The Beetle R Concept has made its American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, following its unveiling in Frankfurt earlier this year. It’s no wonder that this attention-grabbing machine has crossed the Atlantic to seek the limelight in Los Angeles: the US was the biggest market for the previous New Beetle, and that’s likely to remain the same with the new vehicle.
While the familiar outline of the latest Beetle is still clear, the R Concept adds the kind of muscled enhancements that seem entirely appropriate in image-conscious California. The front and rear bumpers are completely redesigned, and are a generous 30 mm wider than standard. Three chunky air intakes in a black high-gloss finish dominate the front; the central one to provide air to the radiator, and the side two to aid cooling of the brakes. Additional engine cooling is provided by vents on either side of the top of the bonnet. Read more…
A pre-production Golf Blue-e-Motion electric vehicle has won its class in the RAC Future Car Challenge for the second time, using the least energy to cover a 57-mile route from Brighton’s Madeira Drive to Pall Mall in the heart of London. This year’s Challenge attracted a larger entry list than the inaugural event, including hybrids and fuel cell models as well as highly efficient diesel cars such as the Passat BlueMotion. The Golf was named the Most Energy Efficient Regular Car (Prototype) class.
Powered by lithium-ion batteries, the Golf Blue-e-Motion has an electric motor with a peak power output of 115 PS and a range of around 100 miles in normal conditions. It can reach a top speed of 86 mph and accelerate from rest to 62 mph in 11.8 seconds. The car features battery regeneration that can activate when the accelerator is released and during the initial travel of the brake pedal. This reduces the amount of energy that would otherwise be wasted during driving. Despite its unconventional motive power the Golf Blue-e-Motion appears like any other Golf with space for five adults and a slightly reduced boot volume of 279 litres. Read more…
Volkswagen has successfully started the tests with the new Polo R WRC. Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Volkswagen Board of Management for Technology, and the two-time World Rally Champion and Dakar winner Carlos Sainz (Spain) completed the first test kilometres in the vineyards of Veldenz near Trier, the location that normally plays host to the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, without any problems today. Prior to competing in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2013 onward, Volkswagen will intensively test and continue to develop the four-wheel drive vehicle that delivers an output of about 300 HP.
‘The first test with the new Polo R WRC is a special moment and marks an important milestone in the preparations for our entry in the WRC,’ comments Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management for the Development Division. ‘We’re well on schedule and are now able to start testing our concepts and developments in reality. The WRC is the top category in rally sport and a great challenge for the team, the drivers and the technology. We’re taking on this challenge and will be making efficient use of the time before we start into our first competition.’ Read more…
Volkswagen has today released the first images of its new CC, which will be officially unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 16. If it looks familiar, don’t be surprised: over 270,000 people across the world have been won over by its predecessor the Passat CC’s blend of four-door practicality and sleek coupé-like styling.
At the front, the new radiator grille has strong horizontal lines that represent Volkswagen’s new design DNA, flanked by new bi-xenon headlights and topped with a reprofiled bonnet. The bumper is different, too, with a new extra air intake, and silver-coloured ‘winglets’ that frame the fog lights.
Along the side, the frameless doors are carried over from the previous model, but more sculpted sills, revised bumpers and the new bonnet add up to create a subtly updated silhouette. Read more…
Just as the new up! compresses all the virtues of a Volkswagen into a compact city-friendly package, the GT up! concept promises to distil the driving pleasure of the seminal hot hatch, the GTI, into a powerful yet petite package.
Following in the wheel tracks of another sporty small car – the original Golf GTI – the GT up! exudes sporting style, from its wide-mouthed honeycomb grille to its two chromed tailpipes – one either side.
The wide central grille is distinctly larger than that on the standard up!, to allow plenty of air to the engine, which could potentially pack 100 PS or more. Either side of this, the broad bumper includes ducts to provide cooling airflow to the front brakes, these ducts also containing the wing-shaped LED daytime running lights. Read more…
The up!, the smallest new Volkswagen, is a very spacious car. To prove this thesis, employees at Volkswagen Communications made an attempt at an unofficial world record. The results: not only is it possible for four people to sit comfortably in the new up! in normal use – if one really tries hard, many more people can fit into the car: 15 women and one man squeezed themselves into its interior spaces. It was not all that comfortable any more, we must admit! Read more…
