Though not as famous as its namesake in Austria, which is by far the largest gathering of Volkswagen enthusiasts in the world, this year's edition of the Southern Wörthersee Tour was attended by some 8,200 visitors in 3,800 cars.
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Key styling changes include the matte grey hood with honeycomb decals that also appear on the car's profile, new black rims, LED headlamps, and a black and red themed interior.
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What makes this study special - aside from the fact that it promises to be faster than the Golf GTI, is that the German company confirmed that it previews a production model due for launch in late 2013.
As you have probably already guessed by know, the Polo R WRC Street is inspired by the company's entry in the World Rally Championship starting from 2013.
Whereas the racing Polo R WRC sports a 1.6-liter TSI engine with 295hp (300PS), the road-going prototype makes use of the VW Group's tried and tested 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine rated at 217-horsepower (220PS), or 10-horsepower more than the Golf GTI.
The prototype that Volkswagen chose to exhibit in the video is the Hover Car, which is a concept for a two-seater, circular shaped vehicle that uses electromagnetic levitation to float just above the regular road network.
Jump past the break to see the VW Hover Car concept in action.
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Yes that’s right; Volkswagen officially stated that the Golf TDI Hybrid is likely to inspire a production vehicle in the near future. Apparently, the production model will be based on the next generation Golf which is expected to be introduced at the end of the year. At the core of the Golf TDI Hybrid is a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder TDI diesel engine developing 75 Hp and 132 lbs ft of torque combined with an electric and the very latest generation of the 7-speed DSG gearbox.Working either in tandem with the diesel engine or, on its own, the electric motor generates and extra 27 Hp but more importantly, 103 lbs ft of torque. The electric motor also operates as a generator, recovering kinetic energy from the car during braking thus charghing the 220 volt, 45 kg nickel metal hydride battery. -Continued
When driving, the electric motor powers the vehicle from standstill with the diesel engine engaging only should additional acceleration be required or at higher speeds. Under these circumstances the diesel engine takes over with the electric motor kicking in only if required to supplement the combustion engine – for example, during overtaking. When at a standstill the diesel unit shuts down completely. According to VW, the Golf TDI Hybrid achieves an impressive 69 MPG or 3,4 lt of diesel per 100 km on the combined circle emitting just 89 g/km of CO2.
Volkswagen’s engineers have also intervened with the Golf’s aerodynamics by adding a new, unique grille design and smaller front air intakes while the TDI Hybrid also sits lower than the standard Golf on revised suspension and adopts the front splitter from the Golf GTI Edition 30 to help further reduce aerodynamic drag. A unique interior further distinguishes the Golf TDI Hybrid from the conventional vehicle.
The third installment of Volkswagen’s up! concept goes by the name space-up! blue. Concisely, the space-up! Blue is a fuel-cell powered version of the 5door space-up! prototype (see here) that appeared at the 2007 Tokyo Show in October. The LA Show car uses an electric motor which delivers 61 PS, turns at up to 10,000 times per minute and generates a maximum torque of 120 Nm.The zero-emissions space-up! blue draws its power from an array of twelve lithium-ion batteries with a total energy capacity of twelve kilowatt-hours (kWh). These batteries have a 65 mile (105 km) range before needing recharging. According to VW, the space up! blue can go up to a top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h) while it sprints from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h in 13.7 seconds. -Continued after the jump
The cars batteries can be replenished either via an electrical outlet or by the Volkswagen high-temperature fuel cell. In the latter case, the prototype’s range is extended an additional 155 miles or 250 km, making it possible to drive up to 220 miles or 355 km in total on a single charge. Interestingly, VW’s microvan also utilizes solar panels on the roof which help supply up to 150 Watt of energy to the battery.
Clean Drive Revolution “Made in
Volkswagen presents the first car in the world with high-temperature fuel cell
space up! blue covers downtown distances with pure battery drive
Energy is "refueled" either via an electrical outlet or by the Volkswagen high-temperature fuel cell. In the latter case, the car’s range is extended an additional 155 miles. This makes it possible to drive up to 220 miles on a single "energy charge". Aside from this, the microvan utilizes another energy source: the sun. And indeed with a large solar panel on the roof. It supplies up to 150 Watt of energy that is also fed into the battery.
With its new high temperature fuel cell (HT-FC) Volkswagen is introducing a system that represents a turning point in research on fuel cells for mass production. That is because, the HTFC offers crucial advantages compared to all other fuel cell systems: considerably lower weight, significantly greater everyday utility, substantially lower price, and therefore clearly the better chances of becoming a reality someday as a mass produced technology. The high temperature fuel cell was developed at a dedicated research center founded by Volkswagen in
With its concept car being shown in
A source of ours tipped us off today that Volkswagen will introduce a third interpretation of the Up! Concept at the 2007 L.A. Show that opens up to the public on Friday, November 16. According to our insider, the concept will be based on the 5-door Space-Up! (click here) prototype that was revealed at the 2007 Tokyo Show in mid-October. The main difference between the LA and Tokyo Show concepts concerns the powertrain as the Californian Space-Up! will use a high-tech hydrogen fuel-cell powered motor. We’ll have more on the new Space-Up! Concept later on. (Picture: Tokyo Show Space-Up!)