Report Says VW Seriously Considering XL1-Based XR1 Lightweight Sports Car

This is not the first time we’re hearing rumors ofan XR1 lightweight sports car from Volkswagen, which will feature a similar architecture as the one used on the ultra-frugal XL1 hybrid, but do away with some of the fuel-saving tech, and slot in a two-liter petrol engine, most likely from thelatest Golf GTI, or some sort of high-powered force-fed three-pot unit.

This means that the 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time stated by CAR Magazine for the XR1 of under 4.6 seconds, is feasible, if the car has good traction and can quickly get its 850kg (1,873 pounds) ofestimated weight going.

However, the quest for efficiency won’t be completely neglected, if the car does move from just being an idea, and actual prototypes are built and testing is commenced. The aim is to make it use less than 70 mpg UK (4 l/100 km or 58.3 mpg US), while still offering the strong acceleration and top speed around the 190 mph (~300 km/h) mark.

Handling should also hypothetically be something the XR1 could excel at, having its engine in the middle, using carbon-fiber to keep weight and center of gravity down and getting considerably wider tires than those fitted to the efficiency-minded XL1.

Finally, it is speculated that if it does get made, pricing will hover around the £40,000 (€46,150 / $60,000) mark, making it a far more accessible vehicle than the price-impaired XL1.

Note: VW XL1 pictured above and below

PHOTO GALLERY

Read more »

VW Replaces 2.5L Inline-Five with New 170HP 1.8L TSI Turbo in the U.S. for 2014MY

It's the end of the line for Volkswagen's venerable 2.5-liter five-cylinder gasoline engine in the States as the German carmaker announced today that it will gradually replace it with a new 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injection four-cylinder TSI on the Jetta, Beetle, and Passat models.

Built in a new VW factory in Silao, Mexico, theEA888-codenamed 1.8-liter unit delivers the same output as the 2.5L unit at 170hp, but peak torque is improved by seven lb-ft at 184 lb-ft and is delivered much lower in the rev range, while the Germans say that is also offers significant fuel mileage gains - up to 17 percent on the highway in the Beetle, for example.

Initially, the new 1.8-liter TSI will be fitted to the 2014MY Jetta range and the Passat SEL, and will be followed by the rest of the Passat lineup and the Beetle later in the model year.

Other notable changes for VW's 2014 model year lineup include the launch of the limited production and retro-themed Beetle GSR, the expansion of the R-Line range to include the Beetle Convertible, Touareg, and Tiguan from this fall, while all VW models are now E15 capable.

Also new for 2014 is the VW Car-Net connected services for Beetle, Beetle Convertible, CC, Eos, Jetta, Passat, and Tiguan models, which includes crash notification, roadside assistance, stolen vehicle location assistance, remote vehicle access, boundary and speed alerts, a vehicle health report, and a POI service on vehicles equipped with a navigation system.

VW added that for the 2014MY, the Routan carries over without changes as a fleet model only.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read more »

Volkswagen Reveals Production Golf R Cabriolet

It's been a year and a half since Volkswagen displayed the Golf R Cabriolet Mk6 Concept at the 2011 edition of the Wörthersee GTI meet in Austria, and even though the company has already presented the hatchback versions of the seventh generation Golf, it appears that the Germans will finally go ahead and produce the car.

VW released a video in which it simply states, "Take a look at the new Golf R. It boosts the level of adrenaline in just a few seconds and is now open to the top. The Golf R Cabriolet."

Like the prototype models we saw in the summer, the only changes made to the concept is the fitting of a deck lid spoiler, and the corner- instead of center-mounted tailpipes.

What is likely to be the last hurrah for the Golf Mk6 series features the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 267hp (270PS) as the Golf R hatch, possibly linked to VW's 4Motion all-wheel drive system.

During the presentation of the concept, VW had said that the Golf R Cabriolet should be able to complete the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in less than 6.0 seconds and top out at 250km/h (155mph).

The German carmaker is holding back on information, but we assume the Golf R Cabriolet will receive its official premiere either in Detroit in January or in Geneva next March.

