Volkswagen Golf 2001 News

The hot hatch hero is being previewed at the Paris motor show today as the regular seventh-generation Golf closes on showrooms.Carsguide drives the Golf for the first time next week and will have a drive report as the engine is cooling in Corsica.The GTi has been a huge star in Australia and the previous model created a waiting list that stretched for more than 18 months during the early part of its reign.The MK7 GTi is only being called a concept in Paris but it's a car that looks ready to go, based on leaked pictures on the eve of the show opening.Without official confirmation, it appears the GTi will have around 160 kiloWatts from a turbocharged 2-litre engine coupled to six-speed manual and DSG gearboxes.Visually, the car has big alloys, red brake callipers, twin tailpipes, a rear diffuser and small spoiler at the back of the roof.More detail as it comes to hand.

The first Volkswagen Golf GTI in 1976 had a kerb weight of 810kg, but over the past 36 years it has stacked on 570kg and now weighs in at 1380kg. The GTI of today is a far cry from the tiny pared three-door that spearheaded the nameplate. But Volkswagen is working on a limited edition that will retain all the technology but get 200kg closer to the lighter weight of its ancestor - and the extra agility promised with that. The Volkswagen Golf GTI Carbon will - logically, with that name - rely on carbon-fibre for the bonnet and roof, with the latter a strong laminate wrapping a steel core, according to a report by Autocar in the UK. Aluminium will also be put to work to lighten the rear floor pan, front bulkhead and windscreen frame - with the part-alloy platform destined to be used in future hybrid and electric versions of the Golf. The Golf GTI Carbon is likely to be powered by the same 165kW 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine tipped to be under the bonnet of the standard GTI in the coming Mk 7 line-up next year. 

... when the soft-top models go on sale later this year.VW teased fans at this week's 30th annual Worthersee car show in Austria with "concepts" of the two cars that look ready to roll off the production line tomorrow.They were joined on the massive VW stand by what the 30,000 devotees of VW Group products, and specifically the GTI, had hoped to see, a 35th anniversay model fitted with the 2-litre direct-injection engine usually found under the bonnet of the Golf R.That gives the Golf GTI Edition 35 an 18kW lift over regular GTIs to 173kW, while torque is up from 280Nm to 300Nm.VW said the car will use 8.0 litres of fuel for 100km with either the six-speed manual or six-speed DSG twin-clutch automatic transmissions and a 0-100km/h time of 6.6 seconds.Externally the special edition GTI runs unique 18-inch wheels, a revised front spoiler with winglets on the lower edges to improve airflow and black mirror housings. Inside the "golf ball" gearshift knob recreates the look of the first generation GTI and both the door sill plates and front headrests carry a "35" logo.VW Australia spokesman Karl Gehling said limited numbers of the special edition will make it Down Under. He touted the company line that the cabrios were purely “concepts” but admitted there will be a receptive audience for the roofless performance pair."The GTI has always been the halo car in the Golf range and I’d expect the cabrio versions to have the same impact," Gehling said.VW Group stablemates Audi and Skoda also previewed one-off concepts in the form of a track-ready A1 Clubsport quattro and a vRS 2000 speedster respectively.The 370kW/660Nm A1 uses a wildly worked version of the the 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo engine found in the TT RS. It also inherits the TT’s six-speed manual gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive system. That gives the A1 quattro a 0-100km/h time of 3.7 seconds, helped by the removal of most of the interior features from the sound system to the rear seat.The Skoda concept is based on the Fabria RS hatch, but engineers lopped off the roof, widened the track to match the Skoda S2000 rally car and created a glasshouse that slopes down to the rear to give the car a slick, clean look. Unlike the VW “concepts” the Audi and Skoda models aren’t expected to make it to showrooms.

Volkswagen Australia has confirmed it will draft in a new player to sit at the bottom of its Golf line-up and significantly undercut the current entry level model that starts off at $24,990.  Neither of these prices include on-road costs. The new bargain model, called the 77 TSI, will run a 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine producing 77kW and 175Nm of torque.  It slips in $3000 below the 90 TSI petrol turbo model and has much of the same equipment but misses out on cruise control, a multi-function steering wheel and also runs steel rims instead of alloy wheels. The new model might be cheaper but it will still have crucial safety gear including seven airbags and electronic stability control.  It runs a five-speed manual as the standard transmission, while a seven speed dual-clutch automatic is a $2500 option.  The 77 TSI is already sold in several European markets and is also popular in England, where small economical engines are the top sellers. VW has already introduced the 77 TSI engine with the Polo baby car and says it has received good feedback.  Volkswagen Australia managing director Anne Koeckler says the new entry level model will extend the appeal of the new model. "It allows us to target new customers who wanted to have a Golf but couldn't afford it," she says.  The Golf is the first volume pillar and to make sure it is the volume pillar into the future into the future we started the shift to get it in the sweet spot." The most popular Golf in the range is the 103 TDI turbo diesel model and Ms Koeckler that is not likely to change for some time. However she would not provide any estimation of the sales the new 77 TSI model could achieve. The new entry level Golf is a key part of VW Australia's plans to dramatically boost its sales in line with Volkswagen's plan to be the top selling brand in the world by 2018.  "We will not discuss our internal target," Ms Koeckler says. "You can assume we have the opportunity to double our volumes from where we are right now and go further. With all the new products that are coming next year we have a lot of opportunity." So far, VW Australia is planning on launching the Amaraok one-tonne ute, the next generation Passat and the new Touareg next year.  It will also introduce the super efficient Bluemotion Golf model and roll out fuel saving Bluemotion technology on some other models.

