VW at the 25th Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil

Fox BlueMotion

At the 25th Sao Paulo Motor Show Volkswagen debuted five brand new models the Voyage, the petrol powered BlueMotion range comprising of a Fox BlueMotion, Polo BlueMotion, Gol BlueMotion and the new 2.0 Total Flex engine in the Polo GT and Polo 2.0 Total Flex Sedan.




Gol BlueMotion

Fox BlueMotion

The new to Brazil BlueMotion line also marks the first non diesel BlueMotion series;
The Polo, Fox and Gol BlueMotion models are all powered by Volkswagen Brazil’s 1.6L VHT Total Flex (ethanol/petrol) engine; other enhancements to the BlueMotion line-up include tweaks to the engine, gearbox, aerodynamic body kit and lighter alloy wheels.

The Polo BlueMotion is due to be released before the years end with the Fox and Gol BlueMotion to be debut next year.


Polo GT note the GTI grill.


Polo Sedan with the 2.0L TotalFlex engine.

The 2.0L TotalFlex engine.

VW Brazil also introduced the bi-fuel the new 2.0 Total Flex petrol / ethanol Polo sedan and Polo GT which produces 116hp / 85kW with petrol and 120hp / 88kW with ethanol at 5250 rpm.







A special Samba styled red/white Kombi customized by Teco Caliendo and Eduardo Bernasconi was also on display with 215/40/17 tyres on polished aluminium wheels and lowered suspension with a surfboard on the roof; inside the Kombi has four individual natural fibre seats (the rear seats turn 180 degrees), a projector for watching movies on the rear window and a 42”inch touch screen controlled via a laptop.




Gol Tech note the Alloy Wheels

VW Brazil also showed off the Gol Tech with beautiful black alloys; VW Tech is the Brazilian equivalent of VW Individual package.

Sources
alpini.com.br
blogauto.com.br
carroonline.net
pitstopbrasil.wordpress.com
salaodoautomovel.com.br
blogmotorpress.com.br
vwbr.com.br

Volkswagen's V12 Trophy Truck Spotted in Testing

From the forum http://www.race-dezert.com/ comes these images of the Volkswagen Baja V12 Touareg Trophy Truck testing in the American desert.

Thanks to the keen poster pacetrailersofaz who supplied the shots.

As you can see from these images; this will be a mid engine buggy producing approximately 750 hhp / 552kW.

Stay tuned for more info.

New Caddy Sportline Models add Excitment to the Range.

The stylish new Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Sportline panel van makes its show debut at Interbuild 2008, at the NEC from 26 to 30 October.

The Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles stand in Hall 4 also features its best-selling van, the Transporter, fitted with a Bott racking system, plus a Crafter Tipper from the Volkswagen Engineered to go™ range of conversions, and a Crafter panel van fitted with a Supertrucks glass frail carrier.

The new Caddy Maxi Sportline and the smaller Caddy Sportline, were announced last month and join the existing Transporter Sportline (short and long wheelbase panel vans and five-seater kombi) to expand the Volkswagen Sportline range to five models.

Volkswagen’s stylish Sportline range is designed for builders and contractors who want a van that stands out from the crowd with swift performance to match.

The eye-catching exterior of the Caddy Maxi Sportline includes: chrome side rails and front grilles, lower front spoiler with integrated fog lights, rear roof spoiler, body-coloured bumpers, mirrors and door handles, plus unique 17-inch six-spoke alloy wheels with Sportline centre logo. Under the bonnet, a 2.0-litre TDI PD engine can deliver a 0 to 62mph time of 10.5 seconds and 45.6 mpg on the combined cycle.

The interior is special too, with bespoke black Italian leather upholstery with red stitching, micro-perforated red centre panels and embroidered Sportline logo, plus electric windows, ‘Climatic’ air conditioning, a radio/CD and electrically operated and heated door mirrors. The load area has a payload of 724 kg and volume of 4.2 m³.

Prices for the new Caddy Maxi Sportline were announced this week, with a basic retail price (excluding VAT) of £18,280. Full details of the Sportline range are available from www.volkswagensportline.co.uk.

‘Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles offers a great range of vehicles for the building industry, with strong residual values and the back-up of a dedicated, nationwide Van Centre network with fully trained staff used to dealing with customers in all trades,’ said Simon Elliott, Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

For more details of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, or to find your nearest Volkswagen Van Centre, visit www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk.

