Volkswagen Talk

Volkswagen brings the concept of global platform to another level as it brings this summer a modular platform which will be used for sedans, SUVs, microcars, and crossovers for its biggest brands. The move of Volkswagen is the most ambitious so far among automakers who already shae platforms between brands and segments.

Experts foresee that by 2017, the MQB which is used for the Audi A3 will be seen in about four million units annually or about half of the production of Volkswagen. The move will cut the costs, production time and make the firm more adaptable to the trends in the market.

The platform will standardize the positioning of the engine and the distance between the pedal box and the front axle. Depending on the model, the wheelbase, length, and width can adjust with no problem.

The use of the global platform brings a ton of advantage but also brings a ton of risks. The concept is basically untested and might be a big liability in case there will be a need for a massive recall. Come 2017, the MQB will be used in 40 models under the brands Audi, Seat, Skoda, and Volkswagen. The VW Golf and the Audi A3 are the first units to use the platform and will go in sale this year in Europe and in the U.S. by next year.

Car manufacturers are looking for ways to decrease their cost of production and also boost the profits as they widen their market globally and Volkswagen had to come up with a bold move looking at the scale of its line up of 200 models.

The MQB platform started taking shape in 2007 as Ulrich Hackenberg became a board member of the R&D of VW after having developed a modular base for Audi.

There are two more global platforms in place, the MSB which is used for sports cars with rear engines and the MLB which is utilized for bigger units that have longitudinally mounted powerplants.

VW is the second highest ranking carmaker in terms of sales following GM. Experts forecast that VW will be selling around 4 million vehicles using the MQB platform by 2017.

During the auto show in Detroit back in 2009, Volkswagen unwrapped their BlueSport Concept. The representatives of the company then said that the midengine VW roadster was heading to the production line and might also be used as a platform for a baby Boxter of Porsche and a version for Audi.

The VW BlueSport actually just needed some minor tweaks from its form as a concept vehicle before it hit the production line and it is perfectly an excellent base for a rear wheel drive, open top version for potential buyers. This was the story coming from the top engineer of Volkswagen during an interview.

Audi has declared that a smaller two-seater should be added to its range as the R4 while Porsche is still figuring out if making a baby version of their Boxster will hurt their sales.

For Volkswagen fans though comes a bad news as the company decided to put on hold the production of the BlueSport Roadster because of the forecast that it might not sell enough to make the vehicle viable. The issue here is not with the design nor the technology but the volume of sales that is needed to be met so production makes sense.

In order to green light from the headquarters of the big bosses of VW, the BlueSport Roadster must at least be delivered to 50,000 garages every year. The sales team of VW does not see the car to be a big hit in the US which is the biggest roadster market in the world, so the project is on hold.

Even though the car manufacturer wants to increase its sales by as much as 300%, the company realizes though that releasing a niche product is not among their top priority at the moment. The focus will be on the core models of the VW lineup and not the portfolio models like the VW BlueSport Roadster.

German carmaker Volkswagen just announced its official tag price for the 2012 Beetle in the UK. The new VW Beetle can be yours starting at £16,490 OTR. The Beetle will be arriving in showrooms in the UK by next spring but the company is accepting orders now.

For their British market, Volkswagen will provide two petrol engine options including a 1.2L TSI which gives out 105 horsepower and the 1.4L TSI that is capable of giving out 160 HP. The former is coupled with a DSG transmission with seven speeds while the latter is linked with a 6-speed manual transmission.

There will be 3 trim levels to choose from: Design, Beetle, and Sport. The Beetle and the Design trim that uses the 1.2L engine will have a tag price of £16,490 while the Sport or Design trim using the 1.4L powerplant will be priced at £19,470.

The Beetle based model will have an air conditioning, central locking with remote, DAB radio and CD system, plus the Isofix seats as standard.

The Design variant will have 17 inch rims, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, alarm system, fog lights in front, RCD 510 sound setup, multifunction steering wheel with leather treatment, and dashboard and door panels following the color of the car’s body.

The top of the line Sport trim will have 18 inch rims, tint, sports seats, cruise control, parking sensors, climate control, and gloss black treatment for the door panel, dashboard, and door mirrors.

VW promises to enhance the range of the Beetle in the UK market with the introduction of more powerplants which will include the 105 HP diesel 1.6L TDI BlueMotion; 140 HP 2.0L petrol TSI engine; and the 1.2L TSI engine that is linked with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Sometime in June 2011, the German brand Volkswagen revealed for the first time its brand new technology, the TAP system or Temporary Automated Pilot system at the HAVEit event or Highly Automated Vehicle for Intelligent Transport that was held in Boras City, Sweden.

With the VW’s Temporary Automated Pilot (TAP) system, a car model is able to run smoothly using all of its safety systems that have been activated. The TAP system can run the car without any involvement of the person driving. Press releases say that this VW technology can accelerate the car for up to 80 mph or 130 km/h. The TAP system steers, brakes, and accelerates automatically while still complying with speed limitations. Moreover, it won’t let you overtake if you will are coming thru the right side but in several cases, the driver can still overtake on the right side if the situation calls for it.

The German carmaker along with HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicle for Intelligent Transport), have recently shown a short video about the new TAP system equipped in a Volkswagen Passat model. The video has gone viral and has made a good effort in demonstrating the new VW feature to its patrons. But of course, it’s still a matter of personal choice if you want to hand over the car controls to an automated system, which is probably a good idea for those who do their makeup on the road. Anyway, regardless of personal preferences, the new VW TAP system is another pat on the back for the car industry’s technology.

Watch the VW TAP video below:

The 2012 Eos updated by Volkswagen will be under the spotlight during the upcoming auto show in Los Angeles this November. The reworked convertible will hit the European market by mid January and the United States by spring.

Volkswagen gives us some appetizer through early images of the car which features a redesigned front end and tail. They also have a teaser of the car’s interior.

The new Eos will get a new set of LED headlights, new grilled, and a new bumper with diffuser for the rear.

The panel features multifunction instruments with color display, keyless ignition system, automatic headlamps, and 2^nd generation parking assist.  The keyless system gives consumers a remote control to open and close the roof of the Eos. The new headlamps also come with an assist technology that adjusts the light from dipped to the main beam or back depending on the traffic conditions.

At present, the Eos uses a 200 horsepower, 4 cylinder, direct injected 2.0L  powerplant for its release in the U.S. The 2011 Eos has a sticker price of $33,710 that includes shipping. We don’t expect a lot of changes with the figures for this updated VW convertible.

Early info has the 2012 Eos for the European market at $39,929 with different engine options for both diesel and gasoline.

Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. The Volkswagen Group has taken the #1 spot from Japanese carmaker Toyota as the biggest automaker in the world. The Vokswagen Group, which now has brands like Porsche as part of its fleet, has produced about 4.4 million units so far in 2009 according to reports.

Toyota is not really that far beyond. The Japanese carmaker’s figures are also very significant but their 4 million vehicles since January is not fit to defend their position against Volkswagen.

The survey was released by the IHS Global Insight. They see that the laws being implemented by the governments of Germany, the United Kingdom, and China are reflected on the performance of the German automaker.

The group further explains that the call of Toyota to cut their production by as much as 50% during the first quarter of 2009 has affected their position in the market and helped how VW faired. Toyota’s output plan is just to produce 7.24 million units until the end of the year compared to their production in 2008 reaching 9.24 million vehicles.

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The Volkswagen Scirocco R was unveiled in Europe recently and is set to hit the showrooms when it goes on sale this summer. Although the potent performance car from VW will not hit the US market, the new generation of VW Golf will be getting the powertrain of the Scirocco R.

The downsizing of engine is all over the auto industry giving cars like the Scirocco R more power without sacrificing fuel efficiency. The lighter engine that also has lower carbon emission provides a better driving experience for car owners.

The next VW Golf following the R32 due for release in the United States early 2010 will be sporting a turbocharged 265 hp 2.0L engine. The four cylinder powerplant is also the heart of the Scirocco R. The previous generation of the R32 runs on a 250 horsepower naturally aspirated powerplant.

The engine of the new gen of Golf R32 is part of the EA113 Volkswagen engine lineup. The Golf GTi, on the other hand, uses the 2.0L engine similar to the basic Scirocco release which uses an engine from the EA888 line.

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Volkswagen, like other car manufacturers, explores the possibilities of going green with its BlueMotion Technologies partners with Toshiba as it looks at greater possibilities for greener energy resources.

Toshiba is like the General Electric of Japan. The company has been producing simple gadgets to laptops, and exploring other energy resources like solar, hydro, and nuclear.

In line with their thrust, Toshiba has long been looking at the hybrid car market and the electric car potentials. The Japanese company has been developing SCIB or a supercharged ion battery that can power a laptop or can be used by cars.

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