Archive for Volkswagen

The first initial details on the new Mark 6 Volkswagen Golf GTI have been unveiled by the German manufacturer. Like the previous Mk5 car, it is powered by a 2.0 liter TSI engine. The EA888 gets its power bumped up by 10 PS (only?) to 210 PS, but no other details have been revealed about the engine at the moment. The car’s CO2 output is 178g/km, a drop from the 189g/km of the Mk5 GTI. The 0 to 100km/h sprint is achieved in 7.2 seconds.

The press release also mentions MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link setup at the rear with tuned springs, dampers and anti-roll bars. There is a system much like Audi drive select installed in the car called Adaptive Chassis Control. Choose between comfort, normal and sport to remap steering settings, throttle response as well as adjust the pneumatic dampers. There is also an electric LSD which Vee-dub calls “XDS”.

Volkswagen calls this a GTI “concept” in its press release but I’m pretty sure this is really very close to the production version, which will go on sale in spring 2009.

View a collection of hi-res photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk6 “Concept”

Volkswagen will be displaying their new Pickup Concept not at the Paris Motor Show but the 62nd IAA Commercial Vehicles Show this week. The concept pick-up truck previews an upcoming 1 tonne pick-up truck that will apparently be called the Volkswagen Taro (after its old Taro pickup which was a rebadged Hilux) or a Volkswagen Robust. But hey, who knows it might even be called both - different names for different markets. Look after the jump for a hi-res gallery of the Volkswagen Pickup Concept.

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Pickup Concept previews new 1 tonne “Taro/Robust” pickup truck

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Not very long after the Golf Mk6’s debut, Volkswagen wastes no time in quickly releasing a special edition called the Golf Collectors Edition.

The Volkswagen Golf Collectors Edition comes in a single color called Moonlight Blue Pearl Effect which is essentially a very dark blue. It also has a body colour front grille instead of the usual black. Wheels are 18 inchers in the Vancouver design, given a special high-gloss polish for the Collectors Edition.

On the inside you get “natural leather”. The natural leather comes in a brown tone called Iowa and Volkswagen says it is meant to remind you of hand-crafted Italian shoes. This leather is found on the seats, the center arm rest and the door trim. Lastly, the door tread plates are made of alumininum and have the words Collectors Edition on them.

While this is all very nice, everyone is waiting for the new Golf GTI Mark 6, which apparently might make a debut at the upcoming Paris 2008 show.

Look after the jump for two more photos of the special Golf.

Click here to read the rest of Mk6 Volkswagen Golf Collectors Edition

Volkswagen is stepping up efforts to find a production base in South East Asia and will send a team of 20 people led by the VW group’s head of overseas manufacturing Christof Spathelf to ASEAN countries to look for suitable locations for its production base, or possibly multiple production bases.

The scenario could be either base or bases because according to sources, Vee-Dub’s top executives are having internal debates on whether to pick one single factory that can produce between 120,000 to 150,000 cars a year, or choose several bases - up to 5 factories in 5 countries to assemble CKD kits. VW group production head Jochem Heizmann said the ASEAN market is very varied from country to country - Thailand is a strong market for pickups while Malaysia is a strong passenger car market.

Because of this scenario, there may just still be hope for CKD Volkswagen cars here in Malaysia. One thing’s for sure - Volkswagen wants to try to enter without substantial investments so we may see some form of JV at least in terms of production capacity sharing with the owner of an existing plant.

Volkswagen predicts the ASEAN market countries will collectively hold a sales potential of 3 million new cars per year by 2018 from 1.7 million in 2007. ASEAN is considered a “gap in the map” that has to be filled in Volkswagen’s plans along with Russia and India.

Source

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

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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.