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Second Spin: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion

Filed under: Europe, Technology, Hatchback, Volkswagen, First Drive, Electric

Wolfsburg Questions Its Own Wisdom With EV Golf

Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion

2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion – Click above for high-res image gallery

Yes, we know. “2014” sounds so impressively future-y, doesn’t it? When we’re testing a car and the R&D people involved look at us and say it won’t be on the market until 2014, our eyes dilate, too. “Wow,” we say to ourselves while keeping a straight face in front of the mega-powerful board member, “That’s like space travel and everything!”

So yeah, we get emotional.

It’s understandable, too, because we’re in the mothership for what seems like half of the world’s significant automotive brands. It’s the Volkswagen Group’s Wolfsburg HQ on the vast verdant lowlands of northern Germany in the region of Lower Saxony. There is no Upper Saxony, by the way. We looked.

We’re here to get a personalized infotainment-filled test of the already much commented-on Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion. It’s coming to the United States in… 2014.

Continue reading Second Drive: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion…

Gallery: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion: Second Spin

2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion

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Second Spin: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Golf R

Filed under: Performance, Hatchback, Volkswagen, First Drive

A Hotter GTI Is Hatched

2012 Volkswagen Golf R

2012 Volkswagen Golf R – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’re slumming through traffic in downtown Geneva, Switzerland, making our way towards the French border where we’re about to spend a few hours flogging the 2012 Volkswagen Golf R along the twisty, narrow roads of the Alps. Right now, we’re focused on the Golf’s comfortable, well-appointed interior, and how its good visibility and relatively small stature make it a pleasant drive through heavy city traffic. It’s just like every other GTI – or Golf, for that matter – in this regard. But as soon as we approach the entrance to highway A40, we find out exactly what that R badge is for.

We speed towards the sharp, right-hand on-ramp with a furious growl coming from the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine, and as we throw the wheel to the right, the Golf R hunkers down, digs its claws into the pavement, clips the apex of the ramp and sends us blasting onto the A40 with tremendous force.

“A GTI would have fallen all over itself right there,” our co-driver states, matter-of-factly. He’s right, too. Even with Volkswagen’s nifty new XDS active differential, the GTI is prone to understeer when coming into a turn at high speed, and there’s a decent amount of torque steer that makes the exit a bit more skittish than you’d prefer. But in the Golf R, with its fourth-generation 4Motion all-wheel-drive system and more powerful engine, every step of the high-speed cornering dance is executed perfectly.

You can imagine, then, that the rest of our drive through the French Alps was nothing short of bliss. The Golf R is Volkswagen’s new poster child for hot hatchery, and if you’ve ever fallen in love with a GTI, be prepared to be absolutely smitten with this little number.

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Gallery: 2012 Volkswagen Golf R: First Drive

2012 Volkswagen Golf R

Continue reading First Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Golf R

First Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Golf R originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Volkswagen Golf MkVII could come by end of 2012

Filed under: Hatchback, Volkswagen, Rumormill

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI (MkVI) – Click above for high-res image gallery

The MkVI (sixth-generation) Volkswagen Golf has been around since 2009, and according to a report from Reuters, the next all-new Golf may be approaching sooner than we thought. According to a spokesperson for Volkswagen, the automaker will have the MkVII Golf ready for public consumption by either the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013.

Golf generational changes typically occur in much larger intervals, but this rapid introduction for the MkVII is a result of the Volkswagen Group’s new cost-savings model architecture called MQB. Different makes and models that share the same underpinnings will be built in a similar manner to save large percentages of money.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

[Source: Reuters]

Report: Volkswagen Golf MkVII could come by end of 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Porsche Boxster, Cayman to be built alongside VW Golf?

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Porsche, Volkswagen, Rumormill

Porsche Cayman R

Porsche Cayman R – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s good to know that even as the year winds down, the rumormill is still cranking along at full capacity. Auto Bild is suggesting that Volkswagen may be looking to share a production facility between models like the Golf, Boxster and Cayman. According to one insider, the company’s factory in Osnabrück is being geared up to take overflow production of the two sports cars should the need arise. That would mean that the Osnabrück plant would only start minting Caymans and Boxsters once the production at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen facility has maxed out.

