Hybrid News

Filed under: Diesel, Volkswagen, LA Auto Show

Seriously, nobody in their right mind is going to suggest that racing across the Baja desert for about a thousand miles in any vehicle qualifies as green, but it takes place each and every year in Southern California and Mexico anyway. This being the case, Volkswagen is planning to tackle this year’s Baja event at the very highest level, the Trophy Truck class, with a brand-new racer that they loosely refer to as a Touareg. If you are going to be racing across the desert in anything, it may as well be powered by a clean 5.5 liter V-12 TDI Twin Turbo diesel engine with 550 horsepower and 625 lbs.-ft. of torque, right? After taking a good long look at the truck in person, we’ve come to the conclusion it is most definitely impressive and imposing. See our live pics below. Plus, did we mention the clean diesel?

Photos Copyright (C)2008 Jeremy Korzeniewski and Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.

LA 2008: Volkswagen’s imposing Touareg TDI Trophy Truck originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: MPG, Volkswagen, Lightweight

We expect that Volkswagen will be debuting its up! subcompact car sometime in 2011, but we’re now hearing that it’s not the smallest car that the German automaker has on its mind. VW would use a shortened version of its up! microcar platform for the diminutive new city car. Being smaller than the already mini NSF platform of the up! would make this machine a two-seater like the fortwo from German rival Daimler. VW would like its small 1.0-liter three cylinder diesel engine to make about 50 horses and use just 2-liters of fuel every 100 kilometers, which is more than 100 miles per gallon. 117.6 to be exact.

Unlike the smart forwo, which has its engine in the back driving the rear wheels, the competitor from VW would use a front engine and front-wheel drive platform. Earlier in the year, we heard that Volkswagen was still working on its tandem-seat 1L car as well. If that’s true, this new smaller up! variant would slot somewhere between that 235 mpg wonder-machine and its larger (to use the term in the technical sense) NSF-based brother. BMW is also hard at work on a city car that could revive the old Isetta brand.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via The German Car Blog]

VW planning 117 mpg smart-killer? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Still in R&D stage

Despite a number of hybrid concepts, don’t expect either a VW or a Audi hybrid until at least 2010 according to Autobloggreen. VW recently updated its hybrid plans, noting that it is developing proprietary technology for hybrid cars and electric vehicles, except for battery technology. Sanyo will be VW’s battery supplier.

Original post by Dahcredyns

Filed under: Volkswagen, UK

A month ago, Volkswagen introduced the Passat BlueMotion II, a truly frugal car that gets mileage numbers in the 57 mpg range (U.S.) and emits just 109 g/km of CO₂. Now, the not-quite-as-clean Passat BlueMotion 2 is available for orders in the UK. The Passat BlueMotion 2 has automatic stop-start technology and a new 2.0-liter TDI 110 PS common rail diesel engine good for 46 mpg (U.S.) for the estate and 48 mpg for the saloon along with CO₂
emissions of 128 g/km and 129 g/km respectively. Aerodynamics were tweaked by closing off the front air intakes and lowering the ride height; small changes we′ve gotten quite used to in the last year or so. VW calls this “the most efficient, economical and environmentally friendly Passat yet produced.” Costs start at £17,700 for the saloon and £18,835 for the estate, a moderate increase (£475) over the standard models. Read more after the jump.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Passat BlueMotion 2 now on sale in the UK

Passat BlueMotion 2 now on sale in the UK originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Diesel, MPG, Volkswagen, Lightweight

Despite the fact that the sixth-generation of VW’s insanely popular hatchback has yet to hit the driveways of actual customers, speculation on gen-seven is already well underway. Number-six continues the tradition of enlarging each successive model-year, but that trend is set to come to an end after this redesign. Europe is currently working on legislation to limit carbon emissions and the U.S. is set to cap manufacturer’s fuel efficiency at a much more stringent rate that what we have now. Therefore, the Golf, or Rabbit in the States, should shed a few pounds in its Extreme Makeover and will likely get some smaller entry-level engines. We’d imagine that Volkswagen is hard at work on diesel engines, especially considering the buzz surrounding the Jetta TDI these days, as well as small gasoline engines with forced induction. Whatever happens, expect efficiency to take top priority as the years pass by.

[Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req’d]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Diesel, Volkswagen, Green Daily, USA

If you are a fan of the diesel engine - and Volkswagen’s TDI engine series in particular - VW would love it if you’d go ahead and spread your love of the oil-burner with your family and friends. Of course, having the only 50-state legal diesel on the market, at least for a little while, the automaker stands to benefit from whatever pent-up demand there may be for efficient and clean diesels. Offering its Jetta in either sedan or wagon wagen forms, the German automaker hopes it has something to please everyone.

With consumer perception of diesel engines in America still mired in the ’70s and 80s era of mediocrity, VW will need all the advocates it can get to help educate the masses on the benefits of the compression ignition engine. Based on our first impressions, at least the automaker is starting off with a good product. Based on the success of this model, VW will make decisions on what other models to bring across the pond.

[Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req′d]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Volkswagen, Germany

Although the current signature for the “greener” VW Golfs is BlueMotion, there have been at least two models in the Golf’s past that should be considered green for their time. German’s Auto-News has published a complete report about special-edition Golfs and there are two green variants: One is an ancestor of BlueMotion itself and the second one is an EV.

Back in the early ‘80s, VAG-group cars had a formula to save gasoline which was called “E” and was used for large cars such as the VW Passat or the Audi 100. The trick was a button on the steering wheel that turned off the engine at traffic lights. The engine came back to life when engaging first gear. Sound familiar? Basically, this is what modern Stop/Start systems perform automatically. However, the 1981 Golf E with a stick shift of 3+E gears, could only save fuel with improved aerodynamics on the A-pillars, narrower tires and a fuel economy display that also suggested when to switch gears. The engines? A whopping 50hp gasoline or a 54hp atmospheric diesel.

Regarding EVs, Volkswagen introduced an all-electric Golf in 1995. Called the “City Stromer” (City Electric), it really showed the effects of the 16 massive (and, at 480kg, heavy) lead-acid batteries that fed the 24hp motor: 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) took 27 seconds. After some additional research, we found that this Golf could only carry 4 people, used a SIEMENS three-phase alternating current synchronous motor with permanent magnet excitation which was water cooled. Performance is far from a Tesla Roadster’s: maximum speed of 100 km/h, and a range of 70 km in summer and 40 in winter. But it had brake energy recovery, and those numbers aren’t too terrible, right? We even found a video of this one after the jump (in Czech).

[Source: Auto-News]

Continue reading Learning from the past: two green Golfs almost lost to history

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Original post by Xavier Navarro

Filed under: Volkswagen, Lightweight, European Union, UK, Germany, USA

We’ve heard rumors that Volkswagen would be going against the concept up!’s rear-engine and rear-wheel drive architecture, and it now appears that those earlier rumblings are indeed true. That’s a big knock against the retro-theme that attracted many to the concept in the first place. After all, countless numbers of individuals were first introduced to the VW brand via the iconic Beetle, which, of course, had it’s engine hanging off the rear and driving those wheels. VW CEO Martin Winterkorn says, “Our engineers favored a rear engine and fought until the end for that solution.” Those dang accountants ruined the fun again.

A front-wheel drive architecture will undoubtedly lower the cost of the vehicle’s development as it will allow for a much larger use of already-designed parts and will surely let VW use architecture from its Lupo small car. Still, that platform-sharing doesn’t seem to be speeding up the development too much as it is now five full months behind schedule.

Hatchback, minivan and sedan versions of the platform are expected to begin sales in Europe in 2011, a full two years after rivals such as the Fiat Topolino and Toyota’s iQ model are to go on sale. We have hopes that the up! will make it stateside, though the new FWD format surely makes them considerably less compelling to many eyes, ours included.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Volkswagen, Germany

While Volkswagen may be offering their first electric car as early as 2010 and are already imagining their 2028 electric offerings, the company’s chief research officer, Juergen Leohold, doesn’t see an explosion in the numbers of electro-mobiles on the road any time soon. In fact, by the time 2028 rolls around, he only expects them to make up only 10 per cent of that future fleet. What does he see as the big hold up? Batteries. According to the German boffin, lithium ion batteries may have already come a long way but they still lack in energy density and production capacity. Their current cost is also seen as prohibitively high. To top all that, he doesn′t think it will ever top the internal combustion engine when it comes applications like long-haul trucks. Way to buzzkill, dude.

