Ngawoer Blog: VW Concepts

Showing posts with label VW Concepts. Show all posts

Geneva 2011: Volkswagen's Bulli Microbus Concept in the Flesh

It has been ten long years since the last modern adaptation of the iconic Volkswagen T1. The Microbus concept captivated audiences in 2001 with its modern and evolved design that brought the famed hippie-cruiser into the 21st century. The new Bulli concept aims to bring back the sense of freedom and "free-love" in a more compact and environmentally conscious form.

Images of the Bulli have already been released yet there was still much anticipation for the official reveal from show-goers and Microbus fans alike. The new study is an pure electric vehicle that focuses on practicality and simplicity.

The interior is a delightful blend of VW's bauhaus, modern simplistic design and practicality. The 3x3 seating allows for a few of the drivers most personal friends to join in on a theoretical 300 km (185 mile) road trip before having to recharge. The Bulli's practicality doesn't stop there, the seats can retract to form a bed turning the mircobus into a little camper.

Get ready for four new Golf concepts from Volkswagen, all based on the recently hotted-up Golf R. With these four Golfs, Volkswagen R GmbH hopes to explore the themes of "especially high-end" and "especially sporty".

The more luxurious Golfs feature unique paint (Oryx White and Carbon Steel Grey), 19-inch Talladegas, aluminum trim, and Nappa leather interiors crafted by Volkswagen R Exclusive. The white one wears St. Tropez over black leather, while the dark gray one dons Almandine Red over black.

Italdesign Giugiaro celebrates its official Volkswagen property status with the the Tex and Go! concepts, both based on VW's upcoming modular transverse architecture. VW hopes use this architecture to cut down on development costs by having a vehicle system that can house a variety of power trains from the start.

Starting with the sportier of the two "A0" segment concepts, the Tex is Italdesign's take on "tomorrow's sporty Volkswagen". This baby Scirocco - approximately the size of a Polo and named after Italian comic hero Tex Willer - is a front-wheel drive sport hatch powered by a Twin Drive hybrid plug-in system.

Mated to a 7-speed DSG, this allows for up to 35 kilometers of electric travel, a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph), and a sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in "about 6 seconds".

Volkswagen will show a new concept model in Geneva called the Bulli, which is a development of the Microbus study from 2001. However, at 3.99 meters long, 1.75 meters wide and 1.70 meters tall, with a wheelbase of 2.62 meters, the six-seater compact is more compact than the its predecessor. Volkswagen claims that the interior is spacious enough for six passengers, with three seating up front and three at the back.

The boot volume is 370 liters, but it can be extended to 1,600 liters when the rear bench is folded. The Bulli can also be turned into a camper van, since the seat system can be transformed into a large reclining surface.

The minivan is fitted with a removable iPad in the center console that serves as an infotainment touchscreen, controlling functions such as Bluetooth hands-free telephone, navigation system and media center.

Ngawoer Blog reader Torben tipped us off this morning about the addition of two Volkswagen concept cars penned by the Italdesign Giugiaro studio at the European patent office. Given the recent reports on the world premiere of two new design studies from Italdesign Giugiaro to mark its integration to the VW Group at the Geneva Salon next week, we'd say it's almost certain that these are the cars being readied for the Swiss motor show.

The first concept is a tall and narrow five-door hatchback model with seating for four passengers, while the second model appears to be a sportier looking three-door variant with a lower roofline and more aggressive lines, in the likes of the Scirocco. We can't tell for sure, but it is possible that these two cars are roughly the same size as the Polo.

It seems that the VW Group will do just about anything to become the world’s biggest automaker by 2018. After announcing a €51.6 billion (US $70.3 billion) investment plan last November, the Germans also want to showcase their future intentions at the Geneva Motor Show in March, by displaying up to seven concepts.

The highlight of Volkswagen's presentation at this week's Qatar motor show is the new XL1, a futuristic looking diesel-electric plug-in hybrid study for an everyday-use coupe vehicle with a combined fuel economy of just 0.9 liters per 100 kilometers or an amazing 261 mpg US.

The extremely low fuel consumption is achieved through the use of a lightweight construction, carefully honed aerodynamics and of course, the hybrid powertrain that combines a 0.8-liter twin-cylinder diesel producing 48-horses with a 27HP electric motor. If you follow the jump, you can check out live photos as well as on the road videos of the XL1. For more details on the study, read our previous post here.

One of the most memorable movies quotes of all time is from the 1994 comedy-drama Forrest Gump, in which Tom Hanks’ character said: “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get”. Fast-forward to today, and eBay seems to be the proverbial box of chocolates with some truly sweet surprises, like this VW Beetle-based 1973 Air Force project car, named Talon.

The Volkswagen Group's Qatar Motor Show rollout continues in full force today, as the German automaker lifted the veil off two all-new SUV concept cars bearing the Touareg nameplate. The Race Touareg 3 Qatar is a street legal version of the racecar that took part in this year’s Dakar competition, while the Touareg Gold Edition is a one-of-kind special decorated with 24-carat gold parts.

So, different cars for different needs, although we’re pretty sure that there are plenty of thrill seeking sheiks with a gold fetish out there interested in buying both, should the concepts ever make it into series production.

Powered by an unspecified 310HP engine, the Race Touareg 3 is a no compromise beast capable to sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than six seconds, built with know-how acquired in one of the toughest rally races in the world.

At this week's Qatar Motor Show, which runs from January 26 to 29, Volkswagen will unveil the third and latest iteration of its two-seater diesel-electric hybrid concept series, the new XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV). The first two vehicles of the series were the 1-litre concept car unveiled back in April 2002 and the L1 study from the 2009 Frankfurt motor show.

With the new and evolved concept model, VW has managed to further improve the car's fuel economy to a staggering 0.9 lt/100 km, equal to 261 mpg US and 313 mpg UK while emitting a mere 24 g/km of CO2.

Technical advances aside, the major difference between the XL1 and its predecessors is VW's more conventional approach with the automaker dropping the narrow packaging and tandem seating of the L1 in favor of a much better looking and practical design with the driver and passenger placed next to each.

Ngawoer Blog

Geneva 2011: Volkswagen's Bulli Microbus Concept in the Flesh

Geneva 2011: Volkswagen's Bulli Microbus Concept in the Flesh

Geneva 2011: Volkswagen R Exclusive-izes the Golf R (four times)

Italdesign Guigiaro's Polo-Sized VW Tex Coupe and Go! MPV Concepts

Volkswagen Reinvents the Microbus with Bulli EV Concept Study

U Spy: Italdesign Giugiaro's Geneva-Bound Volkswagen Concept Cars

VW Group to Display Up to Seven Concepts at the Geneva Show

VW XL1 Hybrid Coupe Study: Videos and Photos from Qatar

Mysterious Air Force Project Car Surfaces on eBay [with Video]

Volkswagen Brings Some Bling to Qatar with Touareg Gold Edition and Street-Legal Race Touareg Concepts

New Volkswagen XL1: Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept Grows Up but Becomes Even More Fuel Efficient

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