The new Golf – The safe choice

-Five stars: Top EuroNCAP certification for protective systems

Wolfsburg, 22 October 2008 - The independent testers at EuroNCAP put the new Golf through a series of rigorous tests. The result: five stars which is the best result compared with the direct competition.

The Golf, with over 26 million vehicles sold, is not one of the most successful vehicles in the world without reason: its diversity and quality are legendary and have made it a safe choice for over 30 years. With every detail perfected, the sixth generation is now setting new and higher standards for the whole Golf class and is thus the best Golf ever built. It is "Das Auto" and embodies the worldwide brand Volkswagen like no other vehicle. This excellent position was certified for the safety features of the new Golf in the most recent EuroNCAP-test: it achieved a phenomenal 36 of 37 possible points and was awarded five stars for occupant protection. It received four stars in the category child safety and thus achieved the highest possible number of points for biomechanical values. With three stars for pedestrian protection, the new Golf is, according to the ADAC, "a car with one of the best levels of pedestrian protection available".

The Golf is fitted with a complete safety package as standard. A further improved safety body structure, seven airbags including a knee airbag for the driver and an innovative head restraint system for the driver and front passenger. Rear side airbags are also available as special equipment. Furthermore, the Golf is the first Volkswagen to have a "seatbelt fastened" detection system for the rear seats. The standard ESP with brake assist function provides additional driving safety. Furthermore, a new sensor concept for crash detection has been introduced with the Golf. The development of this so-called "crash impact sound sensing" system was awarded the innovation prize in Bavaria in May 2008.

From vision to reality:"Car-2-Car" communication put to the first road test

Wolfsburg / Dudenhofen, 23 October 2008 - A milestone on the way into the automotive future has been reached at the testing grounds in Dudenhofen, Germany. For the first time, several vehicle manufacturers jointly presented their latest developments in "Car-2-Car" communication using real vehicles. Volkswagen demonstrated tomorrow's technology in a Passat Variant TDI and a Golf GTI.

Research in "Car-2-Car" communication is being conducted to define a universal standard for communication between vehicles, as sharing information is expected to yield great improvements in road safety. For example, if a vehicle encounters an adverse condition such as a traffic jam, fog, an icy road surface or an accident, it will transmit this information to all potentially affected vehicles in the area. Approaching traffic is alerted, allowing drivers to adjust their driving to the upcoming situation.

In the tests at the testing grounds in Dudehofen, the Passat and the Golf acted as a sender, receiver and transmitter. ‘Ad-hoc networks’ based on wireless LAN technology exchanged data between the vehicles. The following situations were simulated in the demonstration: motorcycle at an intersection, stationary vehicle, construction site and police car in action.

Data access was provided by a ‘CarGate’ which creates an abstract of the vehicle data, thus allowing simple access to a multitude of information, e.g. road speed, engine speed, wheel speeds or status of the hazard flashers.

Volkswagen Group delivers 4.8 million vehicles worldwide from January to September 2008

3.9 percent increase in the first nine months

Market share rose to 10.1 percent in the period under review

Group target for 2008 remains valid: Higher deliveries than in previous year

Wolfsburg, 24 October 2008 - The Volkswagen Group’s nine brands delivered 4.8 million vehicles worldwide during the first nine months of this year, a 3.9 percent increase compared with the same period in 2007*. The Group’s share of the global passenger car market therefore rose by 0.5 percentage points to 10.1 percent. In September, a very difficult month for the automobile industry, the Group sold 550,000 vehicles (+0.7 percent) worldwide**.

"We are concerned to see a further marked deterioration in the situation for our industry throughout the world in September. With its attractive model range and its broad-based international market presence, our Group is still delivering more vehicles than competitors. Our target of selling more vehicles in 2008 than in 2007 remains valid," Detlef Wittig, Executive Vive President Group Sales and Marketing, said.

The Group continued its expansion on growth markets, although the pace of growth in these markets has also begun to slow down. In China, the Group delivered 775,400 vehicles (+13.2 percent) from January to September. In Brazil, 20.7 percent growth in deliveries to 497,100 vehicles was again very satisfactory for Volkswagen. The Group also recorded similar pleasing growth in Central and Eastern Europe during the first nine months of this year, with 428,400 vehicles delivered to customers (+19.6 percent). Growth in deliveries in Russia (+68.2 percent to 96,500 vehicles) was particularly strong.

