Volkswagen is rounding out its new sixth-generation Golf model in the UK with the official introduction of its diesel models and BlueMotion variant. All three new VeeDubs will be powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged diesel engine, and the BlueMotion model achieves a miserly 68.9 mpg on the combined cycle (57 mpg U.S.) and 107 g/km of CO₂. That makes this new BlueMotion the cleanest and most fuel efficient Golf ever produced, no doubt assisted by its standard stop/start system, lowered ride height, low-resistance tires and aerodynamic enhancements.

The least expensive Golf TDI gets a 90-horsepower version of the 1.6 TDI that manages 62.8 mpg on the combined cycle (52 mpg U.S.) while producing 118 g/km of carbon dioxide. Move up the ladder one notch and you'll get a 105-horsepower mill that matches the fuel mileage of its less powerful sibling and is available with an optional seven-speed DSG gearbox.

By the time the Golf BlueMotion finally starts hitting dealers in September, Volkswagen is expected to have an even more efficient version ready to go that should lower carbon emissions down to 99 g/km with a UK combined fuel efficiency rating of over 75 mpg. Click past the break for the official press release.


[Source: Volkswagen]

Last week, Volkswagen and Chinese automaker BYD signed a memorandum of understanding to work together "in the area of electric mobility" and vehicles that use li-ion batteries. BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu (yes, the guy who likes to drink battery fluid) and VW's Martin Winterkorn signed the MOU in Wolfsburg, Germany. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board for Technical Development at Volkswagen, said in a statement (available after the jump) that, "Hybrids and electric vehicles will play an increasingly important role [for VW], of course. Particularly for the Chinese market, potential partners such as BYD could support us in quickly expanding our activities."

Perhaps VW was kicked into action by another German automaker taking a look at another EV automaker?


[Source: VW]

Due to the distinct lack of people spending money on emotional purchases, Volkswagen is reportedly thinking that now might not be the best time to introduce a sport two-seat roadster. That's bad news for fans of the firm's BlueSport concept from this year's Detroit Auto Show. Despite the favorable fuel mileage (up to 62 miles per gallon in Eco Mode) earned by the car's mid-mounted 2.0-liter turbodiesel four cylinder engine, the German automaker isn't sure it could sell enough copies of the Roadster to turn a profit.

Channel 4 in the UK quotes an unnamed insider (aren't they all?) as saying, "It is a niche product, and especially in crisis times like this it will be a challenge to come up with a volume we could require to earn money with it." Sounds like the car's future is mostly dependent on the duration of the global economic downturn.


[Source: Channel 4]

We have been following Top Gear America's Project Sipster for a while. The team's project was to install a modern ciesel engine from a VW Jetta TDI into a 28-year-old VW Golf and make the car go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 7 seconds but also able to achieve 70 mpg. Oh, and do it for less than $7,000. The team is done, and they're happy to report that Project Sipster's mission was accomplished. In fact, the car exceeded expectations, averaging 84 mpg on a 70-mile trip.

Fitting the engine was accomplished by CWS Tuning mechanic Cam Waugh. Initial fuel savings were also achieved by reprogramming the engine's ECU. However, when it came time to boost the aerodynamic efficiency to help reach the 70mpg goal, the team resorted to sorts of tricks: custom fitting a Series 2 front fender, rounding it with expandable foam, bolting a sheet of plywood under the car, using and rolls and rolls of duct tape to smooth the car's surface. A project for everyone? No, but if it works ...


[Source: Top Gear America]

We've been hearing rumblings about a new variant of the Volkswagen Golf and Rabbit for several months now, ever since a reader sent in what appeared to be an order form for the new sixth-generation model for the U.S. market. This new model was dubbed the Rabbit GTD, implying that it's a sporting variant like the GTI, but powered by a TDI diesel engine. Volkswagen of America has only confirmed that the U.S. will get a new Mk VI GTI this summer followed by a new Rabbit in the fall that will offer TDI power.

It now appears that the Golf GTD will at least be unveiled in April at the AMI Car Show in Leipzig, Germany. If the reports are correct, the GTD will use the more powerful 170-hp version of the 2.0-liter TDI that we already get here in the Jetta. This is the same unit used in the Jetta TDI cup race cars as well as the European market Audi TT TDI. The Golf/Rabbit GTD will be a bit quicker than the Jetta with a 0-60 time of about 8.2 seconds, but should still approach the 40+ mpg real world mileage of the sedan. As for whether or not it will be sold in the U.S., we still don't know, but at least it exists. Thanks to Andrew for the tip!