The new European star is doing big things in Australia off the back of impressive quality, comfort and driving enjoyment.

When the doors open on the ‘project lab’ it looks like you’re going to be treated to a bit of computer-generated artwork. But in fact the track, the cars – and every possible outcome – have been filmed for real. When you crash, expect the project engineer’s giant hand to come in and pick you back up. If you get a time of less than 40 seconds (and live in the UK) you’re in the running to win a three-month visit from a Golf VI GTI. If you live anywhere else, just have fun with it. Play the GTI Project race  

Golf GTI was already a legend by the time Mk2 arrived, but from there it was softened to attract a more mainstream buyer. “The Mk2, Mk3 and MK4 models became gradually diluted - between those models we gradually lost touch with what the car should be,” says Volkswagen's global head of engineering for Golf and GTI, Rolf Trump. “It was the marketing decisions of the time." “It was not until MkV that we tried to rekindle the values and performance of the old ideal “However I would not say the models from MkII to MkIV were unloved - they were not a failure in terms of sales. “What I find disappointing is that we did not do what we could have with the potential of the car - we went more mainstream." “From an engineering point of view I may have regretted some of the decisions taken to put the car on a wider footing." “It was not unsuccessful, when you look at the volumes sold. But it deprived GTI of that character that is so essential to it.”

Volkswagen's global head of engineering for Golf and GTI, Rolf Trump, says fans should not expect to see any more than incremental increases in power over the generations to come. “It's not all about power. We believe 210hp (the 155kW in MkVI) is sufficient and 230-240hp (172-179kW) is essentially the limit for GTI,” Trump says. “Why put extra in when in maximum situations you can't use it. Most of the systems you have to control the car simply take the power off." “From MKI to MkV, Golf GTI has been growing more and more powerful, and at this point we have realised we have nearly come to our limits with that. “I don't think we have hit the wall. But with front-wheel drive there is only so much power you can get safely.” Trump says the main area of effort now will be in optimising the GTI's consumption and emissions while still getting a little more out of the engine. “We believe that with fuel economy and emissions improvements, that a moderate power increase is reasonable for a GTI and with that — albeit modest — increase we are still in a position to improve emissions and the dynamics of the car.” “What we can continue to work on is weight reduction - and people are working on it very hard now. “We are determined to work to make it not only more efficient but lighter - that is the future of it.” However that future will not include a seven-speed DSG, even if one was developed - like stablemate Audi's seven-speed S-tronic (appearing in the sporty S-line models) that can handle up to 550Nm of torque, but is designed for longitudinally-mounted engines, while the GTI's four-cylinder is transverse-mounted . “There are no plans to ever develop a seven-speed for this car,” Trump says. “We believe the six-speed is perfectly suited to the GTI. “The seven-speed gives you an overdrive function and does not make sense for sporty cars.”  

Volkswagen has launched its most powerful Golf, the limited edition GTI Pirelli

The foundations for the next generation of Volkswagens has just been laid in Europe.The car called Golf 6 is public today in pictures which show a compact hatch which is just as you would expect - as well as the building block for a new range of updated models which already share their mechanical package with the current Golf.There is no sign of a Porsche input in the car, even though the sports car maker now owns its big brother, but the new look of the Golf will be reflected in everything from the next Jetta and Golf to cars with Skoda and Seat badges.Volkswagen is making big claims for Golf 6, saying it is the “safest, most technically advanced and most dynamic iteration yet”.It is also promising new benchmarks in quality, style, safety and emissions for a car which has been its best seller since the 1970s.“This sixth generation of Golf cars will completely redefine the quality and comfort level of its class over broad categories, offering more customer value than ever before,” says Martin Winterkorn, chairman of the Volkswagen.The sixth-generation Golf is expected in Australia towards the end of next year following a full-scale preview at the Paris Motor Show in October and European sales before the end of 2008.Early details point to smoother, evolutionary styling for both the three and five-door Golf hatches. The cabin is more refined and the quality of materials is improved.“It is more accentuated than its predecessor with precisely defined lines and edges and with finely proportioned flared surfaces and recesses,” says VW design chief, Walter de Silva.Safety is handled by seven airbags, Golf Six will come with new or updated petrol and diesel engines, and the list of standard and optional equipment includes everything from Adaptive Chassis Control to an Automatic Distance Control which promises automatic braking if it detects an obstacle in front of the car.