In Europe, the Volkswagen Group delivered 2.84 million vehicles to customers (+0.8 percent) during the first nine months of the year, of which 790,000 vehicles (+2.8 percent) were delivered in Germany. On an overall West European market (excluding Germany) which remained very weak, the Group delivered 1.5 million vehicles (-4.9 percent) from January to September.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars, the Group’s highest-volume brand, delivered 2.81 million vehicles (+3.1 percent) worldwide during the period January to September 2008, of which 392,000 vehicles (+4.2 percent) were delivered in Germany.

* January – September including Scania: 4.797 million vehicles delivered;
January – September excluding Scania: 4.784 million vehicles delivered.

** Figures for the month of September do not include Scania deliveries.

The Taylor’s break Guinness World Record driving a stock clean diesel Jetta TDI

HERNDON, Va. – The world’s most fuel efficient couple, John and Helen Taylor, have broken the current world record for lowest fuel consumption across the 48 contiguous United States averaging 58.82 miles to the gallon. They ended their 20 day trip in West Virginia on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008. To help them break the world record, they drove the all-new, 50-state-compliant clean diesel Volkswagen Jetta TDI, fueled by Shell Ultra Low Sulfur diesel fuel under real world driving condition, simply applying easy to use fuel saving tips and the latest efficient engine technology available for good clean diesel fun.

“We are very excited and grateful to have broken the current Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption across the 48 contiguous United States,” said Helen Taylor. “We would like to thank Volkswagen for providing us their new clean diesel Jetta that helped us get another World Record and to Shell for the supplying the diesel fuel.”

The previous Guinness World Record for the lowest fuel consumption on a nationwide drive was 51.58 miles per gallon and the Taylor’s broke it by 58.82 miles per gallon, a whopping 14 percent improvement. In 20 days, driving across 48 states the Taylor’s drove 9,419 miles, exceeding 60 mpg on several legs of the record-setting run, spending only 6.9 cents per mile (total was $653).

“The terrain was very diverse, the weather less than ideal, and the traffic heavy at rush hour and the VW Jetta TDI handled it all beautifully, showing its fuel efficiency and its fun-to-drive dynamic capability, just two of this vehicle’s many attributes,” said John Taylor. “The car efficiently helped us to drive to a fuel economy world record.”

People were encouraged to e-mail the Taylors along the way at: fuelacademy@gmail.com with any questions they may have about the tour, the vehicle or about fuel economy tips and join their “Fan” page on Facebook.com. As of the end of the trip, more than 2,000 people have e-mailed the Taylors.

Approximately 12 official check-in and refueling stops across the country were included throughout the duration of the drive. The couple drove on a counter-clockwise route passing through: Washington D.C.; New York City, Rutland, Vermont; Toledo, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; Spearfish, S.D.; Missoula, Mont.; Winnemucca, Nev.; Santa Monica, Calif.; Durango, Colo.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Mount Vernon, Ill.; Ponchatoula, La.; and, Beckley, W.V. Some of the fuel saving tips the Taylors advocate include: avoiding idling and higher speeds, minimizing vehicle drag and performing regular vehicle maintenance.

The Taylors have made a 26-year career out of driving economically and conducting workshops globally on fuel-efficient driving techniques. They have collected 82 world fuel economy and vehicle-related records from drives around the globe in Australia, Asia, South Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America. Via their Web site, the Taylors will be sharing their personal experiences on the road. For more information and regular reports from the road, visit www.fuelacademy.com and www.media.vw.com. For a complete list of fuel-saving driving tips, visit http://www.shell.com/us/fuelstretch.

Paris 2008: Touareg North Sails was specially trimmed for sailors

-White tones and accents in the style of luxury yachts

-Special model created in partnership with sailing outfitter North Sails

Wolfsburg / Paris, 01 October 2008
At the Paris Motor Show, Volks¬wagen is presenting a special model of the Touareg whose design was customized for yachting enthusiasts: the Touareg North Sails. The special edition designed in cooperation with renowned sailing outfitter North Sails impresses with numerous exterior and interior elements that reflect the style of high-end yachts. The new special model is already being launched this fall and will be available with all six, eight and ten cylinder engines (176 kW / 240 PS to 257 kW / 350 PS).

Interior design: high-end and nautical in style
The most remarkable features of the new Touareg North Sails are to be found in the passenger compartment. Stylistically, the interior is a rather perfect match to the standard exterior car color “Campa¬nella white” or the optional “Shadow blue metallic”. In addition, the following car colors also provide a harmonious match: “Arctic blue silver metallic”, “Atacama gray metallic”, Galapagos anthracite metallic”, “Reflex silver metallic” and “Black magic pearl effect”. Basic interior features include “Cricket” leather upholstery in “Anthracite” or “Latte Macchiato” color. When the customer chooses the optional comfort seats (standard starting with the V8 FSI), they may also be ordered in Nappa leather with the special “St. Tropez” pattern and its white hue.

