VW Launches 180HP Transporter in the UK

A new trim level that brings sportier looks and enhanced equipment features has been added to the UK range of the latest Volkswagen Transporter. The Sportline specification is available on the panel van and kombi models, in both short and long-wheelbase versions, with prices starting at £28,220 (€32,000) for the panel van, and at £30,100 (€34,150) for the kombi.

Motivation is provided by a 2.0-liter BiTDI engine, which develops 180 horsepower and is paired to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. The Sportline is also available with the seven-speed DSG transmission, which is an optional extra priced at £1,400 (€1,590).
The Sportline trim adds some sporty exterior touches such as a glossy black grille with chrome detailing, smoked headlights, plus a revised front bumper that incorporates fog lights and a smaller grille. Additional elements include polished stainless steel sidebars and unique 18-inch “Sportline 5-spoke” alloys, finished in silver or satin black. At the rear, the van features smoked tail lamps and a roof spoiler. There are three colors available: Reflex Silver metallic, Deep Black pearlescent or the optional Candy White with a contrasting gloss black roof.
Inside, all Sportline models feature two-tone leather upholstery and additional equipment including semi-automatic air conditioning, a multimedia system with a seven-inch color touch screen, satellite navigation with full Europe map, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth connectivity and electric windows.

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VW Reportedly Readying Polo R Model

Reports of a future production version of the Volkswagen Polo R WRC car have started to emerge after the carmaker announced it would enter the World Rally Championship in 2013. According to a VW board member quoted by Autocar, the company is working on a hardcore performance version of the Polo to back up its WRC entry.
Before the WRC announcement, Volkswagen had denied rumors of developing a Polo R, explaining that a very expensive small hot-hatch wouldn't be profitable. However, the rally car revealed in the beginning of May featured the R nameplate and had lots of R branding on the bodywork.
VW board member Ulrich Hackenberg told Autocar that the WRC involvement would make a Polo GTI-topping model “more likely”. “You can see how the World Rally Championship program would increase the probability of an R version of the base model,” said Hackenberg, who added that the launch of the Polo R should coincide with the start rally program in 2013.
The car would probably use a more powerful version of the 1.4-liter turbocharged and supercharged engine used by the Polo GTI. Output will most likely be over 200 horsepower, as in the Polo GTI the four-cylinder unit delivers 180 horsepower. It is unclear, however, if the Polo R would adopt a four-wheel drive system as Audi's future S1 model, built on the same platform.

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2012 VW Beetle to Participate in New Car Sharing Scheme

To be completely frank, what caught our attention in Volkswagen’s latest press release (and probably yours in this post) on the new pilot car-sharing program called Quicar, wasn’t the news itself but the special livery of the 2012 Beetle shown in the promotional set of photos. Nevertheless, since we already told you the headline here’s the rest of the story on Volkswagen’s new car sharing concept that will take place in the German city of Hanover (orHannover).
Due to be set in motion this fall, the project will see Europe’s largest automaker providing a fleet of cars that will be used in a sharing scheme with customers booking the vehicles in advance through the Internet, a special app or a call center up to five minutes before the car is needed. A chip card or a chip fixed to the driver’s license unlocks the car, which can be driven after the customer enters a PIN number using the integrated touch screen.
When Quicar launches, there will be some 50 pick-up and drop-off locations all over the city of Hannover, but VW said this number could reach 100 in the medium term.
Volkswagen said it will start off with 200 Golf BlueMotion vehicles equipped with a 1.6 TDI diesel engine that returns an average fuel consumption of 3.8lt/100km (equal to 61.9 mpg US), corresponding to CO2 emissions of 99 g/km. The 2012 Beetle seen in the pictures along with some variants of the Caddy will be added to VW’s car sharing fleet shortly after the launch of the program.

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2012 Volkswagen Beetle

Ladies and gents, say hello to the all-new, third generation Volkswagen Beetle that was unwrapped today ahead of its world premiere at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show and New York Auto Show. The newest interpretation of the Bug comes 73 years after the launch of the original Beetle in 1938, which sold an amazing 21.5 million units, and 13 years after the debut of the New Beetle in 1998 that managed to sell a little over 1 million units until production ended in 2010.
When it goes on sale in North America and Europe in the fall of 2011, and the rest of the world from early 2012, the latest model will be known simply as the ‘Beetle’ as Volkswagen dropped the ‘New’ from the car’s name.
If someone asked us to summarize the qualities of the 2012 Beetle in a few words, it would be: larger, more mature and unisex. Starting with the design, VW’s goal was to make the 21st century Beetle appeal to both genders. As a result, the VW Group’s chief designer Walter de Silva and his team offered the Beetle a meaner and lower-slung look that draws on cues from the Beetle Ragster concept shown in Detroit in 2005. The overall styling is far less bulbous and more chiseled compared to the New Beetle, while keeping the retro feel of the series.
The same goes for the interior, with Volkswagen dropping the ‘cute’ features of the previous model such as the signature “bud vase” mounted to the dashboard. Highlights include an available flat bottom steering wheel, an extra glovebox integrated in the front facia whose lid folds upward while keeping the standard glovebox that opens downward, optional auxiliary instruments above the center console and integrated audio and navigation systems with a 5-inch or a 6.5-inch screen. As an option, VOLKSWAGEN offers a panoramic sunroof that is said to be 80 percent larger than on the previous model.

The 2012 Beetle has grown in size and now measures 4,278 mm in length (+152 mm), 1,808 mm in width (+84 mm) and 1,486 in height (-12 mm). The track width front and rear, as well as the wheelbase at 2,537 mm, are also increased over its predecessor and promise to offer improved interior space. In addition, the boot capacity is 310 liters, up from 209 liters in the 1998 model, while all versions come with a split-fold rear seat for improved versatility.
Like its predecessor, the Beetle features a front mounted engine, front-wheel drive layout. Depending on the region, the latest Bug will be offered with a choice of diesel and gasoline engines.
In the U.S., power train options include a 2.0-liter TDI turbo diesel with 140HP and either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, that returns 40mpg in the Highway cycle, 29mpg in City driving, and 33mpg combined.
The gasoline range comprises of VW’s –you-guessed it- archaic 2.5-liter five-cylinder unit with 170HP. The manual version attains 22 mpg (City), 31 mpg (Highway) and 25 mpg (combined), while its counterpart with a 6-speed automatic comes in at 22 mpg (City), 29 mpg (Highway) and 25 mpg (combined).
Finally, U.S. buyers can opt for a 2.0-liter TSI turbocharged gasoline unit with 200HP and a combined fuel economy of 25 mpg. It is offered with a 6-speed manual or an optional 6-speed DSG.
For the rest of the world including Asia, Australia, Europe and New Zealand, the new Beetle will be offered solely with turbocharged four-cylinder engines, all of which are being used for the first time in the Beetle.
Gasoline choices include a 1.2-litre TSI with 105HP, a 1.4-litre TSI delivering 160HP and a 2.0-litre TSI producing 200HP. The diesel range includes a 1.6-liter with 105HP and a 140HP unit. According to VW, thanks to the addition of Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems the Beetle 1.6-litre 105HP is estimated to have a combined fuel consumption of 4.3 lt/100km (equal to 54.7 mpg US or 65.7 mpg UK) and CO2 emissions of 112 g/km.
All five engines may be combined with a dual clutch transmission as an option.

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Volkswagen Reveals Polo R WRC [Video]

After months of rumors and whispers, Volkswagen officially announced that it will enter a factory team to the World Rally Championship starting with the 2013 season. The announcement was made in Italy, where journalists had the chance to take a first look at the car VW will throw in the competition, the 300HP Polo R WRC, shown here as a prototype.

Still under development, the rally-prepped supermini will be powered by a turbocharged, direct injection 1.6-liter TSI turbo engine and will use a four-wheel drive system. The four cylinder engine will develop around 300 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque (258 lb-ft) and will be fitted with a 33-millimeter air restrictor at high engine speeds, according to regulations. It will be paired to a sequential gearbox. The minimum dry weight of the car will be 1,200 kilograms (2,645 lbs).
As the pictures show, the Polo R WRC will have an aerodynamically-optimised body, with a massive wing at the back and extra-wide wheel-arches. Hopefully, we’ll see the “R” badge ending up on a road going version of the Polo as well.
The factory team will be run by Volkswagen Motorsport, the racing division that has won the past three Dakar rallies. Work on the vehicle concept design for the Polo R WRC started in February, while preparation of the first chassis is planned for later this year. The team will start an extensive testing program in 2012 and will familiarize with the WRC starting this year, as the VW group will enter Skoda cars at selected rally events at the end of the season.
Scroll down to watch the launch video of the Polo R WRC.

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Steel Drake’s Volkswagen Concept Sports Car

Imagine for a second that, in the very near future, Audi is facelifting the TT to look more like its big brother R8. Then, halfway through the project, Audi cans it and hands over all its sketches and prototyping model to Volkswagen which then decides to put the two-door coupe into production.

Kyrgyzstanian graphic designer “Steel Drake” has created something very much fitting with this scenario in the form of his Volkswagen Concept Sports Car. Looking like a scaled-down, front engined Audi R8, Steel Drake’s Concept Sports is a simple-yet-sleek design let down only by some questionable design choices.

Take for instance the drooping taillights that seem more befitting a Chinese car than one built in Germany, or the peculiar concave curves around the doors that seems stuck on rather than an integral part of the design. Otherwise it’s quite good looking, though perhaps more something Infiniti would produce than Volkswagen.

You can check out our full gallery below and / or leave your comments below.

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