VW Golf GTI Mk VI

Perhaps the next best thing after driving a Golf GTI up and down scenic mountain passes is watching a video clip of someone else doing it.

In 1976 the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI was the budget driver's dream car with its 4-speed gearbox and 81 kW (110 PS) 1.6-litre engine. Today the GTI makes 155kW (210PS) and 280Nm of torque from its 2.0-litre TSI engine. It will go from 0 - 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and has a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph). VW says it uses an average of 7.3 litres of fuel per 100km (38.7 mpg UK). Standard issue wheels are 17-inches wide but there are 18s available as options.

VW is harking back to this icon with the new GTI. Unveiled as a concept to the public for the first time at the 2008 Paris International Motor Show the Mk VI GTI boasts plenty of garb that many bigger more expensive cars cannot match. In styling the car the team kept the original car in mind. The red frame around the outer front grille is typical GTI and sets it apart from "lesser" Golf models. It has single chrome tailpipes on either side, a GTI rear spoiler, a rear air diffuser, an electronic diff lock, smoked taillights and green tinted windows. The brake calipers are painted red.

The GTI moniker appears on the left instead of the right as it was previously done. The car itself is longer and wider, and it looks more muscular as well. The interior features things like stainless steel pedals, radio/ navigation with a touch screen and heated front seats.

In a few days sales of the new 2009 GTI begin in Germany, in Europe within the next couple of weeks, and America and Asia follow towards the end of the summer.

VIDEO :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBtjuenBNsY


from worldcarfans.com

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SuperVeloce

Lambo on Monday took the wraps off its LP 670-4 SuperVeloce — the fastest and most powerful model the company has ever made, and lightest Murcielago to date. Power comes from a 6.5 liter V12 delivering a whopping 670 horsepower. With a weight reduction of 220 lbs over the standard car, the LP 670-4 has a weight-to-power ratio of 5.1 pounds per horsepower. All of this means a zero to 62 mph time of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 212 mph.

Lambo says it had to rework virtually every component of the car — from chassis to interior — in order to achieve the substantial weight savings. The increase in engine output from 640 to 670 hp is the result of optimized valve timing and a reworked intake system. The significantly modified aerodynamics with substantially increased downforce brings considerable improvement.

The Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce is “more extreme and uncompromising than virtually any other automobile,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili lamborghini. “As the new top model of the highly successful Murciélago range, the SuperVeloce displays not only outstanding driving dynamics, it is also further evidence of our company’s technological expertise. Customers can look forward to an utterly unparalleled driving experience.”

When prototypes of the car were first spied, it was rumored Lamborghini would ditch the Murcielago’s all-wheel-drive system for a lighter rear-wheel-drive setup. As it turns out, that is not the case. Equipped with permanent AWD, the LP 670-4 can send up to 35 percent of driving force to the front wheels. The front and rear limited-slip differentials are set at 25 and 45 percent. This provides the car with the necessary traction for its massive output.

Engineers recalculated the framework and selected a new high-strength sectional steel for much of the structure. This achieves reduced weight (44 lbs) and improved torsional stiffness. The front fenders, rear fenders are made from carbon fiber. Lastly, the deployable spoiler has been replaced with a stationary wing. This brings a further weight reduction of 29 lbs.

The SuperVeloce is equipped with exclusive “Ares” alloy-forged wheels, bearing the exclusive five twin-spoke design. The front wheels are clad in 245/35 ZR 18 rubber, while the rears sport 335/30 ZR 18. High-grip Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires come as standard.

The Carbon Ceramic (CCB) brakes are fanned by air channeled through enlarged intakes in the bodyshell, while openings in the front fenders provide additional ventilation for the SuperVeloce. The ceramic discs are lightweight and fade-free, according to the automaker.

The car has a relatively extreme front-to-rear weight distribution. The rear axle bears 58 percent of its overall weight — a distribution ratio that Lamborghini says is highly beneficial to traction.