All that is not to say he is not a fan of the technology. Au contraire, mes fr&egraveres. He expects VW to start off with small city cars, not unlike the Up! pictured above, but then use the electric drivetrain in larger, family size models. He says, “We have an ambition to electrify more than just the really small cars, but also our main model series, the Golf,” Ah, that’s more like it!

[Source: Deutsche Welle]

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: Diesel, Volkswagen, USA

Volkswagen dealerships are reporting strong demand for the brand-new 2009 Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen TDI. Some dealers have even sold out before their first TDI even showed up on the lot, despite the fact that customers won’t actually be getting their cars for at least another month or so. The two-thousand dollar premium buyers are asked to pay along with diesel prices, which are hovering in the $4.70 to $5.00 range, have not hampered buyers′ hankering for a new fifty-state diesel passenger car. It probably doesn’t hurt that VeeDub oil-burners have a reputation for über-reliability, with a number of sales coming from past TDI owners.

In contrast to strong Jetta TDI sales, VW’s other recent model, the Tiguan, is not doing as well as hoped. How about adding a diesel engine option to the little crossover? Apparently, dealers are asking and they may get what they want. After all, the Tiguan’s engine bay readily accepts the TDI engine from the Jetta since the two vehicles share a similar Golf-based platform. Our affection for the oddly-named mini-ute would surely increase exponentially if it were granted the turbo-diesel.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req’d]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Diesel, EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, Lightweight

Click the above image for a high-res gallery of the KTM X-BOW

KTM, the Austrian maker of some of the world’s finest dirtbikes, is currently on a new product blitz which covers nearly every niche in both the automotive and motorcycle markets. While the company is currently rolling out new streetbikes, like the awe-inspiring RC8 superbike, the firm’s first-ever four-wheeler, the X-Bow, has been generating tons of buzz amongst automotive gear-heads which would likely otherwise be uninterested in the orange and black brand. That newfound audience will soon be greeted by “the world’s first frugal and eco-friendly off-roader” and a small city car, which could even see electric-only power at some point.

The new off-road model will attack the rally scene that KTM often dominates on two wheels. Somehow, the rally-bred vehicle is expected to be extremely light and perform admirably on both the tarmac and the dirt. The cycle-making firm’s recent dealings with Bajaj will soon bear fruit in the form of three new city vehicles, one of which could be a modern take on the classic rickshaw platform. So far, Audi (which is owned by VW) has supplied engines to KTM for its on-road offerings, and the word is that both gasoline and diesel engines are expected for the newest models. It sounds like KTM is setting itself up to become a major player in both the auto and cycle realms, and rumors indicate that KTM may be the brand VeeDub hinted interest in a few months back.

[Source: CAR]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol, EV/Plug-in, Flex-Fuel, Hydrogen, Volkswagen

Click above on the Ego concept for more images of VW’s 2028 concepts

Apparently, Volkswagen thinks its time for another weird and wacky look into the future. This time, the German automaker is gazing just twenty years ahead. The results of its future look are three virtual concept cars. Yes, all three are capable of driving themselves, as you would likely imagine. As would be expected of any self-respecting gaze into the future, petroleum is not part of the picture. In its place are biofuels for those who simply must have liquid fuels and, of course, electricity. We feel pretty confident that these projections are possible, but that’s right about where any semblance to reality ends.

After taking a leisurely stroll through the über clean park, a father and his son are reminded that it is time to leave by a hologram. What car to have delivered? The VW One wouldn’t do, as it only seats a single occupant. The VW Room is overkill, as it is intended for an entire family. So, the son chooses to summon an Ego, a two-seater sportscar concept complete with user-defined green flames.

