Archive for Volkswagen

While pushing the Scirocco 2.0 TSI up to 240 PS, OETTINGER has not abandoned the smaller displacement 1.4 liter TSI version of the Volkswagen Scirocco, with the smaller-engined sibling getting a power boost up to 200 PS. This allows a Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4 TSI owner that somewhere during his time of ownership regrets not getting the 2.0 liter version to enjoy 2.0 TSI-like power!

The 2.0 TSI engine holds more potential of course as OETTINGER has promised a more powerful tuning kit later which can take the engine up to 350 PS and a massive 470Nm of torque. This kit will include a polished stainless steel performance exhaust system, a new turbocharger and a larger intercooler to handle the increased pressure.

The car you see right here features 20 inch OETTINGER Type RXX wheels, a carbon interior, stainless steel kick plates, and aluminium pedals, but OETTINGER promises a tuned adjustable suspension system and larger brakes in the future when the 350 PS kit is released. Look after the jump for a rear view of the OETTINGER Scirocco.

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Motoren Technik Mayer, or better known as MTM, has pimped out the Volkswagen Scirocco with both aesthetics and performance tuning and the result is what you see above – the MTM Volkswagen Scirocco R.

The stock power figures of 200 PS from the 2.0 liter TFSI engine is taken up to 272 horsepower via a reflash, and MTM even gives you the option to upgrade this to 380 horsepower, though that kind of power is beyond just a rechip and requires a few hardware upgrades. The 272 PS is achieved at 6,080rpm while torque is up to 350Nm at 3,480rpm, not very flat anymore but its the price to pay for higher performance. A torque peak like that should also give a nice “boost kicked in” surge. The 272 PS engine upgrade kit costs 5,285 Euros and also comes with a MTM exhaust system.

The aesthetics kit actually only consists of one hardware part – the MTM bimoto 20 inch wheels which cost 5,500 Euros. Additional stopping power is provided by a brake kit which costs 4,427 Euros and gives you VA 380mm x 34mm discs with 8-piston brake calipers. For tighter handling, an MTM sports suspension is available for 1,489 Euros.

So, with the base price for the 2.0 TFSI Scirocco at 31,160 Euros and all the MTM kit slapped on, the MTM Scirocco R should cost you a total of 47,871 Euros. Lose the wheels (which I personally would – 20 inches is just to much) and its cheaper at 42,361 Euros.

More images can be found after the jump.

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A total of 5 Volkswagen cars have managed to get the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award for 2009 – the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Volkswagen Rabbit (called the Golf outside of the US), the Volkswagen Jetta, the Volkswagen Passat and the Volkswagen Eos.

IIHS says the winners offer superior overall crash protection among the vehicles in their classes, and to quality it must earn the highest rating in the IIHS front, side and rear crash tests. It also must have some form of stability control, and IIHS says it is now a trend for ESP to be standard on all trim levels in a model range. The EuroNCAP also recently announced that it has revised its rating system to make it impossible to get 5-stars if ESP is not a standard feature.

This kind of puts into perspective how far behind Proton is in terms of its safety feature offerings in Malaysia. Nevermind as standard, what about optional? We’re still waiting for some form of stability control to be offered at least as an option on a Proton car… and you can say the same about side airbags.

Unlike most other car manufacturers who usually procure hybrid and electric drive components from third party manufacturers (Tesla is one company that acts as a supplier), Volkswagen intends to produce all of its hybrid components excluding battery cells on its own, so that the company can master the technology and increase chances for a competitive edge.

A concept hybrid Volkswagen was unveiled earlier this year based on the Mark 5 Volkswagen Golf. It featured a combination of an electric motor backed by lithium ion batteries as the main method of propulsion, assisted by either a TSI petrol engine or a TDI diesel engine whenever needed. According to Volkswagen, a 100km test journey from Potsdam to Berlin took only 8kWh of electricity and 2.5 liters of fuel.

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Volkswagen’s entry for the 2009 Dakar rally is the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2. Four units of these offroad racing monsters will be piloted by Spaniard Carlos Sainz and his French navigator Michel Perlin; Giniel de Villiers (South Africa) and Dirk von Zitzewith (Germany); Mark Miller (USA) and Ralph Pitchford (South Africa) and Dieter Depping partnered with fellow German Timo Gottschalk.

The Race Touareg 2 is built from an aluminium tube frame, with the body panels fitted over it, much like how the Racing Lancer is constructed. The racers will be supported by a team of support and service trucks. The racers and the support trucks together with parts and equipment will be shipped to Le Havre, France for scrutineering before being shipped over to South America for the Dakar race.

Powering the Race Touareg 2 racers are 2.5 liter TDI engines which can produce 280 PS, build by Volkswagen Motorsport in Hanover, Germany.

