Volkswagen Golf 2010 News

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

In a swiftly changing motoring environment carmakers are searching for new ways to cut fuel use and emissions and improve efficiency.Among the hundreds of concepts and new and updated models on display at the Paris motor show over the next 15 days are some definite standouts. Renault has combined gull-wing doors, comfort, refinement and a slippery design with a hybrid diesel engine and plonked it all on massive 23-inch wheels in its range-topping Ondelios concept car (cover picture).It's 4.8m long and has a hybrid 150kW version of the 2.0-litre dCi engine.There are also two 20kW electric motors at the front and rear to provide extra boost recovered during braking.Mercedes is unveiling one of the world's fastest cabriolets. The SLR McLaren Roadster 722S has 478kW of power and accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of 335km/h.Just 150 of the two-seater supercars will be built. It complements Mercedes' other show star the ConceptFascination, a wild two-door sportswagon. It's a modern version of the old British “shooting-brake” where a wagon tail has been planted on a sporty saloon.Citroen's crossover concept, Hypnos, hasa 150kW engine that boasts miserly fuel efficiency figures of 4.5-litres per 100km.However, it what's inside that is different. An extremely colourful rainbow light show highlights its sleek styling.Honda is using the Paris show to highlight its green commitment. Star of its stand is the new Insight Concept, a dedicated petrol-electric hybrid car in the vein of Toyota's Prius.It is expected to go into production within the next few years.From the US, GM will debut a close to production version of its revolutionary Volt electric car. Chevrolet is showing its new crucial small car the Cruze, plus its first seven-seat multi-purpose family car, the Orlando show car.A form of SUV-family van and wagon crossover, it has a 2.0-litre diesel engine.Alfa Romeo is unveiling its little MiTo compact which is due to come to Australian the middle of next year.Fiat is showing the MiTo's likely competitor in the super-mini category, the 120kW 500 Abarth EsseEsse (SS) plus its PUR-O2 eco-range of cleaner, greener 500s. New technology includes the ability for the engine to turn itself off while idling and back on to continue driving.Mini will show its all-wheel-drive Crossover Concept, while BMW will premiere its X1 wagon. The Mini is intended for adventurous twenty-somethings, while the Concept X1 will go into production as a safe, practical family car.Chasing a similar small, sporty car market is Audi with its new A1. The near-production version will be a feature of its stand.Saab is exhibiting its 9-X Air concept car, while Volvo is debuting its production-ready ultra-safe XC60 crossover which is headed for Australia.Porsche has several new models in the911 range plus the go-anywhere Cayenne S Transsyberia super-4WD.Mazda's all-new Kiyora urban compact four-cylinder concept car will sit alongside the world debut of production cars, the new generation MX-5, the Mazda6 with a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine and the Mazda2 1.6-litre diesel.Lamborghini has joined the rush to GT supercars with its four-door Estoque concept.Like Porsche's Panamera, Maserati's Quattroporte and Aston Martin's upcoming four-seater, the Estoque, brings a new versatility to one of the world's most uncompromising sports marques.Lamborghini stresses that although there are no production plans for the AWD Estoque it has been developed as fully production capable.Toyota has three world premiere vehicles ranging from its little four-seater city car, the iQ, to the all-new Avensis sedan and wagon and the 1.4-litre diesel-engined Urban Cruiser All Wheel Drive.Ford is debuting the all-new Ka city car with a choice of 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litrediesel engines, the hot Focus RS and the new economic Fiesta.Volkswagen will show off its latest Golf GTi. The hot hatch for 2009 is cleaner, smoother and much more refined than earlier cars.It will still come with a 155kW turbo petrol engine and the promise of a 7.2-second sprint to 100km/h, but is missing the wild body bits of earlier GTi road runners.Nissan's debuting Nuvu concept is just three-metres long. It only has two normal seats plus a third that folds down for luggage and groceries. The city car has solar panels on the glass roof.Ferrari will debut its chic two-seater V8 California sports car.From Korea will come Hyundai's i20 small car and a 2.4-litre engined hybrid SUV.Kia is showing its Soul range of urban crossover concepts that come with either petrol or diesel engines. There's also a hybrid version. Additional reporting by Kevin Hepworth and Paul Gover. 

The Golf TDI Hybrid uses a diesel engine returning 3.35 litres/100km and 89g/km of CO2. The hybrid combines an advanced diesel engine with an electric motor and the latest generation of seven-speed DSG gearbox. Around town, the Golf TDI Hybrid reverts to purely electric mode to be emission-free. At the core of the new Golf is a highly efficient 1.2-litre three-cylinder common rail TDI diesel engine developing 100kW and 180Nm of torque. Working either in tandem with the diesel engine or, if required, on its own, is an electric motor developing 20kW and 140Nm of torque. The electric motor also replaces the conventional starter motor and alternator to save weight and improve packaging. It can also operate as a generator, recovering kinetic energy from the car during braking to charge the 220-volt, 45kg nickel metal hydride battery which has a capacity of 1.4kW hours. In practice, the electric motor powers the vehicle from standstill with the diesel engine only engaging should additional acceleration be required or at higher speeds. In these situations the diesel engine takes over with the electric motor only working if required to supplement the combustion engine – for example, during overtaking manoeuvres. When at a standstill the diesel engine shuts down completely to conserve fuel and increase efficiency. Drive on the concept car is channelled through the new seven-speed DSG twin-clutch gearbox. This features a pair of dry clutches as opposed to wet (lubricated) clutches and sets a new energy efficiency standard for automatic gearboxes. Visual changes which differentiate the Golf TDI Hybrid include a new grille design, smaller front air intakes to reduce aerodynamic drag and subtle TDI-Hybrid badging. The Golf TDI Hybrid also sits lower than the standard Golf on revised suspension and adopts the front splitter from the Golf GTI Edition 30 to help further reduce aerodynamic drag. The interior further distinguishes the Golf TDI Hybrid from the conventional vehicle. The Golf TDI Hybrid is a concept vehicle, but a version is likely to go into production in the future. This study follows the recent launch of the efficient new Golf BlueMotion. Adopting an optimised 1.9-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine linked to a revised gearbox and more efficient aerodynamics the Golf BlueMotion can achieve a combined 4.4 litres/100km, while emitting just 119g/km of CO2, meaning it will be exempt from the London Congestion Charge from October 27 onwards.