Volkswagen Nils Concept Set to Debut at Frankfurt Motor Show

The tiny, single-seat Volkswagen Nils concept will make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this month. It is supposed to offer sports car-like performance with zero emissions and silent propulsion.

Volkswagen says the Nils concept is designed just like a Formula 1 racer. Much like Audi’s Urban Concepts, the single seat is mounted in the center of the car, the engine resides just aft of the driver, and the 17-inch wheels — wrapped in low rolling resistance tires — are placed outboard of the body. Entrance into the cabin is provided by polycarbonate gullwing doors, one placed on each side of the car.The body has few sharp angles and two small rear fins to help with aerodynamics. Never mind the F1 inspiration: the look is more akin to a narrow egg placed on wheels.

The Nils is powered by a 15 kW electric motor – with a 25 kW over boost-like function – that draws juice from a 5.3-kWh lithium-ion battery. VW says that allows for a range of about 40 miles, and can be charged using a 230-volt outlet (the standard in Europe) in about two hours. According to Volkswagen, 73.9 percent of German commuters drive less than 15.5 miles on driving to work, making the Nils the right size and right range for urban commuters.

The Nils weighs only 1014 lbs, thanks to all-aluminum construction, and is expected to accelerate from 0-62 mph in under 11 seconds. The electric motor pushes out around 95 lb-ft of torque and sends powerto the rear wheels through a one-speed transmission.

To help quell nerves over the Nils’ diminutive size, the is equipped with a radar-based automatic braking system, a collision warning system, four disc brakes, and electronic stability control. The wing doors include a crash reinforcement section, and the aluminum space frame has been designed to act as a safety cell in the event of a collision.

The Volkswagen Nils concept will make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

Source: Volkswagen

VW to invest in renewable energy sources

Europe's biggest automaker, Volkswagen, plans to invest almost one billion euros ($A1.37 billion) in renewable energies over the coming years, a media report says.

VW will invest in an offshore wind park and is in talks with four companies with the goal of choosing a partner by the end of the year, the Financial Times Deutschland said, citing a source close to the matter.

The wind park is expected to have a generating capacity of 200 megawatts, about one fifth the capacity of an average Germany nuclear power plant, the report said, or about as much as 275,000 German households consume in a year.

Investing in wind, solar and hydroelectric electricity production will help VW meet CO2 emission limits that it has set for itself by around 2020, the newspaper said.

VW is of course also developing electric cars, along with all other major global auto manufacturers.

VW to unveil Single-Seat Electric Car

Volkswagen is poised to unveil a single-seat, ultra-frugal, zero-emission electric car. The German carmaker also plans to offer a “full-service package” for customers of its electric cars by selling them power from renewable sources, Jürgen Leohold, head of research, told the Financial Times.

VW’s one-seat concept or experimental car will showcase the carmaker’s ambition to build vehicles that generate no carbon dioxide, even on a “well-to-wheel” calculation that takes into account the carbon dioxide generated by power plants.

“It’s a new kind of mobility – a new vehicle concept,” Mr Leohold said. “Also, it’s physics. If you limit a car to one person, you can make it smaller, less weight, you need less energy to transport the person, and then obviously … it can be better on CO2 and fuel efficiency”.

Mr Leohold said that the single-seater concept car, to be unveiled within weeks, was designed for limited purposes, such as commuting, and that most drivers would want a larger vehicle for longer trips.

He declined to reveal the car’s range, top speed or other details ahead of its unveiling.

VW’s research head said that the one-seater would be “even better” than the XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle, a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid capable of 313 miles per gallon which the company unveiled in January.

Mr Leohold said that the car’s CO2 count “depends on what kind of electricity you put in the battery”, but if powered from renewable sources it would be “zero”.

Single-passenger vehicles are a rarity in the car industry apart from niche products such as the Segway scooter – which is prohibited from roads in many countries – or the ill-fated Sinclair C5, a British-designed electric tricycle launched in 1985 that flopped because of safety and other concerns.

2012 VW Beetle Spied

Source w/writeup and more pics;
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/27/spy-shots-2012-volkswagen-new-new-beetle-caught-undisguised/

2012 VW Beetle Spied

Source w/writeup and more pics;
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/27/spy-shots-2012-volkswagen-new-new-beetle-caught-undisguised/

VW Toureg Sport Concept

This is one awesome concept, I love the roof scoop....Do you enjoy watching the Dakar Rally? If so, then you probably have day dreamed about driving those awesome off-road racers to the mall or to work. Only problem is, while these racers have minor details like the shape of the headlights and names in common with models you’d find in showrooms, technically, they’re completely different.