[Source: 4WheelsNews]

Show season is upon us, which means there will be a ton of interesting new concept vehicles and freshly announced production models for all of us gearheads to ogle over. Another sometimes overlooked feature of auto shows like the one that's currently taking place in Geneva is the presence of top executives of major automakers who are uncommonly willing to share their thoughts. Such is the case with Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, who told a group of reporters that electric cars are an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to the greening of our transportation industry – just not any time soon.

In the short term, VW, which recently teamed up with Toshiba to develop electric drive systems, is focused on increasing the efficiency of the tried-and-true internal combustion engine. According to Winterkorn (and others), electric vehicles won't have a majority share in the market for another 15-20 years. Perhaps it's not surprising to hear this projected timetable from Volkswagen, which is recognized as a leader in modern diesel technology.

Still, we think he's got a point. Currently, of the millions of automobiles sold worldwide each year, a minimal percentage are powered by electrons. Even after new vehicles like the Chevy Volt come online, it will take a number of years before their combined sales even begin to approach that of the gasoline or diesel engine. Whether or not it will take 20 years we don't know, but it's definitely coming.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

We expected to see the hydrogen fuel cell-powered versions of the Passat Lingyu at the Los Angeles Auto Show last fall. We didn't spot any back then, but these fuel cell VWs should be easier to find in California now that Volkswagen Group of America has announced that 16 of them will be used for fleet demonstrations by the California Fuel Cell Partnership in Sacramento. The Partnership believes that hydrogen vehicles are "the best option" for full-function vehicles that also have reduced emissions.

The hydrogen Passat was developed a few years ago by VW engineers working with researchers from Tongji University and was used during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. It can reach 90 mph and go 146 miles between refills. The 16 Chinese vehicles bring VW's fuel cell fleet at the California Fuel Cell Partnership to 24. More details after the jump.

[Source: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.]

Some readers complain about the continued presence of diesel on these pages, but when it looks this good, we feel good about repeating diesel's inherent MPG advantage over gasoline? VW enjoys doing the same, and they didn't miss a beat in unveiling the new Concept BlueSport. The car is powered by a 180 PS Clean Diesel TDI engine that uses a NOx storage catalytic converter to reduce CO₂ emissions. Using a 6-speed DSG dual clutch transmission, the Concept BlueSport gets 54.7 mpg (US); punch the Eco mode button to get 57.36 mpg in city driving - see what we mean about loving diesels? All right, we'll shut up about all this for now. All we know right now anyway is what's in the small press release (pasted after the break) and the three pictures (see gallery below). Check back this afternoon for more from Detroit.


[Source: VW]

8:45 am - So, the choices for the 2009 Green Car of the Year are:

• BMW 335d
• Ford Fusion hybrid
• Saturn Vue 2 Mode hybrid
• Smart ForTwo
• Volkswagen Jetta TDI

The ceremony should start in a few minutes. Then we'll know who wins this thing.

8:48 am - Ron Cogan, editor of Green Car Journal - the people behind this whole event - takes the stand. He says that meaningful impact will only come with big fuel efficiency gains "across the board."

8:50 am - since we don't liveblog many events on AutoblogGreen, I'll explain that all you need to do to see the immediate updates is to refresh the page a lot (hit F5 or click reload). I'll post the winning car as soon as it's announced, so click early and often :)

8:52 am - To be considered, a car must be introduced after January 1, and the GCJ jury gives precedence to models young in their lifespan.

8:54 am - the winner is a diesel

8:55 am - it's the Jetta TDI! Nice.

9:03 am - that was over quickly. More pictures in a minute.

9:34 am - Gallery added and there's a press release after the jump.

Seriously, nobody in their right mind is going to suggest that racing across the Baja desert for about a thousand miles in any vehicle qualifies as green, but it takes place each and every year in Southern California and Mexico anyway. This being the case, Volkswagen is planning to tackle this year's Baja event at the very highest level, the Trophy Truck class, with a brand-new racer that they loosely refer to as a Touareg. If you are going to be racing across the desert in anything, it may as well be powered by a clean 5.5 liter V-12 TDI Twin Turbo diesel engine with 550 horsepower and 625 lbs.-ft. of torque, right? After taking a good long look at the truck in person, we've come to the conclusion it is most definitely impressive and imposing. See our live pics below. Plus, did we mention the clean diesel?


Photos Copyright ©2008 Jeremy Korzeniewski and Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.