In conjunction with the “Latte Macchiato” and “St. Tropez” color schemes, the seats and interior door trim also sport seams in Aquamarine blue. Providing an exciting contrast are the “Aluminium engine spin, dark” decorative inserts of the instrument panel, door trim panels and center console. As an alternative, the Touareg North Sails may also be ordered with “Piano paint, white” treatments in these areas, which also evokes the elegance of luxury yachts. Standard features on board include stainless steel door tread plates (with “North Sails” signature in front) and the “North Sails” logo embossed on the center panels of the front seats.

Body design: luxurious chrome accents dominate
The design of the Touareg North Sails fits in ideally at any marina. For one, this is attributable to the already mentioned car paint in nautical “Campanella white” and the 19-inch “Zaragoza” alloy wheels with their chrome accents (with size 275/45 tires). For another, the special model is also pleasing with the factory-installed “Chrome & Style” design package. Two oval tailpipes of the exhaust system, a roof railing in silver, bi-xenon headlights including dynamic curve lighting, a vent glass sunroof and 65 percent light absorbing tinted windows in the rear (from the B-pillars) round out the equipment package. “North Sails” decals on the B-pillars complete the modifications.

Perfect at the pier and on the way there
The Touareg is the first choice for every skipper, not only at marinas, but as a towing vehicle for a boat trailer. The reason: all versions of the successful luxury SUV can tow braked trailers weighting up to 3.5 metric tonnes. The allowable hitch load is up to 140 kilograms. A removable trailer hitch is therefore part of the standard equipment package.

Paris 2008: World premiere of the second Passat BlueMotion generation

-New engine: 110 PS strong common rail TDI consumes just 4.9 Liter*

-Automatic Start/Stop: Engine automatically shuts down when car is stopped

Wolfsburg / Paris, 01 October 2008
BlueMotion is the Volkswagen label for the brand’s most economical cars. All BlueMotion models – from the Polo to the Passat – share this quality: their fuel-saving technology is absolutely affordable. The Passat is especially successful as a BlueMotion version. That is why Volkswagen is launching the second generation of BlueMotion technology on this model. The first Passat BlueMotion “2” cars will already arrive at dealers sometime this year. The new version of the Passat BlueMotion, once again offered as a sedan and Variant wagon, is powered by a highly advanced common rail turbo-diesel. It consumes just 4.9 liters* of fuel per 100 kilometers when powering the Passat BlueMotion sedan; accordingly, its CO2 emissions are also low at 128 g/km (* = Variant: 4.9 liters and 129 g/km).

New Automatic Start/Stop
Furthermore, an Automatic Start/Stop system is being used that is highly effective especially in city driving. Also new on board the most economical Passat of all times: low-friction propshafts, so-called super “rowi” tires (rollwiderstandsre¬duziert = reduced roll resistance) and very light wheels made of a light flow-forming steel. The material thickness of these wheels is less in certain areas to save on weight. The Blue¬Motion technology package can be ordered in combination with the four equipment variants Trendline, Comfortline, Highline and Sportline. Always included: the diesel particulate filter.

New 2.0 TDI consumes just 4.9 liters
The 2.0 liter displacement common rail TDI of the Passat BlueMotion develops a power of 81 kW / 110 PS (at 4,200 rpm) and replaces the 1.9 TDI with 77 kW / 105 PS. Its maximum torque of 250 Newton-meters is available from 1,500 rpm. Engine power is directed to a manual 5-speed transmission. Meanwhile, the proven gear recommendation was adopted; it is integrated in the standard multifunctional display.

Fuel consumption was successfully reduced by changing over to the new TDI and the Automatic Start/Stop system. It is now just 4.9 liters instead of 5.1 liters per 100 kilometers (sedan figures). Similarly, the low CO2 emissions of 136 g/km, already pioneering, were reduced to 129 g/km. The new Passat BlueMotion satisfies the Euro-5 emissions standard that takes effect in September 2009 and attains a top speed of 198 km/h (Variant 196 km/h).

Operation of Automatic Start/Stop is fully intuitive
Interesting is a look at the new Automatic Start/Stop system’s functionality. It is intuitive in operation and after just a few kilometers it becomes as natural a part of car driving as shifting or steering.

