The initial batch of Volkswagen Jetta TDIs have started to appear at Volkswagen dealers around the country and at least one dealer in Virginia is reporting a lot of interest. Jay Pichardo of Greenbrier Volkswagen posted a photo of the first demo vehicle and some initial stats. In the first 24 hours, thirteen people took the car out for test drives and ten people put down deposits on the new fifty-state legal diesel. According to Pichardo, the car has averaged 49mpg over the first 120 miles. Interestingly the car is emblazoned with graphics that emphasize the fact that the car is not a concept. We're waiting patiently for Volkswagen to send a Jetta over to the ABG Garage for our own evaluation of real world mileage. Keith, you know where to reach me.

[Source: Motive Mag]

Volkswagen kicked off its Jetta TDI Cup race series a couple of weeks ago at VIRginia International Raceway with a close fought and exciting battle to the finish. This weekend they are heading north to another of the toughest tracks in North America at Mosport Park, north-east of Toronto. The Jettas will be racing as part of a program that includes the Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Canadian Touring Car Championship, among other races. This race will be something of a homecoming for the four drivers in the thirty driver lineup who hail from Canada. If you're in the area and interested in checking out some great racing head out to Mosport, you won't be sorry.

[Source: Volkswagen]

For everyone who has been waiting anxiously for the new fifty state legal Volkswagen Jetta TDI to arrive at U.S. dealers, it appears things are inching a little closer. A reader the other day spotted a transporter filled with Jettas festooned with TDI signage headed northbound on a North Carolina freeway. Andrew called a local VW dealer who confirmed that these were actually among the first batch of TDIs that will be available for test drives at dealers around North America for the next couple of months before they go on sale later this summer. We first reported on VW's plans back in February at the Chicago Auto Show. From the initial batch of 1,000 cars, each dealer will get one car initially and more will arrive through the course of the summer. Volkswagen expects about half of the 15,000 Sportwagens for 2009 to be TDI powered with about 30-40 percent of the sedans. Keep your eyes open for the new Jetta TDI and if you can snap some photos put them up on Flickr or some other site and send us a link. In the meantime check out the driving impressions of the gas-powered Jetta SportWagen.

[Source: reader Andrew]

Several hours after yesterday's inaugural Jetta TDI Cup race, VW informed us that although Speed TV did record the entire race, it won't actually be on TV for a while. The cable network that seems to be almost all NASCAR all the time, will record all the races this year along with background on the program and drivers. At the end of the series they will broadcast a documentary covering the whole series.

To avoid keeping you waiting until this fall, we've got the full standings of the race after the jump. Mark Pombo managed to keep his car out of any significant contact to move up from fourth on the grid to take victory at the end of the thirty-minute race. The equally prepared cars made for some fantastic racing on the picturesque VIRginia International Raceway. Groups of three, four and five cars at time went at it door handle to door handle. A few cars made off track excursions but only four of the 29 starters failed to finish. If you are in the vicinity of any of the remaining six races this year, it's definitely work checking out the TDI cup action.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.

Since the first Jetta TDI cup race is going to be broadcast on Speed TV next Saturday don't follow the jump if you don't want to know who the winner was...


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.

Click the Jetta's for a high-res gallery

We're on site here at VIRginia International Speedway for the very first race of the inaugural Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup and qualifying has just concluded. VIR is a gorgeous natural terrain road course in the hills along the border between Virginia and North Carolina and it offers plenty of great vantage points. During the thirty minute session 29 of the 30 drivers posted valid qualifying times with a 4 second spread from first to last. Twenty-three year old Josh Hurley of Cooper City FL came out on the top of the timing sheet with a best lap 2:14.301 (Yes I know that's not Hurley's Oakley sponsored car in the photo, but I didn't manage to catch one of Hurley. These cars are seriously fun to watch on the track and anyone who remembers watching the early 80s GTIs cornering on three wheels will feel right at home with the Jettas as they hike up the inside rear on tight turns. Like their big brothers the Audi R10s the Jettas are remarkably quiet as they circulate the track. The race cars have the same exhaust system that will be on the production Jetta TDI that launches this summer including the NOx trap and particulate filter. You can check out a video clip after the jump.


Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.

Click for a high-res gallery

The opening round of Volkswagen's new Jetta TDI cup race series is happening this weekend at VIRginia International Raceway and AutoblogGreen is on the scene. We arrived here in Virginia late yesterday evening and missed the first on-track session of the new Cup racers. We'll be on hand all weekend to provide feedback on what should be the first racing series featuring all clean diesel cars. The thirty cars are based on the upcoming 2009 Jetta BlueTDI that launches later this summer. Stay tuned for more updates this weekend from VIR.


[Source: Volkswagen]

This past weekend, Volkswagen held their driver selection event for the inaugural Jetta TDI cup series out at Firebird raceway in Phoenix, AZ. Volkswagen evaluated 54 potential participants based on their driving skills, but other factors were taken into account as well. Since the drivers are also expected to help promote Volkswagen and their diesel technology, they had to demonstrate their communication skills and ability to work with the media. In the end thirty drivers aged 16-26 were chosen to run over the six racing weekends starting later this month at Virginia International Raceway. They will have to pay up $35,000 for the season and they can have up to two sponsors for their car. The cars will all be prepared by Volkswagen with 170hp 2.0L TDI engines and six speed DSG transmissions as well as all the necessary safety equipment. The driver that wins the series championship after the Petite Le Mans race weekend in October at Road Atlanta walks away with $100,000. If the champ hooks up a professional drive for 2009 within six months of the end of the season, VW will kick in an extra $150,000.

[Source: Volkswagen]

The 2008 Jetta TDi exhaust system

Popular Mechanics got a chance to get an early look at a prototype for the new 2008 VW Jetta TDi with clean diesel exhaust. Volkswagen PR manager Keith Price gives the full rundown on how the system works. The new diesel Jetta will be available at US dealers next March and will be fifty-state legal without having to use a urea injection system. You can check out the video after the jump.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

I won't go in depth telling you all the specifications of the new diesel engine that is going into various VW's with the TDI moniker starting early in 2008, if you are interested in knowing more about them, click here. What I will mention is that these vehicles will mark the first Jetta's sold with diesel engines in all 50 states since '99. And it will be available in a wagon body style! Woo hoo! Could these vehicles be exactly what the middle-class green market is looking for? Could be, and I am looking forward to seeing how they drive. Stay tuned!

[Source: Autoblog]

Ray Holan is an accomplished auto mechanic, biofuel advocate, author of the book Sliding Home: A Complete Guide to Driving Your Diesel on Straight Vegetable Oil and regular feature contributor to AutoblogGreen.



Compared to a VW Jetta TDI, this truck's a monster.

One look at the Great Lakes Brewing Company's Freightliner tractor trailer and it's immediately evident this is no diminutive VW. This baby is serious hardware. The Cleveland-based company's rig can haul a trailer stuffed to the double doors with 22 pallets of vegetable oil (OK, or 22 pallets of bottled beer). At 60 cartons per pallet (each about 4.54 gallons), that works out to 6,000 gallons of salad oil – enough to fuel about 15 converted Jetta TDI's for a year.

But it's what's up front that counts. The Freightliner not only hauls vegetable oil - and the occasional load of brewski's. It has been converted to run on vegetable oil as well as diesel.