The Volkswagen Golf GTI Concept should soon make the leap into production.
With a dozen different brands now in its fold, Volkswagen will be having a busy time during the upcoming Paris Motor Show – with such high-line products as the Porsche Panamera Shooting Brake and an updated Lamborghini Gallardo getting early previews at the German maker’s Wednesday night party.
But two decidedly more mainstream offerings drew plenty of attention from the assembled media, including the all-new, seventh-generation VW Golf and the Golf GTI Concept that will be seen by the public for the first time during the 2012 Paris Motor Show.
The German maker describes the GTI prototype as a “near-production concept,” a practice that it first used to get a final test of consumer sentiment with the previous-generation GTI back in 2008.
While specific details have yet to be released, the maker has hinted the new GTI will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged TFSI engine making 220 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Look for 0 to 100 kph (0 to 62.5 mph) time of 6.6 seconds and a top speed of 152 mph.
The new BlueMotion Concept should soon yield a production model rated around 73 mpg.
The new hot hatch concept will share much of the same bodywork as the all-new Golf VII three-door hatchback but get traditional GTI details such as the blacked-out grille and white body paint with red pin striping that here slides across the wide headlamps. The inside will add more red pin-striping, a three-spoke steering wheel and aluminum pedals.
The VW brand is also offering a first look at another show car soon to make the jump to production – and that likely means the BlueMotion Concept will user in the most fuel-efficient Golf ever.
Based on the recently introduced VW Golf VII, the new diesel 5-door is expected to earn a fuel economy rating of 3.2 liters per 100 kilometers. In U.S. lingo, that works out to a seriously impressive 73 miles a gallon. That’s a 15% increase over the previous Golf BlueMotion.
The BlueMotion Concept features a 1.6-liter turbodiesel making 110 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque.
Paris show-goers will soon get their first look at the all-new, seventh-generation VW Golf.
But one of the keys to achieving that mileage was the focus on lightweighting the Blue Motion Concept. It comes in about 57 lbs below the weight of the current diesel Golf mileage champ. On top of that, VW adopted new low-rolling resistance tires, revised shift patterns for the car’s 5-speed gearbox, and the use of both stop/start – which briefly shuts the engine off instead of idling – and battery regeneration mode that reduces frictional losses.
Nonetheless, the BlueMotion features consumer niceties such as air conditioning, power windows and mirrors and a height-adjustable driver’s seat.
The BlueMotion will go on sale in Europe next spring. There are no plans to bring the high-mileage model to the States – for now – though VW officials have promised to add more diesels to their U.S. line-up over the coming years. And for good reason considering booming demand. As much as a third of all Passat sales in the American market could soon be diesel-powered.