[Source: Volkswagen 2028]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: MPG, Volkswagen

Volkswagen has added a new 7-speed DSG transmission to the European-market Golf and Golf Plus models. DSG or Direct-Shift-Gearbox is VW’s branding for dual-clutch gearboxes. The new 7-speed unit will be the first DSG unit used by VW with dry clutches rather than wet plates. The dry clutch system helps improve efficiency with fuel consumption reduced by 0.7L/100km. This new DSG has a torque capacity of 184 lb-ft and will be paired up with 1.4L TSI and 1.9L TDI engines. The €1,750 option price for the 7-speed also brings along other features like hill-assist. When the vehicle detects that the car is on an incline the brakes stay applied after removing the foot from the pedal until the accelerator is pressed. Like current VW DSG units, this one is made by Borg-Warner.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Volkswagen’s first 7-speed DSG for Golf and Golf Plus

Wolfsburg, 20 December 2007 - The bestseller shifts up a gear. Following sales of around 1 million units, Volkswagen’s intelligent DSG automatic gearbox is now not only available with six, but also with seven gears. The first 7-speed DSG is now available for the Golf and Golf Plus with the 1.4 TSI and 1.9 TDI engines. This represents a milestone in the gearbox strategy of the Volkswagen Group.

It is the values of efficiency, temperament and sportiness that make the DSG such a lasting success. Even today, the installation rate of the intelligent automatic is 25 percent in the Touran. Volkswagen will initially be offering the 7-speed DSG in the Golf and Golf Plus, with prices starting at 1,750 euro.

The new 7-speed automatic gearbox is based on two premieres: Firstly, it is the first DSG for front-traverse installation. Secondly, it is the first with clutches that are not immersed in oil, but which run “dry”. This allows the latest Volkswagen DSG to achieve an even greater level of efficiency. The maximum torque that can be transmitted is up to 250 newton-meters.

The new unit will initially start series production in the Golf and Golf Plus, and is available for the 1.4 TSI engine (90 kW), previously only available with a manual gearbox, and for the 1.9 TDI engine (77 kW). A hill-start assist system is included in the price with both of these engines. This holds the vehicle still by temporarily “freezing” the brake pressure when the footbrake is released. And the efficient fuel consumption of a diesel engine means that the new 7-speed DSG can save you real money. The fuel consumption figures for the Golf / Golf Plus 1.9 TDI are 0.7 litres per 100 km lower than they are with the 6-speed DSG.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Volkswagen, Legislation and Policy, European Union

Volkswagen has issued a statement in response to the European Commission CO₂ rules that were published this week. The carmaker called the rules unfair to German manufacturers as it hits them much harder than automakers from other countries. This is a very disingenuous statement on VW’s part since all manufacturers have the same rules to deal with. It just happens that VW, Mercedes, BMW and Porsche happen to have a lot of powerful, thirsty cars.

VW is particularly irked by the penalties for failing to meet the new standards. They claim the rules don’t provide a long enough phase-in time. VW also wants carmakers to get some credit for innovations that are not included in the driving test cycle such as vehicle-to-vehicle and infrastructure communications and driver education. While these last items can help reduce fuel consumption, they don’t affect just the particular car-makers vehicles but all vehicles. If any of these communications technologies actually get implemented, the effects, if any, should be reflected in the test cycles, not just particular vehicles.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Volkswagen on the CO2 regulation decision of the EU Commission:

An integrated approach is essential

The Commission overshoots economically beneficial targets by far.

Wolfsburg, 19 December 2007 - the decision of the EU Commission on CO2 regulation published today poses severe challenges for European carmakers. In future, especially German manufacturers will bear the brunt of CO2 reduction. Volkswagen is prepared to face up to the challenges of climate protection with innovative, cost-effective technologies. Thanks to innovative technologies such as TDI and TSI engines and DSG transmissions, Volkswagen models boast the highest CO2 efficiency. However, the Group expects legislators to create balanced, comprehensible conditions so that European manufacturers can put their global competitiveness to the test in the future and offer customers a broad range of models meeting all mobility needs at affordable prices.