The news comes courtesy of Ludger Teeken, CEO of the Osnabrück plant. Teeken says that steps have already been made to prepare the plant to be able to produce Porsche models should the need arise. Meanwhile, Golf production is set to kick off at the plant in early 2011.

Gallery: 2011 Porsche Cayman R

[Source: Auto Bild]

Report: Porsche Boxster, Cayman to be built alongside VW Golf? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: 2008 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR (golf cart)

Filed under: Auctions, Etc., Ford, Electric

eBay Find of the Day: Shelby GT500KR golf cart – Click above for image gallery

Don’t worry folks… this one is fully licensed, so expect no unwanted lawsuits. What you see before you is said to be one example of three Shelby Mustang GT500KR golf carts produced, and this one happens to be Numero Uno. This particular electric transportation device is modeled after the 2008 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR, which is itself an homage to the 1968 original, and it can be yours if the price is right.

Of the three produced, this is the only one with a more powerful engine capable of pushing the golf cart to 60 miles per hour. According to the sell,er it was created for Amy Bolan, former president of Shelby Automobiles. The stitching on the driver’s seat reads “Mustang Amy” and the seller advises keeping it that way to preserve the “collector’s value.” However, they will stitch something else in that spot if desired.

The auction listing states that this GT500KR golf cart cost more than $50,000 to build. Currently there are 18 bids, with the top dollar offering sitting $9,900 and an unmet reserve. There’s not much time left on this auction, so interested ~~golfers~~ buyers are advised to bid soon.

Gallery: eBay Find of the Day: Shelby GT500KR golf cart

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: 2008 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500KR (golf cart) originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: Volkswagen Golf R headed to U.S. for 2012

Filed under: Performance, Hatchback, Volkswagen

2010 Volkswagen Golf R20

2010 Volkswagen Golf R20 – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s been a couple of years since Volkswagen’s heavyweight hot hatch, the R32, graced America’s shores, but now we have official word of a successor. Tuned by the in-house R team at Volkswagen, the Golf R should be a good bit more exciting than its already entertaining forebear, and hopefully, it will shave a few pounds off, too.

Unlike the R32, which was powered by VW’s popular VR6, the new model will be powered by Volkswagen’s ubiquitous turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. And while Volkswagen isn’t quoting power output for the new U.S. model, the European version currently on sale conjures up 270 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. All of that gumption will be routed through VW’s fourth generation Haldex 4Motion all-wheel drive system, which means the VW should once again be a good foil for cars like the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart.

Along with the power increase, VW is promising bigger brakes, an uprated suspension, 18-inch wheels, center-exit dual exhaust and a more liberally tuned ESP. Perhaps most interestingly, the Golf R will be available in both two and four doors and be paired exclusively with a manual transmission. That’s right, we said it.

Although the press release after the jump doesn’t mention when it will debut (our money’s on Detroit), additional R accoutrements include model-specific aero bits and badging, along with upgrated trim and a new steering wheel, shift knob, and so on.

In other words, it’s time to get excited.

Gallery: Volkswagen Golf R20

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Officially Official: Volkswagen Golf R headed to U.S. for 2012

Officially Official: Volkswagen Golf R headed to U.S. for 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Driving Force: Lamborghini and Callaway Golf collaborate on new forms of carbon fiber

Filed under: Performance, Technology, Lamborghini

Lamborghini and Callaway announce their strategic partnership in Paris – Click above for high-res image

Lamborghini is hard at work finding new ways to make its cars lighter as much if not more than any other automaker. Most of that research centers around carbon fiber. Thing is, the stuff is really expensive to make. But on the plus side, although motorsport was the driving force behind the material’s development in the first place, the auto industry is far from the only one working with it these days.

Lamborghini Forged Composite carbon fiber While experimenting with the material at the University of Washington, Lamborghini met up with another interested party: Callaway Golf. Since their interests overlap but don’t compete one with another, the two recently announced a strategic partnership to develop a more versatile, cost-effective form of carbon fiber.