The driver drives to a red traffic light, brakes the Passat BlueMotion to a stop, shifts to neutral (ideally this is also done without the system) and takes the foot off the clutch. This causes the engine to be stopped momentarily. The message “Start Stop” now appears on the multifunctional display. As soon as the traffic light shows amber before green, the driver pushes the clutch, the engine starts, the “Start Stop” display goes out, and the drive continues. Essentially, the driver does not need to perform any extra operating steps compared to a conventional car, but in city driving Automatic Start/Stop can save up to 0,2 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers.

Paris 2008: Phaeton with new V6 FSI, hard-drive supported navigation and touchscreen

-New infotainment system simplifies controls and improves convenience

-New V6 gasoline direct injection engine has more power and better fuel economy

Wolfsburg / Paris, 01 October 2008
A new infotainment system (RCS 810 and RNS 810) as well as an efficient V6 gasoline direct injection engine, now with 206 kW / 280 PS, characterize the Phaeton of model year 2009 that has been perfected in numerous details. For example, all engines satisfy the Euro-5 emissions standard in the new model year. Other modifications include: three new types of alloy wheels (17, 18 and 19 inch), a slightly modified radiator grille, three new car colors (“Silver leaf metallic”, “Beryllium grey metallic” and “Mocca-anthracite pearl effect”), the new leather color “Corn Silk”, the new wood accents “Poplar grain latte macchiato“ and “Vavona”, switch illumination that is now white throughout instead of red, accent and switch trim in new “Warm grey” color, an upgraded car key, makeup mirror in the rear of the long version, dampers optimized for low-friction, ceramic brakes (front) for the Phaeton W12 as well as a rearview camera (Rear Assist). The new version of the high-tech sedan is being shown for the first time in the world at the Paris Motor Show. First deliveries of models are already slated for this year.

Control of climate control system and infotainment redesigned
The most in-depth revision on the Phaeton is a completely new center console design. A key component here: the new, standard RCD 810 infotainment system (radio variant) or the also new RNS 810 (optional navigation system variant).

To integrate the Phaeton’s new infotainment systems in a style that is as balanced as the prior model’s solution, the center console was fully redesigned. This also involved changing controls for the four-zone automatic climate control (Climatronic): the tempe¬rature is now set by rotary dial and is continuously displayed digitally above the control panel. The keys controlling individual ventilation functions were also redesigned. The intuitive control panel for climate control continues to be located beneath the infotainment system.

Newly developed: RCD 810 and RNS 810
The RCD 810 and RNS 810 infotainment systems with high-resolution 8-inch touchscreen in 16:9 format were redeveloped for the Phaeton. Take the example of the RNS 810: it unites numerous multimedia functions such as an auxiliary TV hybrid tuner (option) and the “Premium” prep for Bluetooth mobile telephone with a very quickly responding navigation system, which accesses an integrated 30-Gigabyte hard drive. Furthermore, it is simple and easy to modify general vehicle settings via the touch¬screen monitor. The higher-level menus are selected by eight additional keys to the left and right of the touchscreen. The signal of the optional rearview camera is also transmitted to the screen.

The integrated DVD drive can read out all commonly used audio formats and – when the vehicle is stationary – video films can also be played back over the monitor in brilliant image quality. There is also a slot for SD memory cards on the front of the unit. External MP3 players and similar data media can be interfaced via the MEDIA-IN (MDI) media socket. A Dynaudio system with an acoustic power of 1,000 Watt provides for exceptionally good sound.

As mentioned, the new RNS 810 unit’s range of use has been extended with a TV hybrid tuner. It enables reception of both analog and digital broadcasting stations (DVB-T). Its digital reception has an especially high image quality. In addition, the latest news can be called up via the integrated video text feature. TV reception is available as a special option on the RNS 810.

In combination with the optional “Premium” prep for a Bluetooth mobile telephone, the RNS 810 also makes telephoning easier. It is operated conveniently by pressing the “Phone” key on the left side of the 8-inch display. Further control, such as scrolling through the phone number memory or speed dialing can be performed via the 10-key numeric keypad shown on the screen. As an alternative, the telephone may be operated with ease from the multifunctional steering wheel, by voice control or an auxiliary mobile unit.