Volkswagen supports the regulatory model proposed by the EU because it generally takes into account the variety of customers’ wishes in Europe. However the innovation capabilities of German car manufacturers and the process of technology transfer, which normally proceeds from the premium and luxury classes to high-volume models, will be severely impaired by unacceptable burdens. Similarly, the competitiveness of European high-volume manufacturers and component suppliers will be adversely affected; in future, they will face severe competition from low-cost non-European manufacturers.

The penalties proposed by the EU Commission for exceeding future limits are far removed from a CO2 reduction strategy that is efficient in terms of the overall economy and also viable for businesses. What is needed is a system that is fair and realistic, can be implemented within the proposed time frame and does not create disproportionate burdens for German carmakers compared with their European competitors. It will be appropriate for all manufacturers to tap the economically viable potentials for CO2 reduction available in all vehicle segments.

All participants in road traffic should contribute to climate protection. It will be necessary to implement the integrated approach agreed with the EU Commission in 2005, which included not only the oil industry but also biofuel producers, infrastructure operators and drivers themselves.

What is needed is a technology-neutral regulatory approach that takes into consideration not only all the technical innovations in the official European driving cycle but also all the technical and non-technical achievements of manufacturers outside the driving cycle, including vehicles with intelligent communication systems and driver education. Volkswagen supports calls by the German government for high flexibility in reaching the reduction target of 130 g CO2/km and expects legislation to provide appropriate leeway as regards the reduction measures to be taken. The objective must be to ensure the highest possible degree of economic viability in climate protection and to stimulate the development of innovative technologies.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Green Culture, Volkswagen, Green Daily

At the second national German IT summit today, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is meeting with Volkwagen officials and researchers from Braunschweig, Hanover and Oldenburg universities about VW’s new C3World research project. C3World stands for “Connected Cars in a Connected World,” which is how VW and its research partners are moving “towards the clearly defined objective of connecting cars with the environment.” This doesn′t mean that your Jetta will tell you where the surfing waves are ideal today; this is VW’s version of telematics.

While telematics technology doesn’t exactly scream green the way a catalytic converter does, there is a lot of eco-friendliness in a device that will make it easier for you to find a parking space (you spend less time idling or driving around, for example). C3World will also alert the driver to traffic issues, potentially avoiding even more slow driving. Read more from VW after the break.

Related:

• Mazda to take part in Intelligent Transportation System trials
• Safety telematics just might be standard by 2011

[Source: VW]

Volkswagen Research and university partners connect cars with the environment

Today’s IT summit with German Chancellor Dr. Merkel in Hanover

Wolfsburg, 10 December 2007 - The second German national IT summit takes place today in Hanover, Germany, in the presence of German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel. Volkswagen and the universities of Braunschweig, Hanover and Oldenburg are presenting the research project C3World - Connected Cars in a Connected World.

Today’s meeting between German IT and telecoms engineers and the top managers from the world of commerce, politics and science focuses on strengthening Germany’s position as an IT centre in the face of international competition. Host and patron Dr. Angela Merkel will learn about strategies, methods and the future C3World project. This project is a research initiative run by Volkswagen in cooperation with the universities of Oldenburg, Hanover and Braunschweig in Lower Saxony, collectively known as NICCIMON (Lower Saxony Competence Centre for information systems for mobile usage). In the C3World working group sponsored by the federal state of Lower Saxony, Volkswagen Electronics Research is working in conjunction with its research partners towards the clearly defined objective of connecting cars with the environment.

The so-called car-to-car or car-to-infrastructure communication technology, which is a type of message exchange system, requires technology that connects vehicles with each other and with the infrastructure. It enables the driver to receive important information, such as traffic jam alerts directly from the vehicles in front. Enabling vehicles to communicate with their environment and with infrastructure makes it possible, for example, to collect current event information from the surrounding area or to find, reserve and pay for a free space in a multi-storey car park. Preparing information specific to the driver and the situation in this way is an important focus of the project. “C3World wants to bring use of the World Wide Web for specific mobility and location-based applications into the car. The future navigation device will become a comprehensive information terminal for Volkswagen customers” according to Prof. J&uumlrgen Leohold, Head of Volkswagen Group Research.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Original post by Sebastian Blanco