horses at 5,250rpm and 156Nm of torque at 2,500rpm if you fuel it with ethanol (minus 2 horses and 3Nm if you use regular petrol). The Saveiro is not a new name – it’s traditionally used a old time ago for car-based pickups in the Volkswagen family, and the last model was based on the Volkswagen Fox if I am not mistaken.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Indonesia’s Investment Coordinating Board head Muhammad Lutfi has revealed that US$140 million will be invested over the next 2 years on the 50,000 Touran a year factory, and the Indonesian government will support them with tax incentives.

Lutfi added that MPV manufacturing in Indonesia is on average 30% cheaper than any other ASEAN countries because of government incentives. Toyota and Honda also makes their MPVs there (remember the Toyota IMV project?), with the latest being the Honda Freed, which is being assembled at Honda’s plant in Karawang.

More and more automotive companies may be looking at Indonesia soon. Four Chinese brands have entered Indonesia in the last 2 years – Chery, Foton, Great Wall and Geely. Their economy is forecasted to grow 4% this year, and they are said to be the 3rd fastest growing economy in Asia after China and India. It’s also the world’s fourth-largest country by population.

Indonesian citizen earnings are slowly rising to point where a majority can abandon their motorcycles for cars, and proof of that is in the increasing gridlock problem in Jakarta. The buses and taxis share the same jam and there is no MRT. The first will only begin construction in 2011 and operational by 2016.

You can also look at P.T. Astra International’s stock prices and earnings – they are a large automobile conglomerate in Indonesia and have partnerships with Toyota, Daihatsu, BMW, Peugeot, Nissan Diesel, Isuzu, and Honda.

Previously a Volkswagen spokesperson said their Indonesian vehicle assembly plant is a first step towards Volkswagen’s long term ASEAN market development. Volkswagen can also use their Indonesian plant to supply CKD kits or complete vehicles to Japan, thanks to the Japan-Indonesia Economic Partnership Agreement.

Source

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

The Volkswagen Scirocco will be eye-catching enough on Malaysian shores when it gets here, but if that’s not enough for you, you can fit this bodykit from JE Design which also features scissor doors! It won’t come cheap though – the doors itself go for €1,559 (RM7,750) while the bodykit goes for €919. A 30mm lowering kit goes for €219, a sport exhaust system (€899) and to finish it off you can fit a set of 19-inch alloy wheels in silver (€2,810) or graphite (€2,930). In the engine department, the 2.0 TDI engine’s 140hp and 320Nm gets boosted up to 180hp and 400Nm.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

A German magazine reported last week that Volkswagen is looking to take up a 10% stake in Japanese carmaker Suzuki. Taking up stake and collaborating with the Japanese company in various areas such as network and product collaboration will allow Volkswagen to enter the Indian market with more success than they currently are having. Suzuki currently dominates the Indian market through the local JV, Maruti Suzuki.

The small little cars that Suzuki and Daihatsu are so good at building at seems to be a secret art that no one else can master. Most of the time the cars come out too cramped as there is not very efficient use of space, or they end up being too costly to manufacturer and price at the appropriate price tag that it needs to have.

Suzuki could benefit from Volkswagen’s technologies such as various fuel-saving tech such as FSI, TSI, TDI diesel and even hybrid tech, and Volkswagen could definitely use Suzuki’s access in India, and perhaps its K-car platforms in case it wants to do something smaller than the NSF (the Up! concepts – future Lupo).

Either way, investors seem to think positively of such a deal, as Suzuki shares went up by nearly 7.7% before settling down up 5.5% at 2,195 Japanese Yen.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Volkswagen has decided to name its upcoming pickup truck the Volkswagen Amarok. The word Amarok is the Inuktitut name for “wolf”. Inuktitut is the name of the Eskimo-ish Inuit language variants spoken in Canada. Linux users may recognise the name as shared with an open source KDE music player.

In naming the Amarok so, Volkswagen hopes it will emulate the wolf’s personality as the “king of the wilderness and a figure of robustness, endurance, and superiority”, in their own words. At launch time only a double cab version like the Pickup Concept shown above will be launched and it will have Volkswagen TDI engines mated to an all-wheel drive system. A single-cab model will be launched later.

The word Amarok and its association with a Wolf does sound kinda cool, and definitely way cooler than “Taro”, which means a kind of yam and is aso the old name for Volkswagen’s rebadge of the Toyota Hilux.

Look after the jump for more pix of the concept version.

Related Posts:
Volkswagen Pickup Concept previews new 1-tonne pickup
Volkswagen Advanced Activity Concept

PHOTO GALLERY: Volkswagen Pickup Concept
Click thumbnails to view high resolution photo

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Known has the Jetta Wagon in some other markets, the estate variant of the new Golf has been updated as per the Mk6 Golf hatchback. It’s alternate names are either the Golf Variant, or the Golf Estate. Like the rest of the Mk6 range unveiled thus far, it is largely based on the Mk5 but solves one major problem that the previous generation had – it was too expensive to build.

The Golf Variant starts from 18,500 Euros and is packed with features that can be considered high spec in Malaysia but is standard issue in the standard baseline Golf Variant as standard ESP stability control, 6 airbags, daytime running lights, roof rails, power windows all round, upshift indicator to help you optimise fuel consumption, power and heated outside mirrors, 1/3 to 2/3 split folding rear bench seat and seatback, and climate control.

Volkswagen is launching the new Golf Estate on the market with four gasoline and two diesel engine options, all complying with Euro 5, starting from 80 PS and 102 PS petrol engines, 122 and 160 PS gasoline TSI engines, and two TDI turbodiesels putting out 105 PS and 140 PS. The TSI and TDI engines may be ordered with a DSG transmission.

Look after the jump for a small photo gallery.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Here’s another car for the Wörthersee Tour 2009, and just like the Polo concept it’s going to be called the Volkswagen Golf GTI Wörthersee 09.

It’s more of an aesthetics modification, with the paintwork done in a shade that Volkswagen called “Firespark Metallic”. The wheels are high-gloss black 19 inch alloys. The rear gets smoked tail lamps. The interior gets some nice detailing too – brushed aluminium trim, glossy black painted frames around the air vents, red borders on the floor mats which echo the red on the front grille, and new combination seats with black and red Nappa. Under the hood is the same 210 PS TSi engine in the Golf GTI.

Look after the jump for more pix.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Volkswagen will be exhibiting a concept version of what is to be the new generation Polo GTI. They are calling it the Volksagen Polo “Wörthersee 09″ Concept after the Wörthersee 2009 Tour event where it will be unveiled at. The Wörthersee Tour is essentially an annual meeting of Volkswagen and Audi enthusiasts in Europe.

The Polo Wörthersee 09 is done up in a paint that Volkswagen calls Flash Red, with two black stripes extending over the front, over the roof and all the way to the rear. The black wheels you see are 18 inches in size and are from the Budapest design.

Volkswagen must want to keep the Polo GTI engine secret from now (its platform mate Ibiza’s hot hatch versions feature both 150 PS and 180 PS 1.4 TSIs) as this display car is built around a 1.4 MPI Polo and still comes with the donor car’s engine, which puts out a boring 86 PS.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Here’s the hottest version of the Volkswagen Scirocco so far, released just in time for the Scirocco race car’s Nurburgring 24 hour race entry.

This blue devil is the new Volkswagen Scirocco R, and it is powered by a boosted up version of the firm’s venerable 2.0 liter TSI EA888 engine, now producing 265 PS and 350Nm of torque, which is similiar to the motor found in the Audi TT-S and the Audi S3. This engine drives the front wheels only, through an XDS front differential lock.

The Scirocco R gets its own bodykit which Volkswagen says is largely based on the Scirocco GT24 race car. The front bumper features large air intake openings which will provide adequate cooling for the boosted up engine, and the rear features a black diffuser and dual chrome tailpipes. The side profile is dominated by the 18 inch Talladega design alloy wheels.

As always, look after the jump for a full gallery!

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Volkswagen has unveiled full details and images of its latest Volkswagen Polo. For those that like how the new Polo has turned out, here’s a huge photo gallery for your enjoyment. The full hi-res versions can go up to a megabyte in size so they’re perfect for wallpapers even on high resolution screens.

The body is longer (+54mm), wider (+32mm) but lower (-14mm) than the outgoing Polo which are differences that are always seen as desirable as it makes the car have a sportier stance. Wheelbase has gone up slightly by 4mm. With the additional width, track is now also wider by 29mm at the front and 30mm at the rear.

The new Polo comes with a total of 7 different engines, of which 5 of them are new for the Polo. The diesel line-up is now completely TDI, which means Pump Duse is phased out even on the low-end models. The Polo can consume as little as 3.6 liters of diesel per 100km with the 90 PS TDI model.

One new engine that was first introduced on the SEAT Ibiza is the new 1.2 TSI, producing 105 PS from a small 1.2 liter turbocharged engine. This baby can put out 175Nm of torque from just 1,500rpm and is mated to a 7-speed DSG transmission. The 1.2 TSI is the most powerful engine for the Polo so far until the Polo GTI comes out, which could feature either 150 PS or 180 PS versions of the company’s 1.4 TSI.

Look after the jump to enjoy the shots and footage!

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Volkswagen has confirmed its Indonesian plant deal. The Indonesian plant will be set up in cooperation with the Indomobil Group, who is the parent company of Volkswagen’s Indonesian distributor PT Garuda Mataram Motor.

The plant will start off as an assembly plant, putting together CKD packs from elsewhere, but full scale manufacturing could begin in 2012, 3 years from now. The plant will churn out the Volkswagen Touran from CKD packs in the hundreds as first. Then Touran output will increase, and eventually other models will also be assembled there. Indonesia is pretty much an MPV market and if the Touran manages to capture the Indonesian MPV buyer’s fancy sufficiently, it could justify the volumes for full-fledged production that goes beyond just putting together CKD packs.

The Volkswagen Touran is an MPV built on the Golf platform. There is also a version with offroader elements called the CrossTouran (shown above), which was brought in to Malaysia last year for some reasons but VW Malaysia did not sell the car. Some pre-owned units with a 1.4 liter TSI engine and DSG transmission went on sale late last year for about RM165k.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

Like any car manufacturer with maintaining profitability in their mind, Volkswagen is moving production for certain models out of their home country of Germany. The Volkswagen Up! will be built in 2011 in its Slovakia plant, and in the same year the compact Audi Q3 SUV will begin assembly at SEAT’s plant in Spain. The Slovakia plant currently also builds the Audi Q7, the Volkswagen Touareg and the Porsche Cayenne, so the Up! (Lupo?) should help fill up the capacity as the demand for these SUVs drop in this bad economy.

Unlike the UAW, the worker unions accept that during these troubled times where everyone is taking a hit, they also have to reduce their standards of living – at least they get to keep a job! Because the 13,000 workers at the plant agreed to accept wage scale adjustments and possible pay cuts, the SEAT plant won the Q3 job, otherwise it could have to a number of other plants that the Volkswagen Group has such as Skoda’s Czech Republic plant. In turn, Audi will invest 300 million Euros in the plant to increase annual capacity up to 80,000 units.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

The Volkswagen Scirocco GT is now available as an oil burner, with a 2.0 liter TDI engine under the hood putting out 170 PS at a typically diesel 4,200rpm. A high performance diesel isn’t really surprising at all considering even the Mk6 Golf has a 170 PS GTD diesel variant.

While that 170 PS number may not cause much excitement, torque dials in at 350Nm from just 1,750rpm which should give the Scirocco plenty of shove from a stand-still, but being a modern diesel fuel consumption is rated at 53.3 mpg on the combined cycle.

The 6-speed manual version is slightly less polluting at only 139g/km of CO2 emissions and is priced at £21,755.00 RRP OTR while the 6-speed DSG version puts outs 147g/km of CO2 and is priced at a premium because of the twin clutch gearbox, you’ll have to fork out £23,060.00 for it, or about RM 122,150.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Volkswagen is set to open its first South East Asian plant in Indonesia, with the first model to roll out of the new US$47 million (RM166 million) factory to be the Volkswagen Touran, hardly a surprise in a country where MPVs are just so popular.

The WSJ quoted Volkswagen spokesperson Christoph Adomat saying this Indonesian vehicle assembly plant is to be set up as Volkswagen’s first step toward the long-term development of the ASEAN markets. The plant will first only have assembly lines for CKD packs and paint shops, but later full fledged manufacturing could be considered. As Indonesia has trade agreements with Japan, it can also use the Indonesian base to export to that country.

This first ASEAN assembly plant location could have been Malaysia but the leaders involved chose a different path to go down, so let’s see where our own path leads.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 08:00:18 +0800.