The interior has been simplified in order to save weight — 75 lbs to be exact. The dominating materials are Alcantara and carbon fiber. Not only the seats are upholstered in black Alcantara micro-fiber material, the cockpit and the roof lining are also finished in this lightweight material. If the bare-bones seats aren’t your thing, the Murciélago’s standard seats are also available on the SuperVeloce as an option free of charge.

from leftlanenews.com

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Unofficial GT-R Estate at Nagoya Show

Forget the RS6, this could be the ultimate fast load lugger.

Details of this Kids Heart tuner-built GT-R Estate are sketchy, but it is being shown at the Nagoya Autotrend show in Japan, and we think that it looks utterly brilliant.

The Skyline range has a rich history of estate cars packing GT-R mechanicals. In the past the basis for this odd mix was the Nissan Stagea, essentially an estate car based on the old Skyline platform. The basic chassis was almost identical to the GT-R coupe's, including its four-wheel drive system. It doesn't take a great leap of logic to see why the tuners thought a Stagea GT-R would be a bit of fun... And now with the 'not a Skyline' R35 GT-R and the new, completely unrelated, M35 Stagea, the always-innovative Japanese tuners have been forced to get a bit more creative.

The result is this Kids Heart R35 Wagon. As you can see, an entire GT-R front end has been grafted onto the nose of the new Stagea, while the front and rear arches have been slightly flaired and a GT-R aping bumper and quadruple exhausts have been fitted at the rear. There's no information on what's under the bonnet, but the chaps over at GTRblog reckon that this GT-R/Stagea hybrid is hiding a twin-turbo, stroked version of the 3.5-litre motor usually found in the Stagea.

from http://www.drivers-republic.com

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VW Polo Mk5

Volkswagen has revealed its next-generation Polo hatchback, which will be launched at the Geneva Motor Show this week. The 2010 model will enter production in June, according to the automaker. Earlier this year, Volkswagen America CEO Stefan Jacoby indicated the Polo would be offered in the United States and Canada for the first time ever, starting with the redesigned 2010 model.

It’s not clear exactly when the Polo will come to America, but VW development chief Ulrich Hackenberg made it clear in a January interview the German automaker is ready to capitalize on increased demand for small, efficient cars.
“The small-car segment is the fastest growing segment in the U.S.,” Hackenberg told Automotive News. “Oil prices will rise again and that will drive small car sales up further.”
VW has announced the ambitious goal of increasing its sales to around 800,000 in the U.S. annually over the next decade. The low-price Polo would certainly add to that bottom line - at least VW hopes.
“With our European heritage, we are used to compact and subcompact cars. We are working right now to upgrade these cars for the American market,” VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby said.
VW is quick to point out the new Polo’s improved safety, which will undoubtedly be important to American buyers. The car is reportedly achieves a five-star rating under the new EuroNCAP safety standards. The higher structural rigidity of the Polo’s bodyshell contributes to these results. In the footwell area alone, intrusion in a frontal crash is reduced by 50 percent. In the case of a side impact, the intrusion was reduced by 20 percent, the company says.
In addition, car is equipped with standard ESP electronic stabilization program with Hill Hold Control, plus a slew of standard airbags, including combined head-thorax airbags (integrated in the front seatbacks). Other highlights include belt tensioners and belt force limiters plus seatbelt warning indicator and head restraints that counteract the risk of whiplash injury. Curtain airbags to protect rear passengers are optional.
Despite significant improvements throughout, VW reduced the car’s overall weight by 7.5 percent. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is available, and several engine choices will be offered in Europe, including four gasoline and three diesel models.
VW chose to highlight just two of the new motors, both of which are likely candidates for the U.S. market. The new 1.2-liter TSI model has a twin turbocharged four-cylinder direct injection gasoline engine that produces 103 horsepower and delivers fuel economy of 43 mpg. The 1.6-liter TDI diesel mill delivers 88 horsepower and 62 mpg, making it the lowest emitting five-seater diesel in the world, according to VW.
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.

From LeftLaneNews

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2009 Geneva Motor Show

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