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Automotive Intelligence - the web for automotive professionals and car enthusiasts |
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March 05, 2008 This Week:
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With its Golf TDI Hybrid, Volkswagen demonstrates the potential inherent in the combination of a high-tech diesel engine, an electric motor and 7-speed DSG technology. On show for the first time in the world at the Geneva Motor Show, the concept car consumes no more than 3.4 litres of diesel fuel per 100 kilometres. The powerful full-hybrid Golf TDI Hybrid can be run either in internal-combustion mode only or in mixed operation – the powerful yet thrifty combination of TDI and electric motor. The car is also designed to run on emissions-free electric power only. Power transmission to the front axle is managed by a 7-speed DSG gearbox. In city traffic, the automatic stop-start system will even switch off the turbo-diesel when the vehicle is stationary. The Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel being premiered in Geneva marks the beginning of a new era for natural-gas-fuelled automobiles. Until now, passenger cars powered by eco-friendly, low-consumption natural gas have tended to be "mild mannered". The Passat changes that once and for all with its 110-kW / 150-PS TSI engine. And yet the direct-injection turbo engine in the Passat, specifically designed to run on natural gas, consumes no more than 5.2 kilograms of gas per 100 kilometres. The Passat and the Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel are due to be launched on the market around year-end. Volkswagen is continuing its BlueMotion campaign in 2008. The latest model in the series is the Sharan BlueMotion on display for the first time at the Geneva show. With an extremely low average fuel consumption of 6.0 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres, the Sharan BlueMotion uses 0.7 of a litre less than the "conventional" model. By the same token, CO2 emissions are reduced from 177 g/km to 159 g/km. These are first-rate values for a seven-seater van with up to 2,610 litres of cargo volume and a permissible gross vehicle weight of 2,510 kilograms. This Volkswagen is driven by a 103-kW / 140-PS TDI engine complete with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). The BlueMotion option is available in combination with the Trendline and Comfortline equipment packages. Deliveries of the vehicle are scheduled to commence this summer. As of now, Volkswagen is offering the Golf Estate in a version with permanent four-wheel drive. This automobile is designed to enable as much as 100 percent of the engine torque to be transmitted to the rear wheels should extreme circumstances require. This gives the Golf Estate TDI 4Motion the best possible grip even in the most adverse conditions. The 4Motion system is coupled with a fuel-efficient, high-torque TDI engine that delivers 77 KW / 105 PS. The Golf Estate TDI 4Motion accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.9 seconds, has a top speed of 185 km/h and consumes just 6.0 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres. An attractive advantage for drivers with towing requirements is that the Golf Estate TDI 4Motion is permitted to tow as much as 1,500 kilograms on gradients of up to twelve per cent – that’s 100 kilograms more than its front-wheel-drive counterpart. Photos: VW (March 03, 2008)
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