There you HAVEit: VW Renders Drivers (almost) Obsolete

We’ve seen them in science-fiction films: cars that drive themselves. And, as car enthusiasts, we hoped that this invention will never be realized, or at least not in our lifespan. But is seems like Volkswagen and the EU have other plans.

At the final presentation for the HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicle for Intelligent Transport) project in the Swedish city of Boras, the German car company presented the “Temporary Auto Pilot”, or TAP, a system that allows the car to semi-automatically drive itself up to speeds of 130 km/h (80 mph) on motorways, with the driver simply monitoring the vehicle.

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Volkswagen Announces Super Efficient 68.9mpg Passat BlueMotion for the UK

Revealed at the Geneva Motor Show this past March, the new generation of Volkswagen’s fuel-efficient Passat BlueMotion is available to order now in the United Kingdom, with first examples scheduled to hit showrooms towards the end of July. The BlueMotion version of the seventh-generation Passat (not to be confused with the US model), itself launched in Europe in January, is offered in both sedan and Estate formats with prices starting at £19,875 and £21,180 respectively. Read more »

KBR Motorsport Tricks Out Volkswagen’s Passat CC

It has been a long time since we last saw a tuning firm getting its hands on the Volkswagen Passat CC, but today we received news on a freshly developed styling and performance package for the mid-size sports saloon by German firm KBR Motorsport. Read more »

Volkswagen Studying Tiguan SUV Production in North America to Lower Costs

Citing inside management sources from Volkswagen, a news report from German weekly business magazine WirtschaftsWoche said the German automaker wants to produce its Tiguan compact SUV in North America in order to reduce costs and protect itself against fluctuation of exchange rates. Officially, Volkswagen declined to comment on the magazine report. Read more »

VW Prices the Passat from $20,675 in the U.S.

Volkswagen has announced pricing for the all-new 2012 Passat, the firm’s midsize sedan design to meet the needs of U.S. consumers. The four-door saloon will have a starting MSRP of $19,995 (€14,110), not including a $770 destination charge that increased the price to $20,675.

Built at Volkswagen’s newly inaugurated Chattanooga plant in the state of Tennessee, the Passat is available with three engine options and eight equipment levels. The starting price corresponds to the 2.5L model, which features a 170HP 2.5-liter petrol engine mated to a manual gearbox. The entry-level Passat comes equipped with automatic dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth connectivity, steering wheel audio controls and VW's no-charge three-year/36,000 mile Carefree Maintenance Program as standard.

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VW Testing Chinese Passat Lingyu fuel-cell vehicles in the States

Volkswagen of America announced today that it has 'imported' 16 Passat Lingyu fuel-cell vehicles from China to use in fleet demonstrations at the California Fuel Cell Partnership in Sacramento, California. These prototype fuel-cell vehicles that are based on the domestic version of the Passat were developed in China as part of a joint effort between VW Shanghai, Tongji University and Volkswagen Group Research. They were first revealed at last summer's 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

"These vehicles logged nearly 50,000 miles in Beijing - with zero harmful emissions. We can think of no better place to next exhibit this environmentally-friendly technology than at the California Fuel Cell Partnership," said John Tillman, program manager for Volkswagen's U.S. Advanced Powertrain Research Program.

The hydrogen fuel cells are located in the car floor of the Passat Lingyu. The fuel cell system develops a peak power of 55 kW. The energy obtained by converting hydrogen (H) into water (H2O) is fed into a lithium-ion battery which is located under the rear bench seat and has a capacity of eight Ampere-hours (Ah) at 376 Volt (V).

VW claims that the Passat Lingyu is capable of traveling at highway speeds up to 90 mph (145 km/h) and as far as 146 miles (235 km) on a single tank of fuel with the only byproduct released from the tailpipe being water and oxygen.

VW Releases Teaser Sketch of U.S Market 2011 Mid-Size Sedan - Larger than the Passat

On Thursday, Volkswagen's North American arm released the first-ever teaser sketch of its forthcoming mid-size sedan codenamed NMS that will be manufactured at the company's first U.S. production facility in more than 20 years, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The sketch reveals that the yet to be named saloon will be more 'wedgy' and squared-off than Volkswagen's current proposals with the front-end design bringing to mind the fascia of the German automaker's latest concept car, the BlueSport Roadster.

It is said that the NMS will be slightly larger than the current-generation Passat with Volkswagen promising that it will feature "spacious legroom", a "large trunk volume" and numerous cupholders - we didn't say that, VW did.

During an official presentation in Berlin, Germany, last October, VW officials said that their North American market mid-size sedan will be offered with the firm's latest Fuel-Stratified Injection (FSI) gasoline and TDI diesel engine units, mated to a dual-clutch transmission. Production of the NMS is expected to begin in Chattanooga in early 2011.

Via: Autoweek

VW adds Seven-Speed DSG Option to Passat CC Range in the UK

Volkswagen's four-door, four-seat sport sedan, the Passat CC, is now available in the UK for order with the firm's seven-speed DSG gearbox. Offered exclusively with the 1.8-litre TSI 160 PS engine and in standard CC trim, the DSG improves the car's acceleration from a standstill to 62 mph to 8.5 seconds versus the manual's 8.6 seconds. Furthermore, it gives an improved fuel consumption figure on the combined cycle of 38.7 mpg UK (37.2 manual) while CO2 emissions are reduced to 172 g/km (178 manual).

Prices for the Passat CC 1.8 TSI start at £20,with the new DSG gearbox commanding a £1,243 premium. Prices for the rest of the Passat CC range rise to £30,492 for the GT 3.6-litre V6 which produces 300 PS.

Passat CC model line-up and pricing	Price, £ (OTR)
CC 1.8-litre TSI 160 PS 6 spd manual	20,622
CC 1.8-litre TSI 160 PS 7 spd DSG	21,865
CC 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS 6 spd manual	21,408
CC 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS 6 spd DSG	22,676
CC GT 2.0-litre TSI 200 PS 6 spd manual	22,717
CC GT 2.0-litre TSI 200 PS 6 spd auto tiptronic	23,960
CC GT 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS 6 spd manual	22,289
CC GT 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS 6 spd DSG	23,557
CC GT 2.0-litre TDI 170 PS 6 spd manual	23,170
CC GT 2.0-litre TDI 170 170 PS 6 spd DSG	24,438
CC GT 3.6-litre V6 4MOTION 300 PS 6 spd DSG	30,492