Tag: VW

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Volkswagen

Volkswagen Passat CC now in Australian showrooms

Volkswagen Passat CC

The Volkswagen Passat CC was first shown to the Australian public at the 2008 Sydney International Motor Show. Now, the sleek coupé-like Passat is available for sale at your local Volkswagen dealer. As revealed exclusively last year, pricing for the two available models is $54,990 for the 125kW 2.0 TDI and $65,990 for the 220kW 3.6 V6 FSI 4MOTION. Volkswagen’s now familiar six speed DSG transmission is the only option for either model.

The four-seater Passat CC offers some new technology for the Australian market, including Adaptive Cruise Control, Front Assist braking system and Adaptive Chassis Control. Deliberately positioned as a luxury vehicle, there’s plenty of bling on offer, too, such as a large glass panoramic roof and climate controlled leather seats.

The 2.0 litre TDI has a luxury car tax beating fuel consumption figure of 6.3l/100km. While the V6 is a more of a ‘I have power and I don’t care’ option, with a combined consumption of 10.5l/100km.

Full Australian press release below, along with more wallpaper sized pics (accessed by clicking on smaller versions).

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Reviews Tried & Tested Volkswagen

Tried & Tested: Volkswagen Golf VI 1.4 TSI

Golf VI 1.4 TSI with DSG

Welcome to AUSmotive’s second Tried & Tested review. This time, with a bit of a difference. As you can see we’re discussing the new Mk6 Golf, and with the new Golf not making its Australian debut until later this month I have had to follow a few leads via the VWvortex forums to file this report. This has led me right to the heart of Volkswagen, with the owner of this Mk6 Golf, Jimmy, an ex-pat US citizen now residing in Wolfsburg. Jimmy has been kind enough answer a few questions about his new wheels…

Q. Can you please list the full spec of your car, how long you have owned it and kilometres travelled.

A. I have the 1.4 litre TSI 160PS (approx 117kw) engine and the 7-speed DSG transmission, with flappy paddles on the steering wheel. It is only a few months old and I have completed just 1500 kilometyres so far.

It also has heated leather seats with power lumbar, the new generation RNS-510 sat nav system (with the hard disk drive). There is also Park Assist, although no reverse camera, just sensors in the bumpers, and it can also parallel park automagically.

Obviously by the pictures you can see it is a three door version. As of right now new Mk6 Golf is still quite rare, even here in Wolfsburg. I’ve only seen one or two others like it, quite unique for a town that renamed itself “Golfsburg” a few years ago.

My car was made in Mosel (Zwickau) and not in Wolfsburg.

[Ed: This is interesting, as I had previously heard that all Mk6 Golf production was to take place in Wolfsburg, perhaps all Golf production will now be in Germany, rather than Wolfsburg itself.]

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Volkswagen

Spotted: Volkswagen Mk6 Golf GTI 5 door

Volkswagen Golf VI GTI at the Autostadt

WorldCarFans has images of what they claim to be a production ready 5-door Mk6 Golf GTI. The images of this GTI were captured in the exit room of the Volkswagen pavilion at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg. Previously, the new GTI has only been seen in “concept” form when it was revealed at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

It looks like Volkswagen has taken a similar path with the Mk6 GTI as they did with the Mk5 with the concept model and production model virtually identical. Assuming, of course, this is a production model that has been captured. As noted in the WorldCarFans article, the only immediate difference noticeable are slightly less dramatic lower door panels. Although, depending on the angle and lighting, it could be argued that this detail hasn’t changed at all.

All will be revealed in time, of course, and perhaps that time might be just around the corner with the Geneva Motor Show starting in just over one month.

There’s a few more images on WCF, so don’t forget to follow the link below to check them out.

Source: WorldCarFans via VWvortex

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News Volkswagen

Welcome to the real world

Late last year Volkswagen UK released a new ad (shown above) to promote the upcoming Golf VI. Called The Fight, the ad features a tagline “sometimes the only one you have to beat is yourself”. The tag is supported by a cinematic fight scene, with the lead character fighting against clones of himself inside a Volkswagen factory and is reminiscent of The Matrix and other action films.

As an television commercial it is catchy, well made and makes a clever connection to the Golf sitting at the top of its class. However, in the real world, people are complaining that the ad encourages children to fight. No, this isn’t a joke. According to an article on guardian.co.uk 115 complaints have been sent in to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA will have to decide if the ad promotes excessive violence that could be copied by children.

In terms of “excessive violence” the ad is pretty tame, and, at worst, you could only imagine the ASA would rule that the ad can only be shown after the UK’s 9pm watershed. By which time little Johnny and Jane have no doubt seen worse “violence” in regular programming in any case. One thing is certain, ad agency DDB London and Volkswagen UK are no doubt loving the extra publicity.

Source: guardian.co.uk (Thanks to Mav for the tip.)

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Volkswagen

AutoExpress takes closer look at Mk6 Golf GTI

Mk6 Golf GTI

It was with some anticipation that I stumbled across this article on the AutoExpress website. A studio shoot including all six versions of the Golf GTI, and a promised write up of the first five, with a declaration at the end of which GTI they reckon is the best. As an unashamed GTI fan, having owned a Mk4 GTI and currently a Mk5 GTI, I was pretty keen to see more. So, when I checked in at golfmk6.com and saw the article in question I was even happier. Only fair to share and share alike, then.

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Motor Shows News Volkswagen

Golf VI to be launched at Melbourne International Motor Show

Volkswagen Golf VI

Volkswagen’s new Golf VI will make its Australian debut next month at the Melbourne International Motor Show (27 February–9 March). In further good news for prospective Golf customers, VW Australia sources have confirmed with AUSmotive that the car will be available for purchase at Volkswagen dealers immediately after the Melbourne show.

Presumably, there are already a number of Golf VI models in the country, with a couple of models being spotted recently in Perth.

The new Golf may not be a radical departure in looks from the outgoing Golf V, but there are quite a lot of new goodies thrown into the new model that should see the Golf keep its customary position at the top of its class. There’s a new 7-speed DSG, revised engine lineup, Adaptive Chassis Control, park steering assistant and an improved ESP system to name a few. The basic underpinnings of the Golf V chassis also remain, which means the new Golf should remain an engaging and dependable drive. Safety has also been assured with the Golf VI already achieving a 5-star Euro NCAP rating.

The Golf V has proven to be an outstanding sales success for Volkswagen Australia and there should be no reason why the Golf VI cannot continue this trend.

Volkswagen Australia is still a bit coy when asked about the new GTI and its Australian release. Current speculation suggests it will be available around October this year. We shall have to wait and see.

More news on the official launch for the Golf VI as it comes to hand. In the meantime, check out this earlier post on the Golf VI which includes more images and information released last August prior to the car’s international launch.

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Volkswagen

Der Neue Golf GTI added to UK website

Volkswagen Golf GTI - UK website

Information, alebit limited, on the Golf VI GTI has been added to the UK website. There’s not a hell of a lot to see, although the gallery is okay and the GTI looks great in red. But, it’s nice to see a classic inspired three-door white GTI on the homepage. (Click HERE for AUSmotive’s Golf VI GTI image gallery.)

There’s still been nothing official from Volkswagen Australia in regards to when we can expect the Golf VI in Australia. However, don’t be surprised if the vanilla models are launched at the Melbourne International Motor Show in March, ready for immediate delivery. There’s also plenty of speculation the GTI will be ready for Australian deliveries in October or November. I’m not so sure on the dates for the GTI, but we’ll see. As soon as I hear anything I will let you know.

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Fifth Gear Volkswagen

Fifth Gear reviews Golf VI

Fifth Gear returned to UK screens last week with the premiere episode of Series 15. This makes them the first major UK car show to get their hands on the Mk6 Golf. Here’s Jonny Smith’s review.

For more on the new Golf, check out this previous AUSmotive post, including the Trackback links at the bottom of the article that will take you to a wide range of Golf VI related articles.

Categories
Volkswagen

Volkswagen Concept BlueSport picture gallery

Volkswagen Concept BlueSport

The Volkswagen Concept BlueSport made its world debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last night. It’s a stunning looking car, but perhaps the most notable feature for a car in this segment is it’s mid-mounted efficient diesel engine.

The BlueSport roadster, fitted with six-speed DSG transmission, has a 2.0 TDI with 132kW powering the rear wheels. Being a turbo diesel, there is plenty of torque, too, all 350Nm of it. The BlueSport weighs a relatively light 1200kg and is capable reaching 100km/h in a GTI-beating 6.6 seconds, along to a top speed of 226km/h. When driven more sedately Volkswagen claims fuel consumption as low as 4.3l/100km. Its CO2 emissions are 113g/km.

“The BlueSport proves to be a compact and passionate car with a clear Volkswagen signature. The car offers pure dynamics with a powerful 180 PS Clean Diesel engine that is combined with the characteristic Volkswagen philosophy of efficiency,” confirmed Volkswagen’s Chairman of the Board, Prof. Martin Winterkorn in Detroit.

The BlueSport features an Eco mode which uses stop-start technology and an energy regeneration mode to help lower fuel consumption. Although, Volkswagen are claiming a relatively small benefit of just 0.2l/100km in normal city driving.

Some of the technology in this car may new for Volkswagen, but there doesn’t appear to be anything earth shattering under the roadster’s gorgeous metalwork. Although, a mid-engined diesel sports car is kind of cool and very now.

Update: Wallpaper sized images of the Volkswagen Concept BlueSport (click an image to load 2000px super image), along with video footage and the official press release are now available below.

Update 15 January: German Car Blog suggests the BlueSport won’t hit the roads until 2012 (that’s if it goes into production). I’ve also added a small clip below from Car and Driver’s YouTube channel.

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Audi

Audi S1 plans all-wheel drive attack on MINI JCW

Audi S1 quattro
Audi S1 quattro

AutoExpress has again led with images that will excite hot hatch enthusiasts. News has been around for a while about the Audi S1, but initial speculation suggested the S1 would be powered by the 2-litre turbo found in the current Mk5 Golf GTI. This latest report says the S1 will be powered by a 200bhp+ 1.4-litre twin charge engine, similar to the one used in the new Polo GTI. Of course, the S badging means the S1 will get that power to the ground using Audi’s familiar quattro technology.

From an Australian perspective, the spunky S1 looks to be the only car to match the MINI John Cooper Works in both driving thrills and desirability. While the feisty Renault Clio 197 might push both cars to the limit on tight mountain roads, it can’t match the cachet of either brand, let alone the build quality.

The aggressively styled S1 looks sensational and I, for one, can’t wait to test the car’s driving capabilities. I will have to wait a while though. The A1, the car on which the S1 will be based, is still over 12 months away from European release, so we’re likely to be looking at late 2011, at best, for the S1 to reach Australian shores.

Along with the supercharged and turbocharged technology of the engine, the S1 is said to showcase more of Audi’s gadgets, such as full LED lighting, a 7-speed S-tronic transmission and magnetic ride suspension, which will be electronically adjustable from inside the cabin. Most surprising, however, is the claim the quattro system will have a rearward bias, sending up to 60 per cent its power to the rear wheels under regular conditions.

Premium products command premium pricing, of course, so don’t expect much change from AU$55,000 by the time time you drive the S1 off the showroom floor. Something I look forward to doing myself when the opprtunity presents itself.

Source: AutoExpress

Categories
Volkswagen

New Polo ‘mini-me’ GTI

Volkswagen Polo GTI

Auto Express have revealed images of the new Polo GTI. If these images are true to the final production models then the Polo will be a mini-me GTI to the upcoming Golf VI GTI.

Built on the PQ25 platform, also used for the SEAT Ibiza, the revised Polo will have more interior space than its predecessor. Its engine should be good for a smidge over 130kW, derived from a 1.4 litre twincharged engine—using a supercharger for low down torque, and a turbo for higher in the rev range. The final torque figure is a very healthy 250Nm. This should help propel the baby GTI to 100km/h in, or just under, seven seconds.

Following the trend towards greener engines, fuel consumption is expected to be around 5.9l/100km with CO2 emissions under 150g/km. Transmission options include a trad 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DSG.

The strong styling cues from the Golf GTI should follow inside leaving the Pogo as a very capable and great looking hot hatch. No word as yet on when to expect the little blighters down under, but with European delivery understood to be in early 2010 we’ve got a way to go yet. The car will debut this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Source: AutoExpress

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Volkswagen

Sometimes, the only one you have to beat is yourself

Hope you enjoy this advertisement for Volkswagen’s upcoming Golf VI. Already released in Europe and the UK, it is due for Australian release sometime around the middle of 2009. More details on that as soon as they come to hand.

The ad was created by DDB London and, perhaps, Toyota should have employed them too.

(Thanks to Craig for the tip.)