VIDEO

 

Read more »

VW Reveals 2013 Polo Rally Car

Volkswagen is heading full-steam ahead into the World Rally Championship next year with three examples of the car you see here.

Yesterday we brought you the new Volkswagen Polo R WRC street edition, a new 220-horsepower limited-edition hot hatch. But that roadgoing Polo is only a shadow (albeit a commercially-available shadow, in some markets anyway) of the car you see here. The product of seventeen months of intensive development, the new Polo R WRC is set to tackle the 2013 World Rally Championship. In accordance with series regulations, the WRC-spec Polo packs a 1.6-liter turbo four driving 315 horsepower to all four wheels.

The car was officially launched this weekend in Monte Carlo, where it was announced that Andreas Mikkelsen will drive a third car to be entered in the championship next season. The Norwegian driver is the reigning two-time champion in the second-tier Intercontinental Rally Challenge with Volkswagen's sister brand Skoda, whose Fabia S2000 formed much of the basis of the Polo's development. The other two cars will be driven by Sebastien Ogier (who has won numerous WRC rallies for Citroen) and Jari-Matti Latvala (who has done the same for Ford).

With Ford and Mini pulling support from the series, and Citroen's Sebastien Loeb finally retiring after dominating the series for over a decade, the Volkswagen team looks poised to take a real bite out of the rally scene next year. The 2013 World Rally Championship kicks off in Monaco in January, then heads to Sweden, Mexico, Portugal, Argentina, Greece, Italy, Finland, Germany, Australia, France, Spain and Wales (Great Britain), finishing off a thirteen-round season next November. Alongside Volkswagen, Hyundai will be joining the fight next season with the new i20 WRC.

Read more »

Marchionne Chooses U.S. Soil to Get Back at Germans

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has accused the VW Group of taking advantage of its overseas profits to undercut its rivals in the European market and, thus, create a “bloodbath” for their sales.

Despite VW calling for his resignation as president of the ACEA, the European Auto Manufacturers’ Association, they subsequently made up, with VW CEO Martin Winterkorn and Marchionne settling the issue during the Paris Auto Show.



Marchionne was also re-elected today for a second two-year term as ACEA president. Apparently, though, despite being “good friends” with Winterkorn, he hasn’t buried the hatchet and wants to get back at VW.

Europe is a no-no, as VW is dominant, with a 25 percent share and Fiat is simply fighting to stay alive. In the United States, though, it's a whole different game: the Chrysler Group has an 11.4 percent market share and VW, despite its four brands (VW, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini) posting a 31 percent increase in sales, commands only 4 percent of the market.

Marchionne has decided to take advantage of this role reversal in the States by offering US$1,000 rebates to current U.S. VW owners if they buy a Fiat or Chrysler vehicle – and the best part is that they don’t even have to sell their VW.

So, the Fiat-Chrysler CEO has found a way to give VW a taste of its own medicine. We’ll have to wait and see a) if it works and b) how his German frenemies will react.

 

 

PHOTO GALLERY

Read more »

SchwabenFolia Drops 325 Horses Under the Hood of the VW Golf R

The tunes for Volkswagen's Golf R Mk6 just keep dropping in. Only a day after we told you aboutCam Shaft's Golf R "Electrified", another German company named SchwabenFolia, which also specializes on car wraps and performance upgrades, introduced its newest take on Wolfsburg's hottest hatch.



It all begins with the Golf R's 2.0-liter turbocharged unit that benefits from a new handmade exhaust system featuring twin Capristo exhaust valves controlled via a button on the dash, and a software upgrade to nudge power from 267hp (270PS) to 325hp (330PS).

The Golf R's adaptive electric chassis control DCC is brought closer to the road thanks to an H&R lowering kit, with the car now rolling on 19-inch BBS alloy wheels painted in red and wrapped in 235/35-19 Dunlop tires.

The final touch comes from SchwabenFolia's own car wrap in a matte gunmetal grey shade with red stripes that match the color of the new wheels.

 

PHOTO GALLERY

Read more »