Look after the jump for photos of the tube frame.

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The Volkswagen Bora for the Chinese Market goes on sale today, priced between 107,800 to 143,00 yuan, which translates to about between RM55,900 to RM74,570. This particular Bora was designed for the Chinese market and is about the same size as the Volkswagen Jetta it is based on.

Volkswagen says the car’s design is inspired by Chinese elements such as the front end of the car which is apparently inspired by the Chinese lion dance. The Bora is 4540mm long, 1775mm wide and 1467mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2610mm and a boot space of 450 liters. It will be produced by Volkswagen’s JV partner First Automotive Works.

Two engine options will be available at launch – both gasoline engines. Either a manual or a 6-speed automatic is available. Two equipment levels are available – a Trendline and a Comfortline. Standard features on the Trendline include ABS, dual front SRS airbags, power steering, power windows, climate control and a MP3 capable CD player with radio.

The Comfortline package adds 15 inch alloy wheels, a sliding sunroof, a chrome trim package, an alarm, cruise control, and parking sensors. An additional “highline” package can be specified which includes leather seats, side and head airbags as well as a GPS navigation system.

Look after the jump for more photos of the new Chinese market Volkswagen Bora.

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Belgian Tuner Caractere has been known for adding some aggressive yet not completely over the top touches to Audi and Volkswagen vehicles, and this is their kit for the Volkswagen Tiguan, which was recently launched in Malaysia. Anyone who can afford RM250k for what Volkswagen calls the “GTi of SUVs” can now rest assured that if somehow all their peers get to decide Tiguans as well, theirs can still look different. Look for more shots after the jump.

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We’ve already seen photos of the Mark 6 Golf GTI (which Volkswagen calls a concept BTW), but there’s nothing like watching a car in motion, looking at how its wheels spin, how the sky plays tricks on its shiny paint, and most importantly listening to its engine note. Look after the jump for over 4 minutes of video footage of a red Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk6 being put through its paces in the countryside.

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Volkswagen Malaysia has unveiled the Volkswagen Tiguan to the press yesterday, a prelude to a nationwide launch that will be held on this coming 18th of October. The Tiguan was launched in the European market in the mid of 2007 and has since entered other markets to other countries such as Russia and Singapore.

Now you may be wondering what Tiguan means. It’s apparently derived from from two animals – Tiger and Iguana. The power of a tiger and the off-roading capabilities of an iguana, it seems.

Look after the jump for more details on the new Volkswagen Tiguan.

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TSI on sale in Malaysia!

Abt Sportsline has announced a tune-up kit for the Volkswagen Scirocco comprising of both aerodynamics and performance upgrades.

The performance upgrades takes the 1.4 liter TSI engine from the standard 160 horsepower up to 200 horsepower, an amazing horsepower to displacement ratio that lets the small 1.4 liter motor equal the power put out by the EA888 in the Mk5 Golf GTi.

The 2.0 TDI engine gets a power boost from 140hp to 170hp. Abt says a 2.0 TFSI equipped Scirocco will be available with an upgrade kit that takes it up to 240hp from a standard 200hp. To cope with the extra power, upgraded brakes with 345mm discs are also available.

The full bodykit consists of a new front and rear bumper, with quad rear mufflers arranged in pairs with vertical alignment, flanking the diffuser. The suspension kit also lowers the car by 30mm. The standard wheels for the package are 19 inch AR diamond-machined black alloys with wheel spacers, but drivers can also opt for either 18 inch or 20 inch wheels.

Look after the jump for a rear shot of the Abt Scirocco.

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Autocar UK reports that performance versions of the Mk6 Volkswagen Golf will go beyond the GT, GTi and the R32-replacing higher-powered version of the Golf GTi.

According to the report, the Mk6 range will also gain a turbodiesel-powered GTD as well as possibly a top of the line high performance Golf that in conventional R nomenclature would be called the “R40″. This would be powered by a turbocharged inline-5 engine that will also be slotted into cars like the Audi TT-RS, producing 350 horsepower with decent fuel economy and emissions to boot. This seems a little hard to swallow at the moment, does Volkswagen want to take the Golf that far?

The much more realistic Golf GTD will be powered by a new twin-turbo version of the company’s 2.0 liter inline-4 TDI turbodiesel, a concept that BMW (204hp 2.0L twin turbodiesel) and Mercedes-Benz (204hp 2.2L twin turbodiesel) have also done.

The GTi will produce about 210 horsepower while the R32-replacing GTi “plus” will have a Haldex all-wheel drive and produce nearly 270 horsepower, equalling the new Audi S3 in performance and even the number of cogs, as the 7-speed S-Tronic DSG is expected to roll out in this range of Volkswagens.

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Volkswagen Golf GTi Mk6 – Initial Photos

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.

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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.

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