The result is called Forged Composite. Whereas conventional carbon fiber is layered down in sheets and bonded together, Forged Composite comes mixed together in a paste of fibers and epoxy that can be squeezed into any shape desired. The application makes it far easier to form complex shapes, and since the fibers come out oriented randomly, the resulting form is apparently stronger in every which direction, instead of fixed ones like in conventional layered sheet carbon.

Lamborghini demonstrated what it has in mind for Forged Composite with the Sesto Elemento concept currently on display at the Paris Motor Show. The concept’s monocoque and suspension arms are made from the stuff. For Callaway’s part, they’re planning on using Forged Composite for a new generation of golf club heads, allowing for lighter weight, a longer shaft and a drives an estimated at eight yards longer than with existing clubs. Callaway Golf plans on phasing out titanium drivers – currently the market dominator – in favor of the new Forged Composite ones within a year. There’s no word yet on when we’ll see the debut of Forged Composite on a production Lamborghini, but we’re guessing it won’t be long.

Gallery: Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept In Detail

[Source: Lamborghini]

Continue reading Driving Force: Lamborghini and Callaway Golf collaborate on new forms of carbon fiber

Driving Force: Lamborghini and Callaway Golf collaborate on new forms of carbon fiber originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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French electric golf cart company planning $9.5M Aston Martin supercar

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Luxury

Aston Martin Super Sport by Star Electric Cars France – Click above for high-res image gallery

Yes, the past couple of months have been a little heavy on the supercar-dreamed-up-by-inside-dude’s-keister news, but this one is simply too compelling to pass up. A company called Star Electric Cars France is the European subsidiary of Star Electric Cars U.S. They make golf carts that look like Hummers and Rolls-Royces and the like, and the French firm also sells electric bikes and skateboards and a fascinating contraption called the Snow Rider.

The company also claims to “design unique cars built for presidents, kings and princes around the world,” and this would have to be one of them. Called the Aston Martin Super Sport, it’s a coachbuilt, mid-engined Aston powered by a 5.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 putting out up to 950 horsepower. The bespoke bodywork is carbon fiber and sports scissor doors, an alcantara-coated interior and Recaro buckets. Naturally, production is… up in the air.

The price of this imaginary slice of supercar pie, €7.5 million ($9.53M U.S.) – a sum so impossible to comprehend it deserves its own episode of Lost. According to the car’s developers, though, only eight will be made, with each color being unique. Word is that “sky blue is available immediately.” Of course it is… Hat tip to Bawlz

Gallery: Aston Martin Super Sport by Star Electric Cars France

[Source: GT Spirit via Top Gear]

French electric golf cart company planning $9.5M Aston Martin supercar originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MTE rolls out 785-hp Volkswagen Golf R32 [w/video]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Volkswagen

MTE Volkswagen Golf R32 BiTurbo – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Volkswagen scientists at MTE recently decided that their Golf R32 BiTurbo just wasn’t quite up to snuff. While the company had already managed to drag staggering amounts of power out of the little German hatch, the project simply lacked that certain muchness that a true tuner purebred needs in order to stand out of the crowd. The solution? Yank 785 horsepower and 586 lb-ft of torque from the car – a 55 horse jump over the previous iteration of the project.

Yeah, we think that’ll do just fine.

How’d they do it? For starters, there’s a pair of mammoth Garrett G28/71 turbos under the hood pushing on forged internals. The team also reworked the cylinder heads, bolted on a water/methanol-injection intake manifold and unique cast-iron exhaust manifold. The whole kit breathes through an up-sized stainless steel exhaust system, and MTE says that it has limited the wicked little Golf at 193 mph. In order to cope with that kind of speed, the VW wears Brembo six-piston calipers and KW Variant 3 coilovers along with semi-slick tires. Hit the jump for a look at the car back when it was in its lowly 730-horsepower guise.

Gallery: MTE Volkswagen Golf R32 BiTurbo

[Source: MTE via Inside Line]

Continue reading MTE rolls out 785-hp Volkswagen Golf R32 [w/video]

MTE rolls out 785-hp Volkswagen Golf R32 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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