Volkswagen dealerships are reporting strong demand for the brand-new 2009 Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen TDI. Some dealers have even sold out before their first TDI even showed up on the lot, despite the fact that customers won't actually be getting their cars for at least another month or so. The two-thousand dollar premium buyers are asked to pay along with diesel prices, which are hovering in the $4.70 to $5.00 range, have not hampered buyers' hankering for a new fifty-state diesel passenger car. It probably doesn't hurt that VeeDub oil-burners have a reputation for über-reliability, with a number of sales coming from past TDI owners.

In contrast to strong Jetta TDI sales, VW's other recent model, the Tiguan, is not doing as well as hoped. How about adding a diesel engine option to the little crossover? Apparently, dealers are asking and they may get what they want. After all, the Tiguan's engine bay readily accepts the TDI engine from the Jetta since the two vehicles share a similar Golf-based platform. Our affection for the oddly-named mini-ute would surely increase exponentially if it were granted the turbo-diesel.



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

Volkswagen is bringing a whole heap of vehicles - more than 50 - to the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in September. Included in the batch will be eight world premieres like the new Tiguan (above) as well as six new BlueMotion models. Most exciting will be the world premiere of a "slick City Expert" vehicle. The teaser line from VW about this prototype is that it is "sensationally flexible" and that it's heart "will beat where the flat-four 'Boxer' engine once did in the Beatle."

Concepts aside, let's look at the BlueMotions. The six new models will bring VW BlueMotion line to nine models in 2008. We know the current versions are some of the most efficient petroleum-using cars on the market (see links below), and we'll keep an eye on how VW turns BlueMotion into a more-widely-known synonym for greener driving.

VW will also bring two new four-cylinder Diesel engines with common-rail injection, which produce 103 kW/140 PS and 125 kW/170 PS respectively and are Euro 5 compliant.

Related:

• VW Polo BlueMotion is now down to 99g/km CO2
• VW brings new Golf estate and the Passat BlueMotion to Germany
• U.K. Channel 4 test drives the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion

[Source: VW]