Take the Volkswagen Touareg for example. The one that races in the Dakar Rally has little in common with the one you’ll find in the showrooms. That, however, could change if they decide to put the Race Touareg 3 concept into production.

Unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show, this concept marries the madness of the rally machine with some civility from the road going version. Thankfully it is more like the rally car than the normal showroom model.

Not only does it look like the racer that just won the 2011 Dakar rally, but it has the same powertrain also. So you get the same 2.5-liter turbo-diesel engine that produces 296-hp and a whopping 442 lb ft of torque. Power is sent to all wheels via a 5-speed sequential gearbox that has a three-plate ceramic clutch and three limited slip differentials. In other words, this vehicle doesn’t even know the meaning of getting stuck.

It’s quick too, 0-60 mph takes just 6.1 seconds and tops out at 117 mph (due to those large dune bashing tires, otherwise it would have been even faster).

While the cockpit of the race versions have no interior trimming whatsoever, the Race Touareg 3 concept has a fully finished, well appointed interior.

And now the bad news, this awesome concept is just a concept. There are no production plans yet, but if everyone bugs VW enough, they could put it into limited production. Hey, these things have happened before. So if you would like to park one of these on your driveway, tell those Germans at VW to make one for you and your friends.

Watch out Ford Raptor.

Source;
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2011/01/volkswagen-race-touareg-3-concept-brings-dakar-to-the-street.html

VW Toureg Sport Concept

This is one awesome concept, I love the roof scoop....Do you enjoy watching the Dakar Rally? If so, then you probably have day dreamed about driving those awesome off-road racers to the mall or to work. Only problem is, while these racers have minor details like the shape of the headlights and names in common with models you’d find in showrooms, technically, they’re completely different.

Take the Volkswagen Touareg for example. The one that races in the Dakar Rally has little in common with the one you’ll find in the showrooms. That, however, could change if they decide to put the Race Touareg 3 concept into production.

Unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show, this concept marries the madness of the rally machine with some civility from the road going version. Thankfully it is more like the rally car than the normal showroom model.

Not only does it look like the racer that just won the 2011 Dakar rally, but it has the same powertrain also. So you get the same 2.5-liter turbo-diesel engine that produces 296-hp and a whopping 442 lb ft of torque. Power is sent to all wheels via a 5-speed sequential gearbox that has a three-plate ceramic clutch and three limited slip differentials. In other words, this vehicle doesn’t even know the meaning of getting stuck.

It’s quick too, 0-60 mph takes just 6.1 seconds and tops out at 117 mph (due to those large dune bashing tires, otherwise it would have been even faster).

While the cockpit of the race versions have no interior trimming whatsoever, the Race Touareg 3 concept has a fully finished, well appointed interior.

And now the bad news, this awesome concept is just a concept. There are no production plans yet, but if everyone bugs VW enough, they could put it into limited production. Hey, these things have happened before. So if you would like to park one of these on your driveway, tell those Germans at VW to make one for you and your friends.

Watch out Ford Raptor.

Source;
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2011/01/volkswagen-race-touareg-3-concept-brings-dakar-to-the-street.html

VW Golf blue-e-motion to get 2014 market introduction

Interesting read....
Volkswagen has announced that it has set 2014 for the market introduction for its Golf blue-e-motion. The electric car is certainly going great guns as is in its current prototype form, having recently taken the overall winner title from the judges at the inaugural RAC Future Car Challenge. It also won in its category, Most Economic and Environment Friendly Regular Passenger EV.

The front-’engined,’ front-wheel drive concept features a lightweight 80 kg electric motor with a peak power output of 85kW (114 hp) and 270Nm of torque, driving an EQ210 single-speed transmission. The Golf blue-e-motion has a range of around 150 km under normal conditions, with a 135 kph top speed and 0-100 kph sprint time of 11.8 seconds being other figures.

