2012 vw beetle

Volkswagen is currently preparing the next generation Beetle city car. It will be previewed by a concept version in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show with a production version to follow in 2011.

The 2012 Beetle will be built on a new chassis with wider tracks and a longer wheelbase and will feature MacPherson struts suspensions at the front and a torsion beam at the rear. Engine line-up will include a 105bhp 1.2, a 160bhp 1.4 and a 210bhp 2.0 liter. The US market will also get a 170bhp 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. Diesel line-up will include the new 105bhp 1.6 and a 140bhp 2.0 liter.

In an interview with AutoCar, a Volkswagen insider said: "It is more contoured, with additional structuring and defined feature lines used to help to break up the simple surfacing and unadorned character of the current model. The screen angles are less extreme and the roof structure is less rounded than it is at the moment."

2011 Volkswagen Beetle

2011 Volkswagen Jetta

VW Polo, 1975

VW Polo, 1975

 

The Mk I Polo, a rebadged version of the Audi 50, was introduced in 1975. The differences between the Audi and VW models were minor, with the Polo being cheaper and much more basic. The two cars were initially sold along side each other, but the Audi 50 never sold as well, and was withdrawn in 1978. The Polo was manufactured at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg. In 1977, the Derby sedan was released, which was simply a Polo, identical to the hatchback from the C-pillar forward, with a large boot attached (an old Audi proposal, but never sold by this brand).

When first on sale the range topping car, the LS model, featured the 50 PS (37 kW) 1043 cc engine found in the Audi 50. Other specifications included parking lights, rear wash wipe, sun visors, chromed bumpers and 4.5J X 13" wheels. The N model was the basic starting spec lacking many of the features of the LS. In 1979 the GLS was introduced, replacing the LS as the range-topping car; specification upgrades included chrome headlight and grill surrounds, sunroof, a cigarette lighter and chrome wheel trims.

895 cc, 1093 cc and 1272 cc engines were used, with the smaller one used only in the Polo hatchback, and the 1272 cc only in the Derby, Audi 50, and the rare Polo GT. Different levels of compression were used on each size to achieve different power outputs, and the variations are numerous, often differing depending on the country of sale, ranging from 35 to 60 PS (26 to 44 kW).

Mk IF (1979-1981)
The Mk I Polo and Derby were facelifted in 1979 (Mk IF) with plastic bumpers, a different front grille and a revised dashboard. The round headlights of the Derby were replaced with square ones, bringing it inline with the similar Golf-based Jetta sedan.

Further models were added including CLS, S and an out run LX model. The Mk I's production run finally ended in October 1981 with over 500,000 Polos sold worldwide.

VW Golf I, 1974

VW Golf I, 1974

 

The first Golf began production in 1974. Marketed in the United States and Canada from 1975 to 1984 as the Volkswagen Rabbit and in Latin America as the Volkswagen Caribe, it featured the water-cooled, front wheel drive design pioneered by the Citroën Traction Avant in 1934 with the addition of a hatchback pioneered by the Renault 4 in 1961. The Golf was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1975. The name is short for Golf-Strom, German for Gulf Stream; it was named for that oceanic current to reflect its international character. It was originally named the Rabbit in North America and the Caribe in Latin America, ironically, because marketers decided that no one in the Western Hemisphere would understand the European name.

While the Golf was not the first design with this layout (earlier examples being the Austin and Morris Mini of 1959, the Austin Maxi in the late 1960s and the Fiat 128 3P of the early 1970s), it was very successful, especially since it married these features with Volkswagen's reputation for solid build-quality and reliable engineering.

The Golf was designed by Italian automobile architect / designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, of the ItalDesign design studio. A version of this original Golf model, known as the Volkswagen CitiGolf, is still produced in South Africa as an entry level car.

In 1978, Volkswagen commenced producing the Rabbit version of the Mk1 Golf in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, thus becoming the first European car manufacturer in modern times to produce a vehicle in the United States. Former Chevrolet executive James McLernon was chosen to run the factory, which was built to lower the cost of the Rabbit in North America by producing it locally. Unfortunately, McLernon tried to "Americanize" the Rabbit by softening the suspension and using cheaper materials for the interior. VW purists in America and company executives in Germany were displeased, and for the 1983 model year the Pennsylvania plant went back to using stiffer shocks and suspension with higher-quality interior trim. The plant also began producing the GTI for the North American market. (Rabbits were built in Pennsylvania through 1984.) The first VW Caddy pick-up, based on the Mk1 Golf, was also created at the Pennsylvania plant.

The GTI version, launched in Europe in 1976 and in the US in 1983, virtually created the hot hatch genre overnight, and many other manufacturers since have created special sports models of their regular volume selling small hatchbacks. It was one of the first small cars to adopt fuel injection for its sports version, which raised power output of the 1588 cc engine to 110 PS (81 kW/108 hp). In 2004, Sports Car International announced the GTI Mk I as the 3rd best car of the 1980s. In the United States, the Mk1 Golf GTI was known as the Rabbit GTI.

There was a minor facelift in 1980 for North American versions only, which saw the adoption of larger rear lamp clusters (more in line with Guigiaro's original concepts), larger bumpers, square headlights and a new dashboard with a more modern-looking instrument display.

The convertible version, named the Cabriolet, was sold from 1980 to 1993 (a convertible version of the Golf II was not made, so the Mk1 cabrio with slight modification was produced until the introduction of the Mk III cabrio). It had a reinforced body, transverse roll bar, and a high level of trim. The A1 Volkswagen convertible is of unibody construction built entirely at the factory of Karmann, from stamping to final assembly; Volkswagen supplied the engine, suspension, interior, etc. for Karmann to install. The vinyl tops were insulated and manually operated, with a glass rear window.

As of 2006, Volkswagen of South Africa still manufactures two first generation Golfs, the four-door "Citi" Golf and the "Pickup".

VW Passat Variant, 1973

VW Passat Variant, 1973

The original VW Passat was launched in 1973. The body types offered originally were 2- and 4-door sedans and similar looking three- and five-door versions. Externally all four shared a modern fastback style design, styled by the Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro). All the versions sharing the same external design was unusual, since two of the models were traditional sedans with a separate trunk. A five-door station wagon was introduced in 1974. Passat was effectively a less expensive version of the Audi 80 (Fox) sedan which had been introduced a year earlier and which had a more conservative body style, so that the Audi and Volkswagen models had distinct body styles and image. In Europe, Passat was equipped with hexagonal or single round or double round headlights depending on specification.

In North America, the car was called the Dasher, and was only available with round DOT-spec lights. The three-door hatchback model was launched in North America in 1975.

VW Passat was one of the most modern European family cars at the time, and was intended as a replacement for the ageing Volkswagen Type 3, and as a contemporary rival for popular Ford Taunus/Cortina) and Opel Ascona/Vauxhall Cavalier. The Passat was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1974 and its sister model Audi 80 was nominated car of the year by the European motor press a year earlier. The platform was named B1.

The Passat used the 4 cylinder OHC 1.3 L, 1.5 L, and 1.6 L petrol engines, also used in the Audi 80—longitudinally mounted with front wheel drive, in Audi tradition, with either a 4-speed manual transmission or 3-speed automatic. It had a MacPherson strut front suspension with a solid axle/coil spring setup in back.

The SOHC 1.5 produced 75 PS (55 kW) and was enlarged to 1.6 L for 1975. The larger engine included tighter emissions controls, so power output dropped to 70 PS (52 kW). Bosch fuel injection on the 1.6 was introduced in 1976 and brought power up to 78 PS (57 kW).

The whole range received a facelift in 1977 (launched 1978 outside Europe), featuring an interior upgrade and subtly revised styling including repositioned indicators and quad (round) headlights on all models. This generation was sold in Brazil well into the 1980s and extensively exported to Iraq, where many are still on the road. It was also assembled in Nigeria.

1979 saw the introduction of the Volkswagen Golf's 1.5 L Diesel engine, which produced just 48 PS (35 kW) in the 1130 kg (2500 lb) car. 0–100 km/h time for the Diesel was 19.4 seconds, 6.2 seconds slower than the gasoline (petrol) engine. Still, all gasoline engines were dropped for North America in 1981 in preparation for the next generation car the next year.

2010 Volkswagen Kai-Nalu Concept Design Study - Volkswagen Sport Car

Josep Ferriol is a graduate of Universidad Politécnica de Valencia in Spain, and a designer. Josep Ferriol created this concept car design study called the Volkswagen Kai-Nalu, a wild child with extremely exotic looks, as part of his thesis.

2010Volkswagen Kai-Nalu

The Volkswagen Kai-Nalu is a concept sports car designed by Spanish designer Josep Ferriol. The vehicle is futuristic sports car and is inspired by the waves of the Mediterranean Sea as they smash into the shoreline. The Kai-Nalu also includes a flowing glass upper section, which has been designed to mimic the sea.

The Volkswagen Concept Josep Ferriol includes the clear roof, highly stylised wheels and an electric drivetrain with two separate motors and design of Kai-Nalu is somewhat controversial and certainly no please everyone. But in a world where there are many supercars that follow the same formula and same style, the Volkswagen Kai-Nalu is refreshing and different.

Ferriol is quite aware of how bold and probably controversial the Kai-Nalu would be, given the tendency for certain modern cars to follow similar design patterns.

Designed to be powered by a zero-emission electric engine, the vehicle features highly stylized wheels which have been inspired by the appearance of bicycle wheels.

VW Passat, 1973

VW Passat, 1973

 

The original VW Passat was launched in 1973. The body types offered originally were 2- and 4-door sedans and similar looking three- and five-door versions. Externally all four shared a modern fastback style design, styled by the Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro). All the versions sharing the same external design was unusual, since two of the models were traditional sedans with a separate trunk. A five-door station wagon was introduced in 1974. Passat was effectively a less expensive version of the Audi 80 (Fox) sedan which had been introduced a year earlier and which had a more conservative body style, so that the Audi and Volkswagen models had distinct body styles and image. In Europe, Passat was equipped with hexagonal or single round or double round headlights depending on specification.

In North America, the car was called the Dasher, and was only available with round DOT-spec lights. The three-door hatchback model was launched in North America in 1975.

VW Passat was one of the most modern European family cars at the time, and was intended as a replacement for the ageing Volkswagen Type 3, and as a contemporary rival for popular Ford Taunus/Cortina) and Opel Ascona/Vauxhall Cavalier. The Passat was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1974 and its sister model Audi 80 was nominated car of the year by the European motor press a year earlier. The platform was named B1.

The Passat used the 4 cylinder OHC 1.3 L, 1.5 L, and 1.6 L petrol engines, also used in the Audi 80—longitudinally mounted with front wheel drive, in Audi tradition, with either a 4-speed manual transmission or 3-speed automatic. It had a MacPherson strut front suspension with a solid axle/coil spring setup in back.

The SOHC 1.5 produced 75 PS (55 kW) and was enlarged to 1.6 L for 1975. The larger engine included tighter emissions controls, so power output dropped to 70 PS (52 kW). Bosch fuel injection on the 1.6 was introduced in 1976 and brought power up to 78 PS (57 kW).

The whole range received a facelift in 1977 (launched 1978 outside Europe), featuring an interior upgrade and subtly revised styling including repositioned indicators and quad (round) headlights on all models. This generation was sold in Brazil well into the 1980s and extensively exported to Iraq, where many are still on the road. It was also assembled in Nigeria.

1979 saw the introduction of the Volkswagen Golf's 1.5 L Diesel engine, which produced just 48 PS (35 kW) in the 1130 kg (2500 lb) car. 0–100 km/h time for the Diesel was 19.4 seconds, 6.2 seconds slower than the gasoline (petrol) engine. Still, all gasoline engines were dropped for North America in 1981 in preparation for the next generation car the next year.

2010 VolksWagen Cars Beetle Bio-Bug Powered by Sewage Waste

Mohammed Saddiq, general manager of GENeco, has another idea, which would take something that's normally thought of as waste, and turn it into a way to power a vehicle. The prototype  2010 VolksWagen Cars Beetle Bio-Bug is powered by methane gas which is produced from human waste at sewage works. Another environmentally friendly car has been shown to the world today by Wessex Water in England.

2010 VolksWagen Cars Beetle Bio-Bug Powered by Sewage Waste. The Bio-Bug is a project from Wessex Water, a sewage treatment company in England. Now there’s Bio-Bug, a VW Beetle that runs on the methane gas generated at a sewage treatment plant, reports The Telegraph. Wessex Water, near Bristol, England, says that human waste from the toilets of 70 homes can power the Bio-Bug for a year.

2010 VolksWagen Cars Beetle Bio-Bug Powered by Sewage Waste

GENeco believes that more gas will be produced at its Avonmouth site when the company embarks on its latest green venture to recycle food waste. Mr Saddiq said: “Waste flushed down the toilets in homes in the city provides power for the Bio-Bug, but it won’t be long before further energy is produced when food waste is recycled at our sewage works.

At first glance, the Beetle appears to be a publicity stunt for GENeco, which owns a number of waste treatment sites in the U.K. But consider this: A single sewage treatment plant in Bristol, England generates 18 million cubic meters of biogas each year. The Bio-Bug squeezes out 5.3 miles per cubic meter of biogas. So just one sewage treatment plant could keep cars running for 5,400,000 miles each year, according to the British Daily Mail.

The Volkswagen Beetle dubbed the “Bio-Bug” was built for GENeco by UK’s The Greenfuel Company. The Bio-Bug’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine was converted to run on biogas and still hit about 114 miles per hour. However, the Bio-Bug uses regular unleaded gas to start, then switches over to methane automatically once it’s running. GENeco, a company owned by Wessex Water, supplied the equipment to treat the gas. “If you were to drive the car you wouldn’t know it was powered by biogas, as it performs just like any conventional car,” said Mohammed Saddiq, general manager of GENeco, in the release.

Mr. Saddiq explained that GENeco had been supplying treated compressed methane gas to generate electricity for the plant site and exported to the National Grid. The fuel for the Bio-Bug was surplus gas “we had available” and “we wanted to put it to good use in a sustainable and efficient way.”

The Bio-Bug was built by the Greenfuel Company, which specializes in converting gas cars to run on liquified petroleum gas.

2010 VolksWagen Cars Beetle Bio-Bug Powered by Sewage Waste

“The choice of car was inspired by students who took part in a workshop. They thought it would be appropriate that the poo-powered car should be the classic VW Beetle Bug because bugs naturally breakdown waste at sewage works to start the treatment process which goes on to produce the energy.”

Brilliant! Now, that’s a great marketing hook.

2010 Volkswagen Sports Cars - VW Solar Powered Supercar Concept

It is a luxury supercar, it will only be built in a limited number of 200 units. It was designed to be able to cruise around in the year 2020. Volkswagen supercar presented at the 2010 Swansea Metropolitan University Degree Show in automotive design by Peter Wilkins not only promises to run by solar power with greater efficiency but also offers a competitive design styling.

2010 Volkswagen Sports Cars - VW Solar Powered Supercar Concept

Peter Wilkins has designed one helluva eco-friendly car for the 2010 Swansea Metropolitan University Degree Show. His supercar would run off of an electric motor powered by photovoltaic cells, or a hydrogen fuel cell stack. Peter Wilkins’ design is one of the sexiest eco-cars I have ever seen. Making earth-friendly cars that look good is a great idea.

The unique design of Wilkins permits each of the four wheels of the vehicle to be driven by an independent electric motor powered by solar energy stored in photovoltaic (PV) cells. The upper external surface of the vehicle stores the PV cells that further supply power to the mid-mounted hydrogen fuel-cell stack, which is directly linked to the electric motors. Placement of the PV cells and hydrogen fuel-cell stack form an integral part of the elegant design of the eco car that looks like part of a supercar.

The “VW Solar Powered Supercar” by designer Peter Wilkins is a concept car that demonstrates the aesthetic aspect of eco-friendly vehicles to attract more people toward sustainable commuting.

Simply known as the “VW Solar Powered Supercar”, this vehicle shows how just clean and green travel can get, and fast too. To power up, the car turns its face away from the smelly gas pump and integrates photovoltaic cells in its body instead. It uses these to juice up with solar power.

 2010 Volkswagen Sports Cars - VW Solar Powered Supercar Concept

The energy generated is used to power up a mid-mounted hydrogen fuel cell stack, resulting in a drive without the smoke and the pitch-black carbon footprint supercars usually leave behind these days.

2011 Volkswagen Beetle Ragster Concept Car Second Generation

Volkswagen to Launch the 2011 Beetle Based on the Beetle Ragster Concept car. Continued development of second generation of the Volkswagen Beetle that will be presented this year in November, as a concept car at the Salon in Los Angeles. Volkswagen is working on the second-generation of the new Beetle. The new car is expected to make a debut in concept form at the 2010 LA Motor Show later this year and will go on sale in 2011. A second generation Volkswagen Beetle will be launched next year, which would have more focus on driving dynamics rather than retro styling. The production version will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011, and the year after arriving variant Cabriolet.
The Beetle will continue to be assembled in the plant in Puebla, Mexico, where it will be produced also the new Jetta. The two cars will share the new platform, characterized by a large step that will provide more cabin space for Beetle.

