Go to Windows 7 Insider GuideI've been showing lots of love to the many fabulous new sports cars I scoped at the recently held 2009 International Auto Show, but it's not as if those were the only types of cars on display at San Francisco's Moscone Center. So I thought it was time "now for something completely different" like Monty Python's Flying Circus. But this car isn't British (although I'm a sucker for a Jaguar of any vintage). Instead I thought we'd share a pint with the 2010 VW New Beetle that made its presence felt at the International Auto Show as only a Beetle can.
Supposedly the newest "New" Beetle, being designed in California, is to be more modern on the outside as well as under the hood. While in my opinion the body style of the "New" Beetle has never been all that similar to its historic '70s predecessor, the newest Beetle does seem to be looking more current millennium than ever. Supposedly there are going to be a series of spinoffs bearing the Beetle name, including a convertible and even a minivan. Apparently VW has some nontraditionalist intentions with this supposed throwback to a cult classic. Only time will tell if this ends up working to VW's advantage, or if the buying public who had been drawn to the obvious personality of a Beetle will thumb their noses at such a blatant attempt at streamlining one of the most famous makes in automotive history.
BorgWarner will supply turbochargers for the Opel 1.6-liter compressed natural gas (CNG) engine and the VW 1.4-liter TSI EcoFuel engine.
CNG engines produce about 70 percent less nitrous oxide than diesel engines and about 25 percent less carbon dioxide than gasoline engines, but are slower to accelerate than the fossil fuel counterparts.
To lower weight and guarantee a fast response on the Opel Zafira ecoFlex Turbo, BorgWarner worked with Opel to optimize the water-cooled turbocharger. The engine delivers powerful performance, accelerating from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/hr) in 11.5 seconds.
BorgWarner also worked with Volkswagen on the VW Passat TSI EcoFuel to optimize air delivery and boost pressure for a CNG engine. The turbocharger enables the CNG engine to develop and maintain a torque of 220 Nm, up to an engine speed of 4,800rpm. The turbocharger enables the CNG engine to develop and maintain a torque of 220 Nm, up to an engine speed of 4,800rpm.
Half of a TDI engine plus an electric motor equals twice the fuel economy. That's our kind of math.
(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)Volkswagen unveiled one of the few new concepts at the 2009 LA auto show, a tiny hybrid concept called the Up Lite concept (or Up! Lite, if you have a penchant for gratuitous punctuation). This small turbo-diesel hybrid possesses a small physical footprint--being much smaller than the VW Golf--and a super small carbon footprint, reaching an astronomical 70 US mpg fuel economy on the EU testing cycle.
To create the power train for the Up Lite, VW took its 1.6-liter TDI engine, chopped it in half, and slapped an electric engine on the back. Of course, we're sure there's more that went into the development than that, but what you end up with is a two-cylinder 0.8-liter TDI engine mated to a 10kW electric motor that spins its flywheel to the tune of a maximum of 64 horsepower. However to attain the Up's insane 70 US mpg, the drive train must be placed in ECO mode, which limits output to 34 horsepower. Putting that power to the front tires is a seven-speed DSG gearbox.
The electric motor is a multitasker, performing as a motor, a regenerative brake, and as a starter for the diesel engine. Able to be operated in an all-electric mode, the Up Lite is a full-fledged hybrid. When in EV mode--for coasting, at low speeds, and when stopped--the small grill opening at the base of the front air dam slides shut to reduce aerodynamic drag. Like any good full hybrid, the electric motor can also work in tandem with the TDI engine when maximum acceleration is necessary.
The Up Lite is thrifty, but obviously not very powerful. However, thanks to the torquey nature of electric and diesel powerplants, the up is still able to hustle to 60 mph in just over 12 seconds before reaching a top speed of 100 mph.
While the Up Lite's hybrid power train is mostly responsible for the lofty fuel economy and low emissions, it does get a little help in the form of weight saving and aerodynamic measures. Besides just being physically small, the Up Lite keeps its mass down through extensive usage of aluminum. With the exception of its carbon fiber roof and plastic bumpers, all of the Up Lite's body panels are made of aluminum, as are parts of its underlying unibody.
To cut down on aerodynamic drag, the Up Lite utilizes a narrow and long body and the aforementioned opening and closing grill. In place of turbulence creating side mirrors, the Up Lite has a pair of cameras that work in tandem with the rearview camera to offer a blind-spot-free panoramic view of the road behind you. Expect practical mirrors to be back in placer before this puppy reaches production.
In addition to loads of green tech, the Up Lite concept features a good array of good ol' fashioned cabin tech.
(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)In addition to green technologies, the Up Lite will be equipped with a full array of safety features (airbags, stability control, etc.) and a cabin tech package that includes MP3 playback, hands-free calling, video playback, and a trick navigation system that utilizes traffic, time, and terrain data to find the most fuel efficient path from point A to B.
The Up Lite concept is the harbinger of Volkswagen's new small car platform that should bear fruit in the form of a production Up Lite as early as the second half of 2011.
The autonomous Audi TTS makes test runs on salt flats.
(Credit: Volksagen)The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) conducted its autonomous vehicle races, the Grand Challenge and the Urban Challenge, in 2005 and 2007, but Volkswagen is still researching the technology. A combined effort with Volkswagen's Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL), Stanford University's Dynamics Design Lab (SDDL), and Sun Microsystem's resulted in the autonomous Audi TTS. The group working on the car is considering a run up the 12.4-mile Pikes Peak Hill Climb course in 2010 to demonstrate the capabilities of its driverless technology.
This new robot car is based on a 2009 Audi TTS, the sport version of the TT coupe. This car has Quattro all-wheel-drive and is motivated by a turbocharged, direct injection, 2-liter, four-cylinder engine producing 265 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. ERL fitted this car with the sensors, servos, and drive-by-wire equipment necessary for computer control, while SDDL developed the programming so the car can respond appropriately to sensor data. Sun built the computer platform to run the car.
Past autonomous cars from Volkswagen, developed by Stanford, have been a Touareg SUV and a Passat wagon. A video promoting the new Audi TTS shows the technology has progressed so that it can handle drifting and cross-turning the wheels, maneuvers necessary for any speedy run up Pike's Peak.
While this technology could lead to commutes and long freeway trips where you could sit back and let the car do the driving, the point of the current research is developing new safety technologies.
We took the VW GTI out to a former Naval Air station, which had plenty or room to test out the car's handling.
(Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)
The fact that Volkswagen didn't change the turbocharged 2-liter engine from the 2009 to the 2010 GTI might make you think this model update is all cosmetic, but you would be wrong. With a direct injected four-cylinder engine and the optional Direct Shift Gearbox, a dual-clutch automated manual, there just wasn't much room for improvement in the power train. So Volkswagen took on the handling tech, putting an electronic power steering in the GTI and adding an electronic limited slip.
And sure, the body presents smooth sides, a style very much in vogue now among automotive designers, and a new, wide front grille look. But the GTI also gets greatly improved cabin tech, taking on Volkswagen's new hard drive-based navigation system and a Dynaudio sound system. And even without the navigation option present, the car still gets a touch-screen LCD for the stereo.
Through the cones
We spent some time with the 2010 Volkswagen GTI, getting the opportunity to run it through a couple of autocross courses, a track marked out by cones with sharp turns that really test the car's handling. We also put the car through its paces on some public roads, and dug through the cabin electronics.
This cone slalom let the GTI show its speed.
(Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)The GTI's ride is reasonably comfortable, which is actually impressive considering how it performed on the autocross course. As we threw it into hairpin turns and guided it through S curves, all the action was at the front wheels.
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MIT's concept robot head mounts on the dashboard to assist with navigation.
(Credit: MIT)MIT intends to revolutionize GPS navigation by making it friendly and predictive, using a friendly robot helper to anticipate your needs. The Affective Intelligent Driving Agent (AIDA) is a robot head on an articulated neck, reminiscent of movie robots from the 1980s, that mounts in the center of the dashboard.
It incorporates an expressive "face" that can smile, look sad, show warning signs, and even wink at you. AIDA was developed as a collaboration between the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab, MIT's SENSEable City Lab, and Volkswagