Auto Channel

In addition to the eye-opening retro-sports car Scirocco, Volkswagen’s stand at Geneva will be brimming over with talent specifically geared towards preserving the earth for future generations. Leading this charge, so to speak, is the Golf TDI Hybrid. Hybrid technology has come a long way since the days of Prius 1 and TDI Hybrid is one of the future technologies that have been waited on. Using a 7-speed DSG cog, this Golf is said to use only 3.4 litres per 100km in diesel, giving it a range well over 1000km on a tank.

The Golf TDI Hybrid will run on both electric power and diesel, and a combination of both. Similar to other hybrid models it sips on diesel when in highway cruise mode where speed and torque are in high demand. Enter city driving mode and the electric motor takes over the reigns, supplying force towards the front wheels. In this mode the car emits no harmful CO2. City dwellers who get behind the TDI Hybrid will have to find reasons to drive their cars so as to use up all their fuel. Estimated dates of availability should only be announced at the show itself.
Sharan, the 2.5 tonne MPV now receives treatment in BlueMotion packages that is designed to reduce fuel usage while providing decent levels of power. So BlueMotion leaves the Sharan with an average of 6.2 litres per 100km in fuel consumption, very good for a vehicle of its size.

As gas becomes safer, more important in fueling motor vehicles, Passat TSI EcoFuel, seen here in Estate guise, will be one of the pioneering vehicles in markets around the world. The 110kW Passat takes natural gas in its tank, and returns 5.2 kilograms of gas per 100km. I guess if VW has its way, such measurements will, in future, become the norm.

Lastly VW has the Golf Estate with 4Motion, which is VW’s permanent 4WD system that can transfer up to 100 percent of power sent to the back wheels when needed. We aren’t too sure how this would compare to an A4 allroad for example, but we suspect the differences could be chalk and cheese.



Press Release

With its Golf TDI Hybrid, Volkswagen demonstrates the kind of potential inherent in the combination of high-tech diesel engine, electric motor and 7-speed DSG technology. Exhibited for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show, the concept car consumes no more than 3.4 litres of diesel fuel per 100 kilometres. This powerful full-hybrid Golf TDI Hybrid can be operated either in internal-combustion mode only or in a combination mode of powerful yet thrifty TDI and electric motor. The car is also designed to run on emissions-free electric power only. Power transmission to the front axle is managed by 7-speed DSG technology. In city traffic, the vehicle’s automatic stop-start system will even automatically switch off diesel operations.

The Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel being premiered in Geneva marks the beginning of a new era for natural-gas-fuelled automobiles. Until now, passenger cars operated using eco-friendly, low-consumption natural gas have tended to be "mild mannered". The Passat changes that once and for all with its 110-kW / 150-PS TSI engines. And yet the direct-injection turbo engine in the Passat, specifically designed to run on natural gas, consumes no more than 5.2 kilograms of gas per 100 kilometres. The Passat and the Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel are due to be launched on the market around year-end.

Volkswagen is continuing its BlueMotion campaign in 2008. The latest model in the series is the Sharan BlueMotion on display for the first time at the Geneva show. With an extremely low average fuel consumption of 6.2 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres, the Sharan BlueMotion uses 0.7 of a litre less than "conventional" models. By the same token, CO2 emissions are reduced from 177 g/km to 159 g/km. These are first-rate values for a seven-seat van with up to 2,610 litres of cargo volume and a permissible gross vehicle weight of 2,510 kilograms. This Volkswagen is driven by a 103-kW / 140-PS TDI engine complete with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). The BlueMotion option is available in combination with the Trendline and Comfortline fittings packages. Deliveries of the vehicle are scheduled to commence this summer.

Effective immediately, Volkswagen will be offering the Golf Estate in a version with permanent four-wheel drive. This automobile is designed to enable as much as 100 per cent of the vehicle’s tractive force to be transmitted to the rear wheels if so required in extreme circumstances. Thus, the Golf Estate TDI 4Motion offers the best possible grip even in the most adverse conditions. The 4Motion system is coupled with a fuel-efficient, high-torque TDI engine with 77 KW / 105 PS. The Golf Estate TDI 4Motion accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.9 seconds, has a top speed of 185 km/h and consumes just 6.0 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres. One attribute which is bound to be particularly attractive to outfit drivers is that the Golf Estate TDI 4Motion is permitted to tow as much as 1,500 kilograms on gradients of up to twelve per cent – that’s 100 kilograms more than its front-wheel-drive counterpart.
Source: Volkswagen



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