German automaker Volkswagen has rolled out a newly designed R-Line package for its compact people carrier, the Touran. More about style than power, the Touran R-Line Edition is offered with two TSI gasoline engines and three TDI turbo diesel units. Exterior appointments include a new set of 18-inch multispoke alloy wheels wrapped in 225 tires, a matt chrome grille treatment, silver roof rails and cherry red tail lights plus body color protective strips. VW has also added a sport suspension kit that lowers the ride height by 15 mm.VW Touran R-LineInside, the Touran R-Line’s cabin features a three-spoke, flat-bottomed multifunction steering wheel with the ‘R’ logo, sportier seats, leather handbrake and gearbox knob, sport pedals and faux aluminum decorative trim on the dashboard and the door panels.

The company has also upped the Touran’s standard equipment with a higher specification audio system, automatic climate control, CD changer in the armrest and fog lights with VW’s cornering system. In Germany, prices start from €30,800 for the Touran R-Line 1.9 TDI (105HP).

Source – http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/06/volkswagen-touran-gets-bit-sportier.html

More pics:

According to AutoExpress, Volkswagen will unveil an all-new electric concept at this year’s 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The car will follow in the foot steps of the Volkswagen Golf TwinDrive concept and will be solely electric.

Insiders say that the concept will hint at a future model that will rival Vauxhall’s Ampera (the UK version of the Chevrolet Volt). Sources say that the electric-drivetrain is at the advanced stages of development.

Last year, Volkswagen announced that it is testing a fleet of 20 plug-in hybrid Golfs in Berlin and plans on launching a production version by late 2010.

The fleet of Volkswagen’s TwinHybrid Golf concept is powered by a 2.0L turbo-diesel engine making 122-hp. The production version is reported to carry a 1.4L direct-injected 4-cylinder producing up to 100-hp.

A Sanyo produced lithium-ion battery allows the Golf TwinDrive to travel 30 miles on battery-power alone.

Source – http://www.egmcartech.com/2009/05/19/volkswagen-to-unveil-new-electric-concept-at-frankfurt-in-sept/

” Reuters, Wednesday May 6 2009

* Ten brands to be united under one roof
* Working party to come up with plan in four weeks
* Clans meet to try to solve problem of 9 bln eur debt pile
* Porsche SE shares end higher, Volkswagen lower (Recasts story with
Porsche, VW comments)

FRANKFURT, May 6 (Reuters) – Porsche Automobil Holding SE and its Volkswagen unit will create an integrated carmaking group that unites 10 brands under one roof, Porsche said on Wednesday.

The decision emerged from a meeting of the extended clan that owns Porsche and executives from VW, already Europe’s biggest carmaker, to thrash out a strategy for Porsche’s stalled takeover of VW.
“In the final structure ten brands shall stand below an integrative leading company alongside each other, whereby the independence of all brands and explicitly also of Porsche shall be ensured,” a statement said.

It gave no more details for the plan, would it said would include unspecified “capital measures”.
The goal was to work out final details in the next four weeks after talks with VW’s home state of Lower Saxony — which can veto any sweeping changes at VW — and labour leaders.

Volkswagen now has nine brands. The Porsche sports car band is held separately by the holding company owned in turn by the Porsche and Piech families.

Earlier, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on that debt-laden Porsche had abandoned its target of reaching a 75 percent majority holding in Volkswagen.

Porsche said in early January it controls about 51 percent of Volkswagen’s voting shares and had repeatedly said it wants to raise its voting stake to just above 75 percent this year should economic conditions allow.

Worsening conditions on the credit markets have made refinancing Porsche’s 9 billion euros ($11.98 billion) in net debt more difficult.
It has also become tougher to finance the bid for complete financial control over VW, known as a “domination agreement.” Analysts predict Porsche would need at least an additional 13 billion euros to take their stake above 75 percent.

Porsche shares closed up 1.2 percent, while Volkswagen stock eased 0.4 percent, before the news was announced. The more liquid VW preferred shares slipped 1.7 percent. (Reporting by Christiaan Hetzner, Jan Schwartz, Edward Taylor and Philipp Halstrick; Editing by Rupert Winchester) ”

Source – http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8492516

Volkswagen has a major success on its hands with the latest Jetta TDI. Not only has the fuel efficient machine managed to take home nearly every green car award known to man, it’s also been selling in numbers well over its initial sales goal. When the German automaker launched the diesel sedan, it had estimated that about 20% of all units sold would be equipped with an oil-burning engine. In reality, about half of all wagons sold have the TDI mill and about 30% of sedans are so equipped.

For this reason, VW is now expecting that 30% of all 2010 Golf hatchbacks will be sold with the automaker’s 2.0L turbocharged diesel engine when it goes on sale in the U.S. later this year. Interestingly, fellow German automakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz have not seen this kind of success with their latest diesel engines. We imagine that the low price of the Jetta TDI in comparison to its gasoline-powered siblings may have plenty to do with its strong sales numbers.

Source – Autoblog

(These are preliminary and still may change)pdf files:

Golf – http://media.vw.com/article_download.cfm?article_id=10477

GTI – http://media.vw.com/article_download.cfm?article_id=10476

Check out the video: VW CEO interview

Passat CC Wagon

“Volkswagen’s recent announcement that it has overtaken Ford as the world’s third biggest carmaker doesn’t appear as though it will have any effect on the pace of the company’s new model roll out. Set to appear over the next couple of years are the recently revealed Mark VI Golf, new-generation Polo, the up! minicar range, a new roadster and North American sedan, plus all of their respective cabrio and wagon variants. One other possibility is a new wagon based on the Passat CC.Expected to be launched a year from now, this latest rendering gives a good indication as to what a new Passat CC wagon could look like. As suggested by this rendering, the wagon will feature the same sleek profile as the saloon but could also include a slightly longer wheelbase to boost interior space. Seating capacity, however, should remain at enough space for four.

The engine lineup should mirror that of the sedan, which means a base 2.0L TSI engine with 200hp (147kW) and 207lb-ft of torque in the U.S., available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. Available optionally will be a flagship 3.6L FSI, rated at 280hp (206kW) and 266lb-ft of torque. Other markets will feature a base 160hp (105kW) 1.8L: TSI model and two diesel variants developing 140 (90kW) and 170hp (110kW) respectively.

VW marketing chief Detlef Wittig has previously stated that the company expects 60% of CC sales to come from the U.S. alone, which means the wagon would likely be sold on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Source – http://www.motorauthority.com/preview-volkswagen-passat-cc-wagon.html

210hp, 0-60 6.9sec (VW claim)
Check em out:

New MK6 GTI

New rear dual exhaust setup:

MK6 GTI rear exhaust setup

Interior:

New MK6 GTI interior

The Volkswagen Scirocco is proving to be popular with tuners, with German performance shop Caractere also releasing its own hotted-up version of the svelte sports coupe. Caractere’s work on German cars has been well documented, especially some of its creations based on much more expensive vehicles like the Audi A3 and A5.

As for the Scirocco, the fastest model only sports a 200hp (147kW) 2.0L turbo engine so Caractere decided to boost output to the tune of 350hp (257kW). Torque also rises from 207lb-ft (280Nm) to 354lb-ft (480Nm), and the end result sees the coupe accelerate from 0-62mph in less than six seconds. Caractere actually offers a staggered range of upgrades for the Scirocco, with outputs starting at 240hp (176kW) and topping out the aforementioned 350hp (257kW).

The power gains are achieved through a number of methods, including sports exhaust systems, ECU tweaking and uprated turbocharger system. Additionally, Caractere also offers 20in alloy wheels, lowered springs, and a stainless steel muffler.

VW Caractere Scirocco

VW Caractere Scirocco

VW Caractere Scirocco

Source – http://www.motorauthority.com/caractere-joins-growing-list-of-scirocco-tuners.html

“In November Volkswagen unveiled a thinly disguised ‘concept’ of the new Mark VI Golf GTI, one of the most acclaimed hot hatches on the market, and then earlier today the first images of the actual production version hit the web. Following the success of the current-generation Mark V model, there were high expectations for the latest Mark VI model but unfortunately the first tentative details about it are on the disappointing side.

The Mark VI model retains a 2.0L turbo engine but only develops 210hp (155kW) – just 10hp more than the previous model. Top speed has been limited to 148mph (239km/h) and VW claims the car will hit the 62mph (100km/h) benchmark in 7.2 seconds.

According to a new report, VW had a reason to limit the performance of the new Mark VI. That reason is so that it can introduce a high-performance ‘R’ version of the car to replace the outgoing R32.

While it was previously thought that the R label would be used first on a new high-performance version of the Scirocco coupe, Car and Driver is reporting that there will first be a new R-series Golf. Possibly called the Golf R20, the new hot-hatch is expected to deliver 270hp (201kW) and be fitted with a six-speed manual and AWD. A dual-clutch DSG is also expected to be featured as an option. The 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint should fall into the five second bracket and top speed will likely be set somewhat higher than that of the GTI.

The R-series Golf is expected to go on sale in Europe towards the end of the year and be launched in the U.S. in early 2010. The car is expected to make its world debut at this year’s DAC 24-hour race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Incidentally, VW will reportedly unveil a R-series Scirocco coupe at the same event, details of which you can read in our previous story by clicking here.”

Source – http://www.motorauthority.com/report-volkswagen-planning-golf-r-series-for-us.html