In an effort to stay ahead of the curve, and the competition, Volkswagen is working on a host of new vehicles ranging from a seven-passenger crossover to a redesigned flagship sedan. The company’s latest product blitz is all part of its grand plan to become the world’s largest automaker by 2018.
Among other vehicles the next-generation Polo continues to be a no-go for American drivers, but a diesel-powered Tiguan is a definite maybe. Here’s a peek at some of the upcoming product that could help VW reach its ambitious sales goal.
First up, the Tiger-Iguana. Who would have thought a big cat crossbred with a lizard would result in an all-around capable compact SUV? Luckily for Volkswagen, that’s just what they got from this vehicular Frankenstein.
The Tiguan has been on the market for a number of years now, and even though it was recently refreshed a replacement model is not far off, with the next-generation set to roll into showrooms sometime in 2015.
Certain to share the company’s new MQB architecture, which underpins the recently released 2014 Golf, Mark Gillies, Manager of Product & Technology communications at VW of America hints that the Cross Coupe concept gives “a little glimpse of where Tiguan styling might go in the future.” There are certainly worse designs to emulate.
In the words of country music group Alabama, if you’re going to play in Texas you’ve got to have a fiddle in the band. And automakers know that if you’re going to sell in Europe you’ve got to have a diesel in the lineup.
But while continental customers get to choose from a laundry list of different engines in just about every vehicle, including the Tiguan, in America, you’re limited to a 200 horsepower 2.0-liter turbo.
But fear not diesel lovers. Company vice president Rainer Michel recently commented that VW will offer an oil-burner in every model sold in America.
According to Gillies a diesel Tiguan is “not going to be near-future,” pointing to the company’s typical product lifecycle and the fact that the Tig was just updated. Far from closing the door, he also said that “whenever the next-generation Tiguan comes out it’s definitely something we’d consider.”
The Golf is arguably Vee Dub’s most important product. Since its introduction in 1974 more than 29 million have been sold worldwide. Now in its seventh generation, this perennially-popular little car just received a grille-to-tailpipe overhaul.
Among many other improvements, engineers were able to cut its mass by an impressive 220 pounds in spite of offering more features and greater interior space than its predecessor.
Ahead of the firewall, European buyers can choose from a dizzying array of gasoline and diesel engines. When equipped with the base 1.2-liter TSI gas powerplant the car is 23 percent more efficient than before. How’s that for progress?
American customers can expect drastically fewer choices under the hood. The 1.8-liter turbo is expected to make a return, now serving as the base engine and replacing the unloved five-cylinder unit offered today. A diesel is expected to be on the menu as well. Look for the Golf at U.S. showrooms in the first quarter of 2014.
Of course you can’t mention the high-volume Golf without bringing up its performance doppelganger, the GTI. Teased as a “concept” at the Paris Motor Show in September, it’s unlikely the production version will stray too far.
As you’d expect, the bodywork has been subtly tweaked. The GTI’s front end features mesh grille inserts, while it also sits lower, features bigger brakes for eradicating Autobahn speed and has sportier wheels and tires.
In the mechanical department the engine has been modestly upgraded. VW’s smooth-running 2.0-liter turbo delivers an extra 10 horsepower compared to the outgoing model, making for a total of 220. An optional factory performance upgrade should crank that figure up to 230.
A limited-slip differential would really help put that added power to the ground. Today’s car uses the brakes to simulate a true LSD, but will one be offered as standard equipment in the future? According to Gillies “we haven’t really finalized what equipment and specs we’re going to get,” adding that a true LSD is something they’d like to bring to the U.S.
Signed, sealed and awaiting delivery, the GTI will launch concurrently with the Golf, which means early 2014.
Staying in the small-end of Volkswagen’s lineup we come to the Polo. Some 11 million of these cars have been delivered in its 37 year history. And in particular 2011 was a smashing success. It was the top-selling subcompact in Europe.
We don’t know when or where the next-generation Polo will be introduced but Gillies doesn’t have any good news for those wanting a VW sub-compact in America.
Set to ride atop the company’s flexible Modularen Querbaukasten, that’s modular transverse architecture in English, or just MQB for short, the new Polo will then share the same basic underpinnings as everything product from the Golf to the Passat.
Will the economies of scale afforded by a shared architecture make the Polo a viable option for American consumers? Gillies says no. “The key thing to selling a small car profitably is basically building it locally, and there are no plans to build Polo for the U.S. market,” he says.
Movin’ on up, Volkswagen may have the perfect vehicle for folks in the family way. And no, not a new Routan.
The high-volume German automaker is considering a large crossover vehicle. It would likely be sized between the compact Tiguan and the rough-and-ready Touareg.
With three rows and seating for seven it would compete with vehicles like Ford’s popular Explorer, the Toyota Highlander or the brand-new Nissan Pathfinder.
Little else is known about this vehicle, but Das Crossover could hit the market as early as 2014.
Remember the Phaeton, Volkswagen’s take on a flagship sedan? It was an all-around nice vehicle but it never really caught on with luxury-car buyers, especially when it was offered in America. You can blame pricing for that.
The Phaeton’s sticker could top $100,000, which was just too much for a People’s Car. It was pulled from the American market back in 2006, though sales have continued overseas. But could it be making a comeback? Gillies said “There’s a new one coming out [it’s] a couple years out,” adding “we haven’t said anything officially.”
Rumor has it the car’s been completely overhauled and will be revealed sometime next year. Surprisingly it could also be brought back to America. If it does make the trans-Atlantic trip it would likely start at a much more reasonable base price of around $70,000.
Given how aggressive Volkswagen is in the United States – it wants to sell 800,000 units annually by 2018 – the resurrected Phaeton could push it over the top, or at least generate enough buzz to help sell a few extra Passats.
It started a decade ago when Volkswagen showed off its 1-Litre concept car. This streamlined two-seater was designed to travel 100 kilometers (62 miles) on just one liter of diesel fuel. That works out to a jaw-dropping 235 miles per gallon.
To deliver such eye-popping numbers it featured a single-cylinder engine, lightweight construction enabled by the extensive use of carbon fiber and a coefficient of drag of just 0.159. For context, Toyota’s slippery Prius hybrid clocks in at 0.25.
Fast-forward 10 years and the company is still developing this concept. It’s now called the XL1 but the goal is the same: 235 miles per gallon in a practical, production vehicle. It seems like VW has figured things out with the XL1 due to go on sale sometime next year.
When asked if it might be offered in United States Vee Dub’s Gillies responded “we haven’t said anything officially and I don’t know if it would ever be sold here, either”.
Fuel prices are a lot cheaper in the U.S. than elsewhere around the world. Gasoline clocks in at nearly $10 per gallon in Italy, for instance. This means VW may not be able to make a business case for selling the XL1 in America.