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

“Volkswagen has officially taken the wraps off its diesel-powered GTD ahead of its AMI in Leipzig debut next month. As the name implies the GTD is essentially a diesel-powered version of VW’s hot GTI hatch. Such a model has been rumored since late last year.

The GTD use VW’s 2.0L TDI powerplant, tuned to produce 170 horsepower and 258 b-ft of torque. That power will be sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual or VW’s six-speed DSG gearbox.

Although not as quick as its GTI counterpart, the GTD will make the sprint from 0-62 in 8.1 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 136 mph. The GTD uses only 5.3 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers, which roughly translates into a combined 44 mpg.

Despite the oil-burner up front, the GTD still shares plenty of DNA with its GTI counterpart. The GTD employs 17-inch wheels, a sports-tuned suspension and upgraded brakes. The GTD uses the same front fascia as the GTI, but sports a chrome grille accents instead of red.

Inside the GTD features sport seats and a three-spoke steering wheel with a flattened bottom. A unique black headliner distinguishes the GTD from other Golf models.

The GTD will hit the German market sometime this summer — with a base price of 27,475.00 Euros — but it remains unclear if VW will market the GTD in the States. However, VW is already pushing its diesel technology on the American public in the form of the Jetta TDI, so it remains possible that we could see GTD on our shores in the not-too-distant future. ”

Source – http://www.leftlanenews.com/volkswagen-gtd.html