New V6 FSI, full conformance to Euro-5 standard
A new V6 gasoline engine being used in the Phaeton is an FSI engine (direct gasoline injection); it has 3.6 liter displacement and 206 kW / 280 PS. This engine is replacing the 3.2 liter V6 with 177 kW / 241 PS. The comfortable FSI develops a maximum torque of 360 Newton-meter, which is constantly available between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm and guarantees impressive high-torque performance. The maximum power of the twenty-four valve six cylinder is output at 6,250 rpm.

Powered in this way, the luxury sedan – with its standard 6-speed automatic, 4Motion all-wheel drive and electronically controlled air suspension – exhibits agile driving performance. The Phaeton V6 FSI reaches the 100 km/h mark from a stop in 8.6 seconds, and its top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h. Its average fuel consumption is 11.7 liter Super. CO2 emissions were reduced from 288 g/km to 273 g/km.

Besides the new 3.6 liter FSI, the two other more powerful V8 and W12 gasoline engines with 246 kW / 335 PS and 331 kW / 450 PS, respectively, already satisfy the Euro-5 emissions standard that takes effect in September 2009. It was one of the first engines in the world to conform to this standard at the beginning of 2007, due to its extremely fuel-efficient V6 TDI with 3.0 liters displacement and common rail direct injection (171 kW / 233 PS).

Paris 2008: BlueTDI – World premiere of the cleanest Passat of all times

-Passat BlueMotion with SCR catalytic converter already fulfills Euro-6 standard

-143 PS strong Passat BlueTDI to arrive on market early in 2009

Wolfsburg / Paris, 01 October 2008
In a world premiere at the Paris Motor Show, Volkswagen is presenting the cleanest Passat of all times and with it a new engine label: BlueTDI. The Passat BlueTDI should already be launched in the first European markets in 2009, as a sedan and as a Variant. It is a harbinger of a whole series of innovative BlueTDI models to come. They fulfill the most stringent emissions standards in the USA (“BIN5”) and Europe (Euro-6 standard for the year 2014). They are Volkswagens that are once again doing great credit to the quality seal “Made in Germany”.

SCR catalytic converter and AdBlue are the keys to fulfilling the Euro-6 standard
In the case of the Passat Variant BlueTDI being shown in Paris, a highly complex SCR catalytic converter together with the additive AdBlue serve to significantly reduce nitrogen oxide emissions in the exhaust. The acronym SCR stands for “Selective Catalytic Reduction”, an internationally recognized term. “Selective” refers to the fact that this catalytic converter has a very special task: its purpose is to selectively convert nitrogen oxide (NOx) components of the exhaust stream to nitrogen and water without forming undesirable side products.

The SCR catalytic converter was developed precisely for this highly specialized task. However, the car will continue to have an oxidation catalytic converter and diesel particulate filter on board to reduce the full spectrum of emissions.

Technically, the BlueTDI of the Passat is based on the 103 kW / 140 PS strong 2.0 liter common rail engine. The BlueTDI, however, develops a power of 105 kW / 143 PS. Despite the slight performance gain, the Passat BlueTDI consumes up to 0.3 liter less than the conventional TDI, depending on the body version. In the case of the Passat Variant BlueTDI, fuel consumption is 5.5 liter per 100 kilometers (144 g/km CO2); for the sedan the value is 5.2 liter (137 g/km CO2). Power transmission is via a 6-speed manual transmission. As an option, after the production launch there will also be a Passat Blue TDI with 6-speed DSG (most efficient auto¬matic in the world). The Passat BlueTDI will essentially be offered in all familiar equipment versions.

BlueTDI – the technology in detail
The most important technical building blocks of the BlueTDI system are the SCR catalytic converter and the AdBlue additive for reducing nitrogen oxides. Conversion of the nitrogen oxides is accomplished using a synthetically produced, water-based urea solution: AdBlue. This substance consists of 32.5 percent urea and is continuously sprayed into the exhaust gas upstream of the SCR catalytic converter. It is stored in an auxiliary tank. It is metered according to the mass flow rate of the exhaust gas; engine management – informed by a NOx sensor downstream of the SCR catalytic converter –controls the process precisely.

Atomized into a fine vapor through a screen, the urea is converted in the hot exhaust gas upstream of the catalytic converter. In the SCR catalytic converter, it reacts with the nitrogen oxides and splits them – as mentioned – into nitrogen and water. The water-based AdBlue additive is nontoxic, odor-free and biodegradable. AdBlue consumption will be about 0.1 liter per 100 kilometers on average. Plans call for refilling as part of each regular service cycle.