Expanding on the extensive appeal of the new up!, which has already been roundly praised for its style, versatility and quality, the new e-up! builds on the standard car’s accomplished packaging with a zero emission solution.

With its 82 PS electric motor the e-up! boasts a peak torque figure of 210 Nm, equating to a brisk 0-62 mph time of 12.4 seconds and it will keep on going, where the law permits, to 80 mph.  The car boasts a maximum range of around 93 miles between charges.

This e-up!’s power derives from a lithium-ion battery pack located within the car’s floor and consisting of 204 cells, together rated at 374 volts and 18.7 kWh.  The motor is mated to a single-speed gearbox that is optimised for minimum friction.  The driveline is particularly quiet and compact as a result of the electric motor and the gearbox being integrated with very high quality intermeshing inside a single housing.

The battery weighs 230 kg but, despite this, the e-up! still weighs less than its internal combustion engined sibling, tipping the scales at 1,139 kg thanks to Volkswagen engineers’ extensive weight-saving measures.  The necessary variety of charging cables includes a fast charge connection which allows for up to 80 per cent of the battery’s capacity to be replenished in just 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, a full charge from a standard household plug takes nine hours.  Customers can purchase an optional wall box for home garage use, which provides a 3.6 kW supply and can recharge a battery in six hours. 

Zero emission electric drive doesn’t mean compromising on comfort or convenience, either.  A strong line-up of factory-fitted equipment includes electronic air conditioning as standard, as well as cruise control and parking sensors.  The windscreen wipers function automatically, and when the sun goes down a dusk sensor automatically activates the headlights. 

The new e-up! is available as a five-door, and fresh styling includes beefier front bumpers which house unique ‘C’ signature LED running lights that make the e-up! stand out from the crowd.  At the rear, a more angular bumper includes a prominent diffuser panel alongside a sharper tail light design.  The interior of the new e-up! features a leather-trimmed steering wheel, while chrome-trimmed interior door handles, air vent surrounds and instruments add a finishing flourish. 

The new e-up! scores highly when it comes to bringing the online world into the cabin.  Like the new up! it features an innovative smartphone docking station which enables the driver’s phone to be turned into the car’s infotainment system.  Simply click the smartphone into the ‘Maps + More’ docking system on the centre console to unlock a host of features via the Volkswagen app. 

The smartphone can be used to select and play music, or as a navigation system.  It can even display key data from the e-up!’s systems and tips from the Volkswagen Think Blue. Trainer - which coaches a driver in efficient driving techniques.

The smartphone connection is extended in the new e-up! thanks to Volkswagen’s Car-Net e-remote.  This gives the driver the power to manage the car’s charging process from their smartphone via the Volkswagen e-up! app.  They can also use the app to switch on their e-up!’s air conditioning remotely before getting in and review vehicle trip statistics, too.  A three-year subscription to the Car-Net e-remote service is included with the new e-up!.

The new e-up! is priced at £20,780 (RRP OTR) including the Government Plug-in Car Grant of £4,500.  Deliveries are expected to begin in October and the e-up! comes with a standard three-year warranty.  The vehicle’s battery comes with an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty, while the standard service interval is 20,000 miles or two years.

Currently, the e-up! is available from £275* per month via Volkswagen’s e-Solutions Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) scheme, with a £900 deposit contribution.  The deal is based on 6.4% APR representative, with full details available from Volkswagen Retailers.

The latest e-up! is a continuation of Volkswagen’s long history of electric mobility provision.  The first electric Golf, for instance, was launched fully 40 years ago, in 1976, badged as the CityStromer. Around 100 examples were built. 

Now the e-up! joins the all-electric e-Golf in Volkswagen’s line-up of plug-in cars.  The Volkswagen range also includes the award-winning petrol-electric hybrid Golf GTE and Passat GTE models.  These four cars represent the start of a significant acceleration toward electro-mobility for Volkswagen.  The German manufacturer has stated, via its recently announced TOGETHER – Strategy 2025 programme, that it will introduce 30 additional electric or plug-in hybrid models by 2025.  And by that year Volkswagen expects purely battery-powered electric vehicles to account for a quarter of the global passenger car market.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

An eclectic mix of Volkswagen Golf GTIs from across the model’s remarkable 40-year history journeyed to Volkswagen UK’s headquarters in Milton Keynes on Saturday (20 August) to attend a special ‘birthday celebration’ for the iconic hot hatch.

The unique event, organised in association with the UK’s largest online motoring forum – PistonHeads.com – saw the owners of 85 GTIs from across the years set their alarms extra early and ignore typically British ‘summer’ rain to make the pilgrimage to the cars’ spiritual home in Britain – the headquarters of Volkswagen UK in Milton Keynes. 

Branded the first PistonHeads’ Golf GTI Open, the event drew a remarkable mix from across the four decades of the car’s existence – with everything from meticulously restored examples to flamboyantly modified GTIs converging on the brand’s UK HQ.

The honourable award for rarity went to the solo Golf GTI Mk III in attendance, while a plethora of Mk V cars – 24 to be precise – saw that iteration of the charismatic hot hatch become the most numerous on show, just pipping the Mk II of which 23 examples were on display.

Volkswagen UK supported proceedings with a mini GTI showcase of its own including a carefully restored Mk I and, bringing things bang up to date, the very first example of the already sold-out Golf GTI Clubsport S to be seen in the UK; the left-hand drive car having been loaned for the event by Volkswagen’s global headquarters in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony.

James Drake, Head of Community and Marketing at PistonHeads, said: “The PH Sunday Service is a tried, tested and hugely popular format for gathering PHers together at significant motoring-related venues nationwide to admire cars, swap ownership stories and generally bring the online forums into the ‘real world’.

“When Volkswagen suggested we consider creating a PH Sunday Service-style celebration event for the GTI we jumped at the chance and Saturday’s PH Golf GTI Open with its impressive turn-out of superb Golfs from across the years, and across the country, clearly demonstrates both the breadth of PH membership and the appeal of the GTI.”

Mike Orford, Head of Press and PR for Volkswagen in the UK, was at Saturday’s celebrations.  He said: “This inaugural Golf GTI Open has been a resounding success.  I can honestly say I’ve never seen such a varied selection of Golf GTIs in one place, and to gather them together here at our headquarters for this celebration shows the depth of feeling – love, even – British owners of this iconic hot hatch feel for their cars.”

The Golf GTI was launched to a stunned automotive audience in 1976, with the German brand initially targeting sales of around 5,000, globally, for the newly minted performance version of its already well-regarded compact hatchback.

Today, 40 years and more than two million registrations later, the Golf GTI remains a genuine icon of ‘everyday’ sporting excellence. 

The latest chapter in this exciting story, limited to just 400 examples worldwide, is the exceptional Golf GTI Clubsport S of which 150 in right-hand drive form have been earmarked for UK customers.  The 310 PS ‘ultimate GTI’ sold out here within weeks of its announcement, which came as the car claimed the front-wheel drive lap record for the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife in an incomparable seven minutes and 49 seconds.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

• MSRP ranges from $26,950 for the S model to $32,890 for the top-tier SEL trim
• 4Motion® all-wheel drive, Hill Descent Control, Alltrack-exclusive “Off Road Mode,” and increased ground clearance provide exceptional performance on a variety of road conditions
• Available advanced driver assistance systems include: Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Front Assist), front and rear Park Distance Control (ParkPilot), Parking Steering Assistant (Park Assist), Lane Departure Warning system (Lane Assist), and High Beam Control (Light Assist)
• Golf platform offers the utility of a compact SUV—cargo volume, roof rack—without compromise in road manners 
• High-tech features include a standard 6.5-inch touchscreen with rearview camera, Volkswagen Car-Net® App-Connect and an available Off-Road HMI section for the MIB infotainment platform

Herndon, VA – The Golf Alltrack, the eagerly awaited derivative of the Golf SportWagen, marries that vehicle’s practicality and fun-to-drive nature with the capabilities of 4Motion® all-wheel drive and rugged exterior styling. The Alltrack offers an affordable yet upscale alternative to existing all-wheel-drive wagons that are on the market.

The Alltrack uses Volkswagen’s powerful yet fuel-efficient 1.8-liter TSI® turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder engine, which makes 170 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. The TSI engine will initially be offered with a six-speed DSG® dual-clutch automatic transmission, with a six-speed manual transmission available later in the model year. The latest generation 4Motion all-wheel-drive system features a fast-acting center differential. Golf Alltrack will be available in three trims—S, SE and SEL—and will be in dealer showrooms in October.

Article source: www.vw.com

Wolfsburg (21 August 2016). Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) are back on the winning track – and it is asphalted: victory at the Rally Germany went to Volkswagen for the second year in a row. As they did last year, Ogier/Ingrassia won round nine of this season’s FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with the Polo R WRC, making full use of the slight advantage that came with opening the route on the first all-asphalt race of the year. Extremely difficult conditions, ranging from dry asphalt to wet concrete, made tyre selection a real challenge all weekend. Ogier/Ingrassia produced a display worthy of world champions to extend their lead in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championship by 14 points to 59. Their closest rival, Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger (N/N) just failed to take second place in a thrilling finale and ultimately had to settle for fourth. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), in the third Polo R WRC, recovered from a damaged gearbox on Friday to score two bonus points on the closing Power Stage. They also fought back to finish eighth in the WRC class and contribute to Volkswagen taking a big step towards defending its title in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

“Winning the ADAC Rally Germany again is a great success for Volkswagen and an important step towards defending the title in the World Rally Championship,” said Dr. Frank Welsch, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand with responsibility for “Development”, who visited the works team in Trier alongside Christian Eisenlohr, General Secretary Volkswagen Passenger Cars. “The Rally Germany once again lived up to its reputation as being particularly challenging. Our entire team did an outstanding job in front of our home fans, and I would like to thank them for that,” said Welsch.

Gripping finale for second place – Mikkelsen/Jæger narrowly beaten in fourth place

Thrilling down to the finish: Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger (N/N) once again found themselves embroiled in a gripping three-way battle for second place on the final day at the Rally Germany. In light of the looming rain, they opted for three soft and three hard Michelin competition tyres for the showdown on the closing three special stages. And thereby for one more replacement tyre than their rivals at Hyundai – but with the option of having more wet tyres in the damp conditions. The rain never came, but Mikkelsen/Jæger tried everything to seize second place, however, they were forced to pay the price of the extra weight of around 20 kilograms and overheating brakes: Fourth place, despite an immensely strong performance on all rally days.
 
The duo in second place in the championship staged a gripping duel with their Volkswagen team-mates Ogier/Ingrassia for the lead on Friday and Saturday, which went in favour of the three-time World Champion on the legendary “Panzerplatte”.

Fantastic atmosphere at the first asphalt event of the year

Thousands of fans at the "Panzerplatte" and along the special stages in the vineyards: The first asphalt event of the year presented not only a great driving and technical challenge, but also a mesmerising atmosphere. The WRC completed three days of classified stages around Trier, and there were completely different characteristics of asphalt stages on three occasions. The preliminary decision in favour of Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia came on the "Panzerplatte", which with wide sections of track on concrete, bordered by the menhirs, characterised the rally Saturday. On the narrow asphalt routes through the vineyards, a gripping duel for the lead developed between Mikkelsen/Jæger and Ogier/Ingrassia on Friday. The stages "Drohntal" and "Sauertal", which were held as a Power Stage for the first time, hosted spectacular rally action with a mix of fast sections and serpentines in the vineyards on Sunday.

WRC lead extended: Ogier/Ingrassia 59 points ahead of Mikkelsen/Jæger

An important step in the world championship for Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia in the drivers’ and co-drivers’ standings, and for Volkswagen in the manufacturers’ standings: With the fifth win of the season for the brand, the third for Ogier/Ingrassia, the team came a little closer to defending the titles in all three standings. Ogier/Ingrassia now have 169 points to their name, 59 more than Mikkelsen/Jæger in second place in the overall standings. Latvala/Anttila are in fifth place with a deficit of 80 points. In the manufacturers’ standings, Volkswagen defended a lead of 55 points.

This means that Ogier and Ingrassia could successfully defend their titles in the drivers’ and co-drivers’ standings already if they were to win the next event, the Rally France on Corsica.

Power Stage: Two bonus points for Latvala, one for Ogier

The Rally Germany came to a conciliatory end for Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila. They were forced to retire their Polo R WRC with gearbox damage after just a few kilometres on Friday, but came back strongly under Rally 2 regulations on Saturday and Sunday and secured themselves two bonus points for the second-fastest time on the Power Stage. The final point on the Power Stage only just went to Ogier/Ingrassia, who beat Dani Sordo/Marc Martí (E/E, Hyundai) by one thousandth of a second. That corresponds to three centimetres.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk