Archive for Volkswagen

The next generation of Volkswagen Polo variants are just around the corner as the first of the new platform’s offerings have already been launched in the form of the new SEAT Ibiza. The CrossPolo (photo shown above, also called the Polo Dune in the UK) will be replaced by one with proper soft-roading capabilities, including 4MOTION all-wheel drive instead of the CrossPolo which is available in front wheel drive only.

It will carry over styling from the Volkswagen Tiguan, and will likely look like a miniature version of the Tiguan at least from the front. It will compete against upcoming rivals such as the BMW X1, the MINI Crossman SUV, and the Audi Q3.

The engine range will start from a modest inline-3 1.2 liter producing 60 to 70 horsepower, with a 1.4 liter 85hp model coming next, followed by a 1.2 liter TSI producing slightly over 100 horsepower.

Related Posts:
Volkswagen CrossPolo 1.6 Test Drive Report

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The Volkswagen Scirocco will only be on sale in Europe this summer. The car uses the Golf GTI’s chassis and thus shares the same wheelbase, but has a wider track thanks to components lifted from the Volkswagen Passat CC.

The 2.0 liter TFSI model is not the EA113 we have grown to love installed in cars such as the B7 Audi A4, the second generation Audi TT and the Volkswagen Golf GTI, despite having the same bore. It is actually a new engine family with an EA888 codename. Word is that new batches of the above cars all have the new EA888 engine instead of the older EA113. One way of identifying it is a chain drive instead of a belt drive. The new EA888 engine is also much more boost friendly as the block is more hardy.

You will find after the jump 4 videos of the Scirocco’s interior as well as motion shots.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: Volkswagen Scirocco In Motion

According to Thai newspaper The Nation, Volkswagen is expected to meet the Thai Industry Minister Suwit Khunkitti and the Board of Investment (BoI) before July 2008 to finalise its proposed eco-car project investment in Thailand.

Volkswagen’s intended investment in Thailad is estimated to be valued at a total of RM2.52 billion, much higher than the other eco-car proposals as Volkswagen has no major presence in Thailand at the moment, so it would involve setting up things from scratch, including parts sourcing.

The Germans are reported to be reconsidering its eco-car investment as financially it might not make sense anymore following the Thai government’s new push for E85-fueled cars, which now enjoy significant tax reductions.

Whichever way Volkswagen goes, what’s pretty much certain is that they’re setting up base in Thailand for the region, and future Volkswagen Malaysia cars will most likely come from the new production base there.

Bosch has developed a new ECU which has an integrated ESP controller as well as all the necessary sensors such as yaw-rate measurement sensors and lateral acceleration sensors. This results in a more compact ESP setup as the ESP control box and controllers are no longer separate items that take up engine bay space.

The new more compact system will allow ESP stability control to be offered in smaller cars with limited engine bay space, and the system’s first customer is Volkswagen, who has already implemented it in a producion car: the recently unveiled 4th gen SEAT Ibiza.

The Mark 6 Volkswagen Golf due to be unveiled by the end of this year will be immediately profitable for Volkswagen, unlike the current Mark 5 which only started being profitable 2 years after it was introduced in 2003. Volkswagen will make an operating profit of 5% on each Mark 6 Golf, which is apparently much more than what it makes on the current Mark 5 Golf (shown above).

Volkswagen says this is thanks to savings in production costs of roughly Euro 1,165 per car, which is attributed to the abolition of a four day week, better materials purchasing, and higher planned production volumes. I sure hope “better materials purchasing” does not mean using materials of a lower quality though!

Related Posts:
Volkswagen Golf Mark 6 to get new 1.2 liter engine

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A car many of you will be familiar with by now – having first seen it zooming past you on the road as a Wald in 2005 – the Mk V Golf GTI, now in its official Volkswagen form, was a car hailed by many for combining everyday drivability with plenty of extra grunt to keep the family man in touch with his hooligan side.

But as it nears the end of its lifecycle, with the sixth generation of the Golf debuting later this year and a new GTI sure to follow by 2009, Shannon Teoh takes a nostalgic test drive of the car many of us have realistically (meaning that we didn’t plan on being overnight millionaires) aspired to own in recent years.

More after the jump to memory lane.

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Golf GTI Test Drive Report

The MkVI Volkswagen Golf will make its debut in October this year, which should lead to the next generation Volkswagen GTI soon after. The MkVI GTI should result in a few MkV GTIs to appear on the second hand market, something thats apparently quite a rarity in Malaysia – it seems everyone is just really really happy with their MkV!

But that’s not the point of this story. What we have here is a detail revealed about the most baseline of Golfs, which will feature a 75 horsepower 1.0 liter or 1.2 liter TSI engine, depending on whether Volkswagen finally decides on a 3-cylinder or 4-cylinder displacement, according to Volkswagen powertrain research manager Wolfgang Steiger.

A 1.2 liter inline-3 should be likely, as Volkswagen has already introduced a new 1.2 liter inline-3 petrol engine with the fourth generation SEAT Ibiza not too long ago. This new engine will not appear in the initial MkVI Golf line-up, only to be added earliest in 2009.

Porsche is allegedly slowly increasing its stake in Volkswagen from the current 31% to a supposed figure of more than 50%, and the two companies have released a joint special edition version of the Volkswagen Caddy called the Volkswagen Caddy Carrera Cup Edition 2.0 TDI R, but the relationship between the two groups isn’t exactly a bed of roses, if German magazine Der Spiegel is right about what they just reported.

According to Der Spiegel, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has threatened to resign if Porsche interferes with Volkswagen Group operations, something which might happen as Audi and Audi-owned Lamborghini’s products are seen as direct competitors to Porsche products.

A photo of the Caddy Carrera Cup is available after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Winterkorn threatens to quit if Porsche interferes

Volkswagen is partnering up with Sanyo to jointly develop high-performance energy storage systems, or in laymen speak batteries that can store LOTS of juice. According to Vee-Dub, Sanyo is currently the world’s biggest supplier of lithium-ion batteries in terms of market share, and will invest over US$769 million over the next 7 years in this project.

The joint development program will focus on lithium ion batteries, which Volkswagen hopes will be able to bring concept cars such as the Volkswagen Golf TDI Hybrid and the Audi metroproject quattro (shown above) to production. Both of these concept cars can run solely on the electric motor, without using the combustion engine.

“Our focus in future will be directed more strongly at making electrically powered automobiles alongside ones driven by more efficient combustion engines. Drivetrain electrification is the way forward if we wish to secure mobility in tomorrows world. This will involve energy recovery. The whole idea will be to no avail, however, as long as we do not have powerful energy storage systems at our disposal and as long as vehicle operations are not in tune with customer demands. This cooperation is an important step for us,” says Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn.

Volkswagen hopes to have their first production lithium-ion powered vehicle out in 2 years time.

The 3 units of Volkswagen Scirocco GT24 race cars that participated in the recent Nurburgring 24 hours race managed to clinch the 11th, 15th, and 32nd place, not too bad for a vehicle that was developed, built and tested in two and a half months.

In the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine class, the three cars also claimed the first, second and fifth position, with the leading team comprised of Hans-Joachim Stuck, Jimmy Johansson, Florian Gruber and Thomas Mutsch. The second place car was piloted by Carlos Sainz, Giniel de Villiers, Dieter Depping, and Hans-Joachim Stock again.

Under the hood is a 325 PS version of the Volkswagen Group’s 2.0 liter TFSI engine, mated to a 6-speed DSG gearbox.