VW Unveil Elise Beater!
Volkswagen seem to have somehow bucked the trend in new car sales which has seen other players in the motor industry look towards the future with furrowed brows. Keen to show their good fortune VW has revealed plans for a competitively priced, mid-engined roadster as part of a brand building campaign as it sets about fulfilling its master plan of selling over five million cars a year by 2018.
VW's chairman Martin Winterkorn has indicated that the company is planning to unveil a concept version of a lightweight two-seater at the LA motor show in November. If reaction is positive enough then the new car, which has been styled under the guidance of Walter da Silva, could be in showrooms as soon as 2011.
“We are working on a mid-engined concept for the Los Angeles motor show,” a senior source recently confirmed.
The new Volkswagen roadster is described as being a lower cost alternative to the Lotus Elise, designed to be stylish and lightweight while offering genuine performance and class-leading fuel economy.
Power will come from mid-engined four-cylinder petrol engines, with Volkswagen’s 168bhp 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine and a new 125bhp 1.6-litre TDI common-rail diesel both being considered for use. Drive will be supplied to the rear wheels by a seven-speed DSG gearbox.
A production version is anticipated weighing in at under 1000kg, and being capable of combining Golf GTI levels of performance – 0-62mph in just under 7 seconds – with economy to rival a diesel Polo –about 63mpg combined, which will cause a lot of excitement
The car is likely to be constructed around an aluminium spaceframe, by using the expertise of VW’s daughter company Audi. This link is fuelling speculation that there may also be an Audi version of the car, a so-called R4. Rumours of this car have existed for almost two years, despite denials from the manufacturer. It would have different styling to the Volkswagen version and is likely feature more powerful four-cylinder engines than the VW version, with Audi’s new ‘EA888’ based 211bhp 2.0-litre TFSI petrol engine and an forthcoming 204bhp twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre TDI common rail diesel highly likely to feature.
In a further development, Porsche who now have a large share in VW are said to have shown interest in the new project, possibly paving the way for a return of the much loved 914.
Volkswagen first hinted at plans for a mid-engined roadster with the Concept R at the Frankfurt motor show in 2003. It was followed up by the Eco Racer (which was more of a fledgling R&D concept rather than a full blown design concept) which was unveiled at the Tokyo motor show in 2005.
According to Volkswagen insiders, two more mid-engined concepts were created but never revealed to the public. If the car is given a green light it could be assembled by Volkswagen’s long-term partner, Karmann, in Germany who have reportedly been experiencing some financial difficulty in recent times.
Volkswagen seem to have somehow bucked the trend in new car sales which has seen other players in the motor industry look towards the future with furrowed brows. Keen to show their good fortune VW has revealed plans for a competitively priced, mid-engined roadster as part of a brand building campaign as it sets about fulfilling its master plan of selling over five million cars a year by 2018.
VW's chairman Martin Winterkorn has indicated that the company is planning to unveil a concept version of a lightweight two-seater at the LA motor show in November. If reaction is positive enough then the new car, which has been styled under the guidance of Walter da Silva, could be in showrooms as soon as 2011.
“We are working on a mid-engined concept for the Los Angeles motor show,” a senior source recently confirmed.
The new Volkswagen roadster is described as being a lower cost alternative to the Lotus Elise, designed to be stylish and lightweight while offering genuine performance and class-leading fuel economy.
Power will come from mid-engined four-cylinder petrol engines, with Volkswagen’s 168bhp 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine and a new 125bhp 1.6-litre TDI common-rail diesel both being considered for use. Drive will be supplied to the rear wheels by a seven-speed DSG gearbox.
A production version is anticipated weighing in at under 1000kg, and being capable of combining Golf GTI levels of performance – 0-62mph in just under 7 seconds – with economy to rival a diesel Polo –about 63mpg combined, which will cause a lot of excitement
The car is likely to be constructed around an aluminium spaceframe, by using the expertise of VW’s daughter company Audi. This link is fuelling speculation that there may also be an Audi version of the car, a so-called R4. Rumours of this car have existed for almost two years, despite denials from the manufacturer. It would have different styling to the Volkswagen version and is likely feature more powerful four-cylinder engines than the VW version, with Audi’s new ‘EA888’ based 211bhp 2.0-litre TFSI petrol engine and an forthcoming 204bhp twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre TDI common rail diesel highly likely to feature.
In a further development, Porsche who now have a large share in VW are said to have shown interest in the new project, possibly paving the way for a return of the much loved 914.
Volkswagen first hinted at plans for a mid-engined roadster with the Concept R at the Frankfurt motor show in 2003. It was followed up by the Eco Racer (which was more of a fledgling R&D concept rather than a full blown design concept) which was unveiled at the Tokyo motor show in 2005.
According to Volkswagen insiders, two more mid-engined concepts were created but never revealed to the public. If the car is given a green light it could be assembled by Volkswagen’s long-term partner, Karmann, in Germany who have reportedly been experiencing some financial difficulty in recent times.
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