Yesterday, we talked about a group of scientists from Stanford’s Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Laboratory that have been working on an robotic Audi TTS and their ambitious attempt at running the fully automated vehicle at the Pikes Peak climb.
It turns out that the Audi TTS isn’t the only car these geniuses have been working on. In addition to the Audi TTS, the scientists also have a standard-looking VW Passat in tow, and while it looks unspectacular, to say the least, the Passat also comes with the some highly-advanced computer gear in the trunk that allows the car to park itself without any manual assistance.
Amazing as it sounds, the technology does have a few catches of its own. For the technology to show off its true worth, the car needs to have a layout of the area where it’s parking and, in addition to that, the computers inside the Passat have no means of detecting outside forces that may obstruct the car from parking on its own.
Nevertheless, a car that parks by itself is still something none of us have in our garages and it’s worth noting that in the event the technology goes mainstream in the future, you should know that the whole genius of an idea was made to fruition by these guys over a Stanford.
The German automotive conglomerate’s personalization line, Volkswagen Individual, has just revealed the new R-Line package for the new Golf, Scirocco and Passat CC at the Frankfurt Motor Show, all three of which will go on sale later on this Fall.
The sixth generation Golf is upgraded with a set of stylish 17 inch alloy wheels and a sport suspension to make it handle better as well as a set of body colored side skirts and a pair of aggressively redesigned set of bumpers inspired by the new Golf R. Down force is improved with a new rear diffuser integrated into the back bumper and a roof spoiler to finish off the top of the hatch while on the inside a pair of decorative door tread plates wears the R-Line logo. Volkswagen’s newest hot hatch, the Scirocco, benefits from both interior and exterior upgrades as well. The new Scirocco R-Line follows a similar diet as the Golf R-Line, except that the Scirocco’s modifications are based more on improving the vehicle’s appearance as opposed to swapping out the mechanicals underneath.
For the more luxurious end of the Volkswagen R-Line, the Passat CC gets a set of 18 inch wheels, a freshly redesigned front spoiler and lower hanging side skirts to complete the ground effects package, while the interior is upgraded with four special edition kick plates and a leather wrapped multifunction three spoke steering wheel finished off with the R-Line logo.
Volkswagen recently gave their midsize model, the Passat, a bit of a face-lift. The “classic” Passat is a great car and has been a huge success for the German automaker, but the design was becoming dated, and to be honest a bit bland. So the people’s car maker decided to give their four door sedan some more attitude, what they created was the CC. Following in the footsteps of another German car builder, Volkswagen transformed the Passat into a four door comfort coupe. Powered by either a 200 HP turbocharged four cylinder, for as little as $27,000; or a modern version of the company’s VR6 making 280 HP and 4Motion all wheel drive, the CC packs a punch at any price range. Best of all, the vehicle will get as much as 29 MPG on the highway.
The German automotive conglomerate figures that they will sell more front wheel drive turbocharged four cylinder version of the CC, and that the American market would rather spend more on interior upgrades than all out performance. Inside the comfort coupe you will feel pampered due to the combination of leather wrapped surfaces and brushed aluminum trim pieces. From the outside, the CC’s modern sheet metal is a welcome upgrade over the standard version, not to mention the new panoramic sunroof. The design is one that won’t become dated; the CC will still be attractive decades from now.
Volkswagen UK has just announced an R-Line package for their mid sized car, the Passat. Like the sister company Audi’s S-Line trim package, the R-Line treatment brings added style and comfort to the base model four-door without the extra cost. The best part about the new trim is that you can have the appearance of a high performance R model, with a smaller, more fuel efficient and more economical engine under the hood.
From the outside, the R-Line package consists of a set of 17 inch wheels, a chrome grill surround and the “R” styling pack. On the inside, the package adds creature comforts like cruise control, adjustable front buckets and a leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel. VW even adds a tire pressure monitoring system for safety.
Volkswagen is opening the year 2008 with the world premiere of the Passat CC. Its identifying characteristics: coupé design, yet with four doors; impressive comfort, yet pure dynamics; sporty interior, yet space without compromises. The interplay of these contrasts has resulted in a car whose concept and design set a new course beyond the mainstream.
The CC features a masculine shoulder line, which visually connects the front wheel wells to the taillights, providing the emotional and expressive stance of a sports coupe with all the convenience of a sedan.
The CC Sport and Luxury models are equipped with Volkswagen’s 2.0T inline four-cylinder engine carrying a turbocharger with intercooler and double overhead camshafts. The advanced four-valve per cylinder powerplant also is equipped with variable valve timing and a direct-injection fuel delivery system, both of which contribute to optimum fuel efficiency.
Mated with either a six-speed manual (Sport only) or six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic, the 2.0T delivers 200hp at 5100 rpm, and 207 lb.- ft. of torque between 1800 and 5000 rpm. The 2.0T delivers on its promise of performance with efficiency by achieving fuel economy of 21-mpg in the city, and 31- mpg on the highway with the manual, and 19-city/29-highway with the automatic – corresponding estimated 0-to-60-mph performance is a very capable 6.9- and 7.4-seconds respectively.
The VR6 Sport and VR6 4Motion models are powered by a 3.6L V6 engine that delivers 280hp at 6200 rpm and 265 lb.-ft of torque at 2750 rpm. Zero-to-60-mph performance is estimated at an exceptional 6.6-seconds; and fuel efficiency is 18-mpg in the city and 27-mpg on the
highway.
Volkswagen unveiled today at the Bologna Motor Show the special edition Passat CC Individual, the fourth model under the "Individual" label to go into production (after the Eos, Passat and Touareg).
The four-door coupé leaves the factory on newly designed 18-inch "Chicago black" type alloy wheels as standard equipment. After its market launch, another 19-inch variant will also be available as an option. As an exclusive in this car class, the Passat CC Individual will be available in the pearl effect car color "Moonlight Blue". Another identifying exterior feature: the modest Individual logos on the front fenders.
Inside, the new Passat CC Individual features standard two-tone leather covers for the 6-way power comfort seats (with memory
function). The seat surfaces are designed in a high-end soft leather called "cool leather" ("Nougat" color) with climate seat perforations; this material reflects sun rays very well and so it stays pleasantly cool.
The CC Gold Coast was presented at the SEMA Show. Based on the Passat CC, the Gold Coast edition adds luxury and performance extras like tri-coat paint, high-end interior appointments, and ground affects that enhance the sportiness of Volkswagen’s newest sedan.
The CC Gold Coast edition is powered by the 3.6L FSI, rated at 280 hp and 265lbs.-ft of torque, with the innovative DSG double-clutch 6-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic.
The CC Gold Coast features DuPont’s Pepe Pepper, large-surface dual taillights, a spoiler with additional rear-end ground effects, 19-inch Lugano polished propeller style wheels, which provide a combination of sharp style and improved curb appeal.
Volkswagen unveiled today at SEMA Show the CC Performance Concept. On the exterior the car features black chrome accents, grey pearl paint with custom front and rear bumper, side panels and machined aluminum spoiler.
Under the hood Volkswagen placed a 2.0L TSI engine that has been upgraded with an APR stage 3 turbocharger system with three performance levels. In Full Power mode the Performance CC brings 311 hp and 313 lbs. ft. torque; GT mode offers 252 hp and 268 lbs. ft. of torque; and in the Eco mode 222 hp and 236 lbs. ft. of torque.
Volkswagen will unveil at the Paris Auto Show the cleanest Passat ever and its name says it all: BlueTDI. This is the first from a long list of BlueTDI models.
The combination between the TDi engine and the DSG dual-clutch gearbox helped to reduce fuel consumption by 28%.
The BlueTDI is powered by a 2.0-liter common-rail engine that delivers 143 hp. But despite this big output the new Passat only need 5,5 liters per 100 km (with CO2 Emission of 144 g / km CO2) for the station wagon version and 5.2 l/100 km (139 g / km CO2) for the sedan version.
Both sedan and station wagon version will be available for orders starting beginning of 2009.
Two things that usually don’t go together are performance sedans and diesel engines. According to The Car Connection, Volkswagen is considering a diesel version for the 2009 Passat CC. Brett Scott, product planner for Volkswagen’s trucks and mid-size cars, says when it comes to a diesel version of the new coupe-like four-door, the company is "certainly looking at it," though it’s not currently in the product plan. In the short term, VW is working on adding engine detail to the badging on the new CC: the four-cylinder versions will be badged "CC 2.0," for example.
Volkswagen plans to open a new assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2011. That plant will have a capacity of 250,000 vehicles when it’s fully up to speed. VW plans to build a new mid-size sedan there, and intends to export it around the world. Since diesel is a must-have engine for some European markets, this global vision for the Passat CC may explain why diesel would be a useful engine for this car.
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