2011 Volkswagen Beetle Ragster Concept Car Second Generation

The second generation Volkswagen Beetle is a 2.0-liter engine producing 210 bhp (213 PS, 157 kW) could be seen on the car, more powerful than any engine currently sold on the vehicle. Also expected are 1.4-liter 160 bhp (162 PS, 119 kW) and 1.2-liter 105 bhp (106 PS, 78 kW) petrol engines. Diesel offerings could include 2.0-liter 140 bhp (142 PS, 104 kW) and 1.6-liter 105 bhp (106 PS, 78 kW) units. Customers in the US might get the chance to purchase the car with a five-cylinder 2.5-liter model cranking out 170 bhp (172 PS, 127 kW).
It is also said that the new car will have a heavily revamped interior. Engines will include the already existing 2.5-liter five-cylinder, a new 2.0-liter turbodiesel and a brand new hybrid version, powered by a 1.4-liter gasoline engine and a 27-horsepower electric motor. The engines will be mated with five and six speed manual transmissions and the new Volkswagen DSG dual-clutch gearbox.

2010 Volkswagen Cars Up! Lite Diesel Electric Hybrid Concept Car

The Up Lite concept car is the harbinger of Volkswagen's new small car platform that should bear fruit in the form of a production Up Lite as early as the second half of 2011. The Up! Lite concept car ontinues the Volkswagen strategy of offering high-tech and high-end quality in all of its vehicle classes, making progress affordable for every car driver. The Up! Lite was designed to be a versatile vehicle that makes trips into the city, commutes to work and naturally long trips as well significantly less expensive and more eco-friendly.

The new concept car, based on Volkswagen’s New Small Family (the Up! models), incorporates a variation on the two-cylinder TDI hybrid powertrain from the L1 concept car unveiled earlier this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This small turbo-diesel hybrid possesses a small physical footprint--being much smaller than the VW Golf--and a super small carbon footprint, reaching an astronomical 70 US mpg fuel economy on the EU testing cycle. Volkswagen staged  the world premiere of the Up! Lite concept car at the LA Auto Show.

Naturally, on the Up! Lite there is nothing lacking in comfort or safety. ESP is on board, airbags are on board, ample space is on board, highly advanced information and control features are on board, and it is good to know that occupants are enclosed and protected by a highly innovative safety frame of aluminium, steel and carbon fiber.

The Volkswagen concept car has a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) and accelerates to 100 km/h in a respectable 12.5 seconds (0-60 mph in 12 seconds). The Volkswagen Up! Light with its extremely efficient engine might be the perfect example to exemplify this. Ultra light (less than 700 kilograms / around 1,500 pounds) it achieves a mileage of 2.44 liters for a 100 km (70 MPG).

The centerpiece of the Up! Lite powertrain is the newly designed 0.8 TDI two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with a power of 38 kW / 51 PS. Furthermore, the electric motor (10 kW) – designed as a pulse start module (starter, alternator and E-drive) – also reduces the load of the TDI, provides added propulsion (boosting) and works to recover kinetic energy (regenerative braking). During boost phases – e.g. in a quick passing maneuver – the TDI and E-motor combine for a total power of 48 kW / 65 PS. Incidentally, a version of the TDI used in the Up! Lite was also used aboard the L1 concept car that Volkswagen presented in September at the IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt.

2010 Volkswagen Cars Up! Lite Diesel Electric Hybrid Concept Car

In two of its operating phases, the hybrid drive of the Up! Lite was designed to operate without any TDI propulsion at all. First phase: In so-called coast-down, activated by the driver taking his or her foot off the gas pedal (car coasts, TDI engine is shut off). Second phase: Over shorter distances, e.g. in residential areas, the E-motor can power the Up! Lite all by itself. In this case, a lithium-ion battery supplies the energy. Since it is capable of pure electric driving, the configuration is classified as a full hybrid. Shifting work is handled by a 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) like the one used in the new Polo. Moreover, the Volkswagen is equipped with a Stop-Start system.