Tag Archives: VW

Something for nothing – cars with performance and economy

May 13, 2012   Ian

Generally speaking, we assume that more powerful cars will use more fuel – after all, that extra power has to be generated by burning fuel. However, the fast pace of engine technology means that it is not quite so straightforward. A rather clever little website called www.cleanbhp.co.uk has worked out the amount of CO2 each car produces to generate each bhp – and the results are a real eye-opener.Some of the latest-generation petrol engines produce more than twice the power for the same CO2 or fuel consumption as older designs. For example, the Citroen C3 1.1 produces 139 g/km of CO2 in return for a measly 61 bhp, whereas the Mini Cooper S with 136 g/km of CO2 produces 181 bhp. Ironically, the two engines are even distantly related – BMW’s 1.6 litre engine in the Mini was originally jointly developed with Peugeot, owners of Citroen. So how can there be such a big difference?
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15-minute electric car charge system unveiled

May 04, 2012   Ian

A fast-charging system that promises to fully charge an electric car in 15-20 minutes will be demonstrated for the first time at an electric vehicle show next week.  The Electric Vehicle Symposium will see eight major car manufacturers (Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, GM, Porsche and VW) throw their weight behind a standardised DC-fast charging system. It will, according to a Volkswagen Group press release, “accelerate more affordable deployment of electrified vehicles and charging infrastructure.”
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China – 33 million car designers apply to VW

May 03, 2012   Ian

OK, that is stretching it a bit. However there have been 33 million visitors to a Chinese website inviting people to submit idea for future VW models. Of the 119,000 ideas submitted to the “People’s Car Project” (PCP), three have been taken forward and the results are on display at Auto China 2012. These concepts are the Hover Car, the Music Car and the Smart Key. With the Hover Car, an environmentally-friendly two-seater city car which hovers just above the ground, VW is showing a zero-emissions vehicle that could travel along electromagnetic road networks. Hmmm, we remember promises of magnetic levitation transport coming soon – but those promises were made in the 1970s.
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VW Launches Golf GTI cabrio

May 03, 2012   Ian

VW has launched the flagship GTI version of the Golf Cabrio range. It makes us all nostalgic about that first generation Golf cabrio Injection – always painted white with a white roof and ready-fitted with a Wham! cassette (apologies to those under 30 who know neither Wham! nor cassettes).
VW is also feeling nostalgic about the car, saying it has, “all the classic design cues”: the grille has a honeycomb structure with red edging and GTI badge, there is a deep air dam and, of course, tartan upholstery, with leather as an option for those not in thrall to 1981. The GTI theme is topped off with red stitching for the steering wheel, gear lever and handbrake.
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