Juice is provided by 30 battery modules consisting of 180 lithium-ion cells (with an energy capacity of 26.5 kWh) installed in the floor of the boot (which reduces the cargo volume to 275 litres), under the rear bench seat and in the centre tunnel of the underbody between the front seats, with a separate air cooling system to ensure a constant thermal environment in the battery compartment. The vehicle’s charging plug connector sits behind the folding VW logo on the radiator grille. With the battery-weight of 315 kg factored in, the five-door blue-e-motion tips the scales just 205 kg more than a comparable Golf BlueMotion TDI with DSG.

The electric Golf offers individual choices in battery regeneration intensity – essentially, the driver has the option of pre-setting the braking energy recovery strategy over four stages (D to D3) via the automatic gearshift lever or gearshift paddles on the steering wheel.

In the lowest stage (D), the car sails as soon as the driver’s foot leaves the electric pedal, with the Golf only being slowed by the rolling resistance of the tyres and air resistance. In the D3 stage, or B for braking, the maximum amount of kinetic energy is recovered and fed to the battery.

In addition, an active driving profile can be set, allowing the driver to prioritise between maximum range, maximum comfort and maximum dynamics. The selected profile then pre-configures the power of the electric motor, air conditioning control, maximum speed and battery regeneration strategy.

Three profiles are available – Normal, Comfort+ and Range+. Comfort+ offers the full 85 kW (114 hp) of power, and in this mode the Golf blue-e-motion can get to the specified top speed of 135 kph. In normal mode, power is reduced to 65 kW (87 hp) and top speed is lowered to 115 kph, while Range+ mode the engine controller limits power to 50 kW (67 hp).

Source;
http://paultan.org/2010/11/16/vw-golf-blue-e-motion-to-get-2014-market-introduction/

VW Golf blue-e-motion to get 2014 market introduction

Interesting read....
Volkswagen has announced that it has set 2014 for the market introduction for its Golf blue-e-motion. The electric car is certainly going great guns as is in its current prototype form, having recently taken the overall winner title from the judges at the inaugural RAC Future Car Challenge. It also won in its category, Most Economic and Environment Friendly Regular Passenger EV.

The front-’engined,’ front-wheel drive concept features a lightweight 80 kg electric motor with a peak power output of 85kW (114 hp) and 270Nm of torque, driving an EQ210 single-speed transmission. The Golf blue-e-motion has a range of around 150 km under normal conditions, with a 135 kph top speed and 0-100 kph sprint time of 11.8 seconds being other figures.

Juice is provided by 30 battery modules consisting of 180 lithium-ion cells (with an energy capacity of 26.5 kWh) installed in the floor of the boot (which reduces the cargo volume to 275 litres), under the rear bench seat and in the centre tunnel of the underbody between the front seats, with a separate air cooling system to ensure a constant thermal environment in the battery compartment. The vehicle’s charging plug connector sits behind the folding VW logo on the radiator grille. With the battery-weight of 315 kg factored in, the five-door blue-e-motion tips the scales just 205 kg more than a comparable Golf BlueMotion TDI with DSG.

The electric Golf offers individual choices in battery regeneration intensity – essentially, the driver has the option of pre-setting the braking energy recovery strategy over four stages (D to D3) via the automatic gearshift lever or gearshift paddles on the steering wheel.

In the lowest stage (D), the car sails as soon as the driver’s foot leaves the electric pedal, with the Golf only being slowed by the rolling resistance of the tyres and air resistance. In the D3 stage, or B for braking, the maximum amount of kinetic energy is recovered and fed to the battery.

In addition, an active driving profile can be set, allowing the driver to prioritise between maximum range, maximum comfort and maximum dynamics. The selected profile then pre-configures the power of the electric motor, air conditioning control, maximum speed and battery regeneration strategy.

Three profiles are available – Normal, Comfort+ and Range+. Comfort+ offers the full 85 kW (114 hp) of power, and in this mode the Golf blue-e-motion can get to the specified top speed of 135 kph. In normal mode, power is reduced to 65 kW (87 hp) and top speed is lowered to 115 kph, while Range+ mode the engine controller limits power to 50 kW (67 hp).

Source;
http://paultan.org/2010/11/16/vw-golf-blue-e-motion-to-get-2014-market-introduction/

Modified VW Golf4 Silver Bodykit Sport SHADOW2 by Custom

Modified VW Golf4 Silver Bodykit Sport SHADOW2 by Custom