New 1.4 TSI engine and 7-speed DSG gearbox from VW

VW TSIVolkswagen is bringing to market a new version of its 1.4 TSI engine and a 7-speed DSG gearbox.

The new 4-cylinder gasoline engine is going to be called 1.4 TSI despite not being a twin-charger engine: in the 122 ps power-step it's going to have only a turbo-charger (losing the supercharger). Torque is going to be a healthy 200 Nm. This engine is probably going to be used on most of the low-to-mid end of the Volkswagen model range.

The second novelty is a new version of the DSG gearbox (double clutch robotized transmission). This new gearbox will have seven speeds, can be coupled with engines with torque up to 250 Nm and the double clutch will no longer be immersed in oil as in the current DSG and, according to VW, it's going to be particularly good for fuel economy: a Golf with the new 1.4 TSI and the new 7-speed DSG will have an average fuel consumption of 5.9 liters/100 km.

Carscoop je napisal/-a:Insider: VW Future Model Arrival Dates
Monday, October 15, 2007

We’ve obtained an internal Volkswagen document addressed to VW dealers in Europe that informs them on the market launch of three important new models: the Scirocco Coupe, the Golf VI and the next generation Polo. The first model to arrive in European dealerships will be the Golf based Scirocco. The production version of the IROC Concept (see here) that made its premier at the 2006 Paris Show, will be available across Europe during the fourth quarter of 2008. If VW decides to import the Scirroco in the U.S., it shouldn’t be expected earlier than mid-2009. -Continued after the jump
According to the internal document, the sixth generation of VW’s compact class Golf will go on sale in Europe during the first quarter of 2009. Originally, VW planned to launch the Golf VI at next year’s Geneva Show in March but VW’s new boss, Martin Winterkorn, postponed the presentation for the Paris Show in September of 2008 as he was not pleased with the vehicle’s appearance. The US spec Golf should make its appearance in early 2010.

Finally, the next-generation Polo supermini based on the same platform as the recently introduced Skoda Fabia, will begin its European career during the second half of 2009. An the U.S.? Well, unless gas prices hike over $4 a gallon, we doubt it that the Polo will make it on the other side of the Atlantic.

Martin Winterkorn, postponed the presentation for the Paris Show in September of 2008 as he was not pleased with the vehicle’s appearance.

sonic je napisal/-a:

Martin Winterkorn, postponed the presentation for the Paris Show in September of 2008 as he was not pleased with the vehicle’s appearance.

Heh, glede na to kar sem videl pod znamko "takle bo golf VI", tudi jaz nisem bil preveč "pleased with the vehicle’s appearance". Sem bil pa zaradi tega po svoje malo bolj "pleased" z golfom V oziroma da sem ga pred kratkim kupil

No ja, šestice torej več kot eno leto še ne bo...

Entry-level, RWD vehicles coming from VW in 2010
Posted Oct 15th 2007 10:03AM by Damon Lavrinc

More news on the microcar front comes in the form of "confidential planning documents" procured by Automobilwoche outlining Volkswagen's plan for its rear-wheel-drive compacts over the next nine years. VW considers the launch of its new "Small Family" lineup of RWD vehicles as the most important launch since the Beetle was fazed out in favor of the Golf in 1974.

Production of the new minicars will being in 2010, likely utilizing the Skoda plant in Vrchlabi, within the Czech Republic, with 100,000 vehicles destined for Europe sporting the Volkswagen badge, and another 100,000 wearing Skoda and Seat logos. Variants of the uber-compact three-door are expected to come in at about 3500mm long, sporting a price tag under €8,000, with a five-door version, stretched by 80mm and priced around €9,450.

Lignage je napisal/-a:V vsakem tvojem postu izvemo, da si si kupil Golfa in velikokrat potem še preberemo tvojo pohvalo, ki jo seveda nameniš samemu sebi, ker si tako zelo prepričan, da si odlično izbral

VW Produces 15 Millionth Passat In 34 Years

The 15 millionth Passat produced throughout the world rolled off VW’s assembly line at the Emden plant line today (Nov. 9, 2007). The first generation Passat was unveiled in 1973 and since then, VW has introduced six generations of the mid-size model, the latest in 2005. The anniversary vehicle is a Passat Variant BlueMotion 1.9 TDI in arctic blue silver metallic with 105 HP and it will be donated by Volkswagen to DKMS (German Bone Marrow Donor Center).

Volkswagen: Record Sales For Commercial Vehicles

German automaker Volkswagen has set a new sales record for commercial vehicles with 356,000 units in the first nine months of the year (January to September), an increase of 11.4 per cent compared to 319,650 vehicles sold in the same period in 2006. According to VW, this has increased total turnover by 12.1 percent to €6.6 billion or $9.7 million.

Stephan Schaller, CEO of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles said: ‘Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is on the fast track to a record year. The strong demand in the summer months delivered additional volume rather than purchases that have been brought forward. We stay optimistic for the rest of the year.’

All VW cars to get touchscreens next year

Posted on Sunday 11 November 2007
Starting next year all new Volkswagen models will be equipped with a touchscreen controller unit, from econo Polo hatchbacks to more expensive Touareg and Phaeton models. The touchscreens will be used to control the air-conditioning, satnav, radio and trip-computer.


The news comes from VW design chief Walter de’ Silva, who recently spoke with Automotive News Europe. “Touchscreens are the most intuitive and interface between humans and machine,” de’ Silva explained. “We want to build naturalness, not only in the design, but also in functionality all future Volkswagen models.”

Designers want to reduce the number of physical buttons in car interiors, while at the same time making the vehicles easier to assemble. VW has already previewed the future of touchcreen interface systems with its latest up! and space concept vehicles. Both cars featured a touch¬screen with 3D graphics and proximity sensors that can detect the motion of your hand.

Surprisingly, officials at premium brand Audi won’t be applying the same philosophy across their lineup and will instead stick with the current MMI system.

Volkswagen to Proton: I'm just not that into you!

Posted Nov 22nd 2007 2:02PM by Sam Abuelsamid
After several months of discussions with the Malaysian government about working with Proton, Volkswagen has decided to call it quits. The Malaysian government is the largest shareholder in the local company that also owns Lotus. Lotus has been doing fairly well of late thanks to their continuing engineering work for many of the worlds automakers, and the ongoing success of the Elise lineup. Proton however has been struggling and was seeking a more well heeled partner to work with. For the foreseeable future Volkswagen appears to be out the picture.

[Source: Volkswagen]

PR
Talks with Proton closed

Wolfsburg, 20 November 2007 - Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft and the Malaysian government have decided to shelve their joint talks concerning cooperation with or participation in the Malaysian automaker Proton Holdings Bhd for the time being. As a consequence, there is at present no foundation for a more in-depth investigation.


Irrespective of this decision, Volkswagen will be stepping up its efforts to review other possibilities for actively engaging in the ASEAN region and further intensifying its sales activities in the region, including such activities in Malaysia. The company remains committed to its plans to establish a sustainable and successful production and sales basis in the South East Asia region.

Volkswagen's plan for expansion includes four all-new architectures

Posted Nov 26th 2007 9:04AM by Damon Lavrinc
Volkswagen's plan for the next ten years includes streamlining production, cutting development costs and creating four new platforms so it can boost sales to 10 million units a year and give Toyota a run for its money. Architecture development is key to that strategy.

The first – dubbed MQB – will underpin the majority of small cars and some of the "upper-medium" vehicles that the VW/Audi group produces, including everything from the V-Dub Fox to the Passat, the Audi TT and A3, and a handful of Seats and Skodas. The MQB platform will account for over six million vehicles a year when production hits full bore by 2018, and should reduce development times by a year and reduce costs anywhere between 25- and 40-percent.

Those same time and financial savings are also expected when VW begins production of its MHB platform that will underpin the rear-engine minicars based on the up! concepts we've seen at the last three auto shows. Another modular architecture is being developed for mid-engine sports cars for Audi, Lamborghini and possibly a lower-end Bugatti (oxymoron?), while the last platform – MLB – is already being used on the new A4 and A5.

The breakdown of each platform into its own "just right" size, from small to large, mini to luxury, will also allow the VW group to expand its lineup at a faster pace for niche vehicles and to accommodate the demand in emerging markets.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

WINDSOR, Ontario — Chrysler will build a minivan for Volkswagen in Canada to sell in the U.S. market starting next year. The new vehicle will be unveiled at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show in February and will go on sale in October as a 2009 model. It will be produced alongside the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan at Chrysler's Windsor assembly plant and will share Chrysler's new fifth-generation platform but will have its own VW-style appearance.

The introduction of the new VW minivan will mark the German automaker's first serious entry in the minivan market segment. It last sold its boxy EuroVan in the U.S. in 2003.

The Windsor Star newspaper said pilot versions of the VW van have been in production "for months" and quoted a Chrysler line worker as saying "a few of them a day" have been built while the launch was being negotiated. The worker also cited fellow employees' statements that the VW minivan is "a lot nicer" on the interior and will cost "a lot more money" than the Chrysler products.

VW has announced plans to increase its sales in the U.S. to 1 million by 2018.

Volkswagen Group Starts Vehicle Assembly In Russia

Volkswagen, Europe’s largest carmaker, inaugurated its new Russian plant yesterday (Nov. 28, 2007). The first models to leave the assembly line were the Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Octavia. The new plant which is located in Kaluga, 160 kilometers (99 miles) southwest of Moscow, will assemble some 66,000 units of the two brand models in 2008 under the now complete first development stage of the plant. In the second development stage from 2009, the plant with a maximum capacity of 150,000 vehicles will begin production at its own body shop, paint shop and final assembly line.
"With the start of vehicle assembly at our new plant in Kaluga, the Volkswagen Group has definitively arrived in the emerging Russian market. Local production of Volkswagen and Skoda brand vehicles in the up-and-coming city of Kaluga now gives us the chance to increasingly profit from rapid growth on Russia's automotive market," Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn said.

Volkswagen has announced that it will be changing the name of its U.S. operations from Volkswagen of America, Inc. to Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. effective January 1st. The name change is to better include VW's other brands, such as Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini.

“Our new corporate name allows our individual brands to flourish, while recognizing that we have a common support structure that gives us great strength as we face competitors,” VW Group of America CEO Stefan Jacoby told Automotive News. “The new name Volkswagen Group reflects the much wider array of goods and services we now offer, and prepares us for even more activities in the future.”

The Volkswagen and Audi brands will continue to operate in America under the names Volkswagen of America and Audi of America.