Volkswagen is unveiling the second new R model in its current lineup at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Golf R shares its basic underpinnings with the recently-unveiled Scirocco R. It also adds VW’s 4Motion AWD to its architecture. Replacing the heavy naturally aspirated 3.2-litre V6 found in the Golf V R32 is a 2.0-litre petrol turbo engine. Power is 195kW (265hp) and torque is around the 350Nm mark. The 0 – 100km/h time should be covered in about 6.5 seconds for the 6-speed manual and 6.4 seconds for the DSG model. These figures compare very well with the Audi S3 and the TT S with which the Golf R shares its engine. If you thought it would be a basic upgrade on the GTI you’d be wrong. The car features a host of changes including new front grille with LED daytime running lights, a different set of wheels, R side sills, R badging at the rear and those twin tailpipes almost come together in the middle. The interior is much sportier as well with two-tone sports seats, aluminum pedals and R badging in places like the flat-bottomed steering wheel. The good news for US fans is that the Golf R is headed for North America according to reports, although nothing has been confirmed for its 3-door Scirocco relative.

Hi Res pics can be found here:  http://www.worldcarfans.com/109091421719/vw-golf-r-uncovered-ahead-of-frankfurt-debut/highphotos

WOLFSBURG, GERMANY – May 22, 2009: Ahead of the Nürburgring 24-hour race which takes place this weekend, Volkswagen Motorsport has released a unique video clip of part of the world’s most difficult race track, aptly named the ‘Green Hell’. The Nordschleife of the Nürburgring, which was inaugurated in 1927, meanders up and down through the Eifel landscape – a maze of turns that will make the hearts of fans and drivers beat faster at the 24-hour race.

The whole ‘Green Hell’ is shown on a unique video clip, shot by a camera attached to the spoiler lip of the Scirocco GT24, barely 10 centimetres above the Tarmac. It reveals the Nordschleife in low-level flight, just the race track, the woods, the blue Eifel sky, and nothing else – in other words, not your typical cockpit perspective.

The 16:9 video can be viewed at

www.volkswagen-motorsport.com/green_hell

Direct Video links below, just copy and paste the URL in your browser:

http://www.volkswagen-motorsport.com/web/movie/movieInter.php?st=369&lg=e&dat=090512_SciroccoGT24_CleanLab.flv

http://www.volkswagen-motorsport.com/web/movie/movieInter.php?st=369&lg=e&dat=090512_SciroccoGT24_Testfahrten_NBR.flv

The driver of this lap was the Swede Jimmy Johansson, last year’s winner of the 2.0-litre turbo class in the Scirocco GT24, who will contest the 24-hours on the Nürburgring this weekend in one of the five Scirocco cars again. A second version shows the lap with picture-in-picture superimpositions of the cockpit work of the Volkswagen drivers.

‘This video conveys a lot of the Nordschleife fascination,’ says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. ‘Viewers receive a clear impression of how tough and long this race track is and the kind of work the drivers have to do lap by lap.’

Source: VAGOC

The engine used is the 2.0-litre TFSI four-cylinder unit. But instead of the usual 147kW (200hp) or 155kW (211hp), it makes a hair-tingling 221kW (301hp). The transmission unit is a 6-speed manual.

Exterior kit is made of 19-inch wheels with 225/35 Pirelli tyres, a custom stainless steel exhaust system, a modified front bumper, xenon headlights, a slide / Exhibitor electric glass roof, brake discs with “GTI” holes, darkened side and rear windows and a rear spoiler. The suspension system installed is adjustable.

The interior mirrors the exterior as far as the black and white colour combination goes. ICE is plentiful, reflecting the spirit of the car’s creators. It includes a 26-inch Samsung screen, an Xbox 360 console and a modified sound system.

Other changes were made to include new carpets from the VW Accessories wardrobe, different door handles, a leather multifunction steering wheel, park pilot and sports front seats.

Source and article: WCF

The VW Golf GTI “Wörthersee 09″ has been seen. Now it’s the turn of little brother Polo Woerthersee 09, a sort of preview of what a higher performance Polo could look like. The Polo Woerthersee 09 is actually based on a standard 1.4 MPI Polo with 63kW (83hp).

Painted in the same flaming red colour as the Golf GTI “Wörthersee 09″, the Polo features two contrasting black rally stripes that flow from the bottom front bumper all the way to the rear bumper. The black color is also found on the front mesh grille, the backdrop of the headlights, and on the side mirrors. The five-blade 18-inch alloys that are wrapped by low profile tyres are highlighted in black as well. While the single tailpipe remains, its sound has been enhanced to reflect the sporty nature of the rest of the car.

The interior received black nappa leather seats with contrasting white sides and red stitching. This stitching is also found around the flat-bottomed leather steering wheel, on the handbrake lever, the gear lever and the door trims.

Volkswagen has officially unveiled the highly anticipated 2010 Scirocco R.

Under the hood, the new Scirocco uses a modified version of the previous Golf GTI’s 2.0-liter engine which produces 265 hp and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque. Power flows to the front wheels through either the standard six-speed manual transmission or the optional dual-clutch DSG gearbox. Thanks to this unique setup, the Scirocco R runs from 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds (6.4 seconds with DSG) before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155mph).

Of course true performance is more than just horsepower, so Volkswagen went to work equipping the R with a variety of upgrades. Among the items engineers included are a lowered sports suspension with more aggressive dampers and springs, an electronic XDS differential and massive 345mm (13.6-inch) front and 310mm (12.2-inch) rear brakes.

As with many hot hatches, VW decided to spruce up the already sexy Scirocco exterior by adding an aggressive front bumper with massive air intakes, LED daytime running lights, new side skirts, a slightly altered grille, and beautiful 18-inch wheels (19-inchers are optional). The sporty styling continues out back as the Scirocco R receives a redesigned rear bumper, a roof spoiler, and darkened tail lights.

The interior also gets a modest makeover thanks to the addition of sporty bucket seats, a redesigned instrument cluster, a flat bottomed steering wheel, and plenty of aluminum trim.

Look for the new Scirocco R to start arriving at European VW dealers this fall.

Volkswagen has announced they will commemorate this year’s Wörthersee love fest by building a series of limited edition Golf GTIs.

Dubbed the GTI “Wörthersee 09″, the special edition features a unique Firestone Park Metallic exterior, glossy black 19-inch wheels with red accents, and darkened LED tail lights. Interior tweaks include brushed aluminum trim, glossy black air vent surrounds, and redesigned sport seats with exclusive upholstery.

As with all GTI’s, the Wörthersee 09 comes equipped with a 2.0-liter TSI engine which produces 155 kW (210 PS) that allows the car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds before hitting a top speed of 238 km/h (148 mph). Other performance features include a lowered sports suspension and a new exhaust system which promises to deliver thrilling sounds.

If my german serves me well, it translates to:

“first graduate a driver safety training, afterwards drive GTI”

Furthermore, the Golf received the highest overall rating of any vehicle. In the latest rating of the EuroNCAP all safety and assistant systems of the individual vehicles are now being assessed. Up until now, safety systems such as the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), which is fitted in the Golf as standard, were not taken into account in the evaluation.

Since February 2009, a vehicle must receive a minimum value in all four categories (adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection, safety assist) as well as in the overall assessment to gain a five star award. The process in use up to now had been applied since 1997 and only tested the frontal crash, the side crash and pedestrian protection. In the new assessment procedure, electronic safety and assistant systems which help to prevent accidents and avoid serious injury are also included in the evaluation.

In addition, a rear crash test which will provide information on the load on the cervical spine is part of the new evaluation scheme. Volkswagen has responded to this kind of injury to the spine in the new Golf with “Whiplash-optimised head restraints” (WOKS). In comparison, the protective potential of WOKS was clearly better in the corresponding tests than the bio-mechanical figures of numerous active systems.

The new EuroNCAP rating has further advantages for the consumer: using the new overview evaluation, customers can quickly determine the overall safety rating of a vehicle and also make easy comparisons.

[Source: GermanCarScene]

source and article: Volkswagen AG Press Release, VW Vortex

Wolfsburg / Geneva, 02 March 2009 – No other car in this class has such a mature and high-end image as the new Polo. Comfort, quality and safety have all taken a considerable leap forward. One example: the Polo was specifically designed to attain the recently established, stricter and more comprehensive, 5-star EuroNCAP rating. The higher structural rigidity of the Polo’s bodyshell contributes to these results. In the footwell area alone, intrusion – related to the car body’s deformation strength in a frontal crash – was lowered by 50 percent! In the case of a side impact, the intrusion value was reduced by 20 percent.

Standard equipment for safety

In addition, the European version of the Polo now being presented is equipped with standard ESP electronic stabilization program with Hill Hold Control, and it has a highly effective network of airbags on board, including combined head-thorax airbags (integrated in the front seatbacks), belt tensioners and belt force limiters plus seatbelt warning indicator and head restraints that counteract the risk of whiplash injury (both front seats), three rear head restraints and Isofix child seat preparation.

Weight down, fuel consumption down

Despite significant improvements in all aspects of the car, it was possible to reduce the Polo’s body weight by 7.5 percent. The introduction of new TDI and TSI engines, as well as the 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DSG), has resulted in considerably reduced fuel consumption and emissions over a wide range of engine power outputs. An excellent example here is the new 1.2 TSI. This turbo-charged four-cylinder direct injection gasoline engine produces 77 kW / 105 PS, yet it consumes just 5.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (129 g/km CO2); this is 19 percent less than on the equivalent model of the previous generation!

In total, seven different engines will be offered on the new Polo in its first year – four gasoline and three diesel – spanning a power range from 44 kW / 60 PS to 77 kW / 105 PS. Five of these engines are entirely new or are being used for the first time in the Polo.

The new engines include all three TDIs (turbo-diesel direct-injection); thanks to the implementation for the first time of common rail technology in the Polo, these engines are both efficient and refined. The potential in the new TDI engines is clearly evident in the example of the Polo 1.6 TDI with 66 kW / 90 PS: when combined with a “BlueMotion package”, its average fuel consumption of 3.8 liters per 100 kilometers and 96 g/km CO2 makes it the most fuel efficient and lowest emitting five-seater diesel in the world. The “BlueMotion package” may be combined with any of the three equipment lines developed for the Polo. Available for selection here are the base version “Trendline”, the mid-level “Comfortline” and the top of the line “Highline”.

Individually combinable high-tech features

Options that Polo drivers will be able to order on their new Volkswagen include static turning lights integrated in the front fog lights, (from “Comfortline” up), side curtain airbags (head airbag system for front and rear passengers), radio and radio-navigation systems and integrated hands-free telephone systems. A panorama sunroof and bi-xenon headlights will follow at a later time.

Market launch starts the end of June

Start of production of the five-door Polo is scheduled for the end of March. This will be followed, starting in the last week in June, by the market launch of the visually and technically advanced new edition of the million unit bestseller in Germany. Just two weeks later, thanks to an ambitious logistics plan, Volkswagen will begin selling the car across mainland Europe, and soon Polo engines will be revving up across all continents.

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