Volkswagen Unwraps Monster Golf24 with 440HP Five-Cylinder Turbo for 2011 Nürburgring 24-hour Race

Volkswagen has announced that it will compete at this year's 24-hour endurance race at the Nürburgring with an all-new challenger, the freshly developed Golf24. The dramatic racing version of the Golf borrows the 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine from sister company Audi's TT RS and RS3 models, modified to deliver 440-ponies and a maximum torque of 540Nm or 398 lb-ft. Power is transmitted to the permanent four-wheel drive by a sequential six-speed gearbox with paddle shift operation.

The last time Volkswagen fielded a factory Golf for the famous Nürburgring endurance race was in 2007, at which time, the 300HP, front-wheel drive Golf that delivered about 300 hp finished in eighth place overall. For the past three years, the Germans have been competing in the race with the Scirocco GT24.

"With the new Golf24 we are continuing our successful commitment at the Nürburgring 24-hour race," said VW Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "The event enjoys huge popularity, is one of the true classics in motorsport and, due to its extreme distance and unique race track, also represents a very big technical challenge, With our spectacular Golf we want to provide an additional highlight in front of a large audience – right in time for the 35th anniversary of the GTI this year."

The new Golf24 has already reeled off its first circuit miles in Portugal and Italy, but VW will continue the testing and development programme until the Nürburgring racing event that takes place from June 23 to 26.

ABT Does the New VW Golf GTI VI: 260HP and 300HP Versions

You knew it was coming: ABT Sportline's take on the sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI. Building on the basic GTI, the German firm's engineers first turned their motorsport-honed attention to the car's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot that delivers 210HP in standard form. The craftspeople at ABT developed two performance kits for the new GTI, with the first adding the usual ECU and exhaust system upgrades that lift output to 260 horsepower.

In addition to these enhancements, the second kit adds a new turbocharger that helps boost power to 300HP allowing the car to accelerate from rest to 100km/h or 62mph in under 6.0 seconds. In comparison, the factory Golf GTI VI sprints from 0 to 100km/h in 7.2 seconds.

Helping to improve the GTI's handling is a set of lower, stiffer springs plus a high-performance brake system and newly designed 18- or 19-inch alloys wrapped in beefier rubber.

The German tuners also developed an appearance package for the GTI that takes the red pin stripe theme to a new level. The kit consists of a new grille, front bumper with LED daytime lights and a lip spoiler, side skirts, roof spoiler and a rear diffuser that houses two pairs of diagonally positioned tail pipes.

And finally, the tuning folks at ABT upgraded the GTI's interior with red accents on the steering wheel, the instrument gauges the dashboard and the door trims.

ABT said that pricing for the comprehensive sport package for the new GTI will be announced at a later date.

VIDEO: New VW Golf VI GTD, the GTI's Diesel Alter-Ego

For those looking to combine the driving pleasures of the Golf GTI with the fuel savings of a diesel engine, VW has launched the new Golf GTD in Europe. The diesel alter-ego of the GTI is powered by a 2.0-liter TDi producing 170HP and 350Nm or 258lbs of torque, launching the hatch from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in 8.1 sec and on to a top speed of 222km/h or 138mph. And what the GTD lacks in terms of performance compared to the GTI, it compensates with its lower fuel consumption (5.3lt /100km or 44.3mpg US). Hit the jump to watch the first promo video of the new GTD.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

New Volkswagen Golf Estate: Same Car, Different Face

What a busy week it has been for Volkswagen. Following the unveiling of the Scirocco R 265HP, Golf GTI Street 301HP, Golf GTI and Polo Worthersee editions, the German manufacturer today unleashed the new, or shall we say, redesigned Golf Estate. So what's new about the Golf Estate? Well, to sum it up, for the 2010MY, the Estate gains the Golf VI's front fascia and dashboard, tweaked tail lamps, bumpers fully painted in car color in the lower area plus a new 105HP 1.6-liter common rail diesel. And yep, that's about it.

When VW begins accepting European orders for the new Golf Estate this Friday, May 22, buyer will be able to choose from a 1.4 TSI petrol engine with 122HP and two turbo-diesels, the 1.6-liter TDI with 105HP and a 2.0-liter TDI producing 140HP. During the course of the year, VW will enhance the range with the addition of three more naturally aspirated gasoline units developing 80HP, 102HP and another TSI with 160HP.

The base price of the new Golf Estate in Germany, including ESP, six airbags, daytime running lights, roof railing, power windows all around, upshift indicator, power and heated outside mirrors, 1/3 to 2/3 split folding rear bench seat and seatback, central locking with RF remote control, climate control and a maximum 1,495 liters of cargo capacity is € 18,500.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

VW Replaces 1.9 TDI with new 1.6 TDI Engine on the Golf VI Range

Having already introduced its 1.6 TDI engine on the latest generation VW Polo and Seat Ibiza models, Volkswagen has now announced the availability of the newly developed common rail diesel unit that replaces the 1.9-liter TDI on the Golf VI range. In the Golf family, the 1.6-liter diesel that is hooked up to a 5-speed manual gearbox or optionally, a 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DSG), produces an output of 105HP and 250Nm (184-lbs/ft) of torque between 1,500 and 2,500 rpm.

Volkswagen claims that with this engine, the Golf hatchback and Variant models return an average fuel consumption of 4.5 lt/100km (52.3mpg US) while the Golf Plus is rated at 4.8 lt/100km (49mpg US).

In Germany, the Golf 1.6 TDI hatchback is priced from €20,600 while the Golf Variant and Golf Plus 1.6 TDI from €22,450 and €22,275 respectively.

VW Golf Reclaims Its Place as Europe's Best Selling Model in April, Fiesta Sales up 59.2%

With srappage schemes boosting sales across key European markets, VW's Golf reclaimed its crown from Ford's highly successful Fiesta as Europe's best-selling car in April. According to the data provided by Jato Dynamics, the sixth-generation Golf's sales totaled 49,488 units in April representing a 10.9% increase over the same month a year ago. The Fiesta, that topped the European charts in March, finished second continuing to increase its sales across the continent, up 26.7% year-to-date and 59.2% for the month of April for a total of 43,253 sales.

Beyond the VW Golf and Ford Fiesta, small cars dominated the list with the ten best selling cars in Europe in the month of April with the Opel - Vauxhall Corsa taking third place with 35,754 units (+3,7%), the Fiat Punto finishing fourth with 34,340 cars sold (+12.1%) and the Peugeot 207 fifth with 32,310 units that represents a significant -24.9% drop in sales from a year ago. The VW Polo, Fiat Panda, Ford Focus, Opel - Vauxhall Astra and the Renault Clio complete the top-ten list.

Brand wise, VW retained its postion as Europe's best-selling marque in April but with sales down 1.2%, versus 2008. Ford maintained a close second, while Fiat moved up to take third place from Opel - Vauxhall, recording a 6% rise in total sales for April, the only brand to do so this month.

"National government scrappage schemes are really starting to have an impact, both in the sales volumes in different markets and in the type of cars being sold", commented David Di Girolamo, Head of JATO Consult. "The bigger picture shows the size of the drop in new car sales across Europe and we'll continue to monitor this closely for signs of a wider improvement."

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

VW Golf GTI VI Street: Volkswagen Apprentices Build 301HP Study with Unique Mods

And the news just keeps on coming from the Worthersee GTI meeting in Austria. This time it's the new Golf GTI VI study that is the result of the collaborative work of five Volkswagen apprentices: Stefan Becker, 22, Mehmet Cosgun, 20, Saskia Müller, 20 and Michael Riefenberg, 19. Dubbed Golf GTI Street, the modified hot hatch features numerous mechanical and styling upgrades including a more powerful version of the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that has been tweaked to deliver an output of 301 horsepower, up from the standard 2.0 TSI's 210 horsepower. The four-pot is hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission.

The young apprentices sharpened the Golf GTI's handling by tuning the suspension that now comes with a hydraulic height adjustment feature while they also added a beefier brake system borrowed from the last Golf R32. The hatch now rides on a set of 19-inch BBS alloy wheels shod in 225/35 R19 Pirelli rubber.

Beyond the extra power and chassis tweaks, the Golf GTI Street features a two-tone black and white color theme with twin white rally stripes that extend over the bonnet, the roof and back to the rear, a modified front bumper, rear spoiler, tinted rear windows and a new exhaust system with twin tail pipes.

We don't have any photographs of the interior, but according to the German automaker, the GTI Street's interior has been enhanced with a full leather treatment while the apprentices also equipped the car with a new audio system plus an X-Box gaming console.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

VW Golf GTI Special Edition Concept Premieres at Worthersee

Joining the Golf GTI Street 301HP and Polo sport concepts at the GTI meet in Austria, is the Golf GTI 'Worthersee 09' study. Like the Polo, the hot Golf GTI is more about 'show' than 'go' as it relies on the same 2.0-liter TSI with 210HP as the standard production car. The only mechanical updates concern the lowered sport chassis and the more sonorous sport exhaust system. On the outside, the special edition Golf GTI sports a unique "Firespark Metallic" paint finish along with the new smoked LED taillights and a set of 19-inch high-gloss black alloy wheels with contrasting red color 'rings'.

The hot GTI's interior has been treated with high-end aluminum tread plates with "GTI Wörthersee 09" signature, brushed aluminum trim and glossy black painted frames around the air vents.

Furthermore there's a pair of newly designed front sport seats in contrasting black and red nappa leather with "Berry White" leather piping for the outer surfaces and seat center panels made out of a special material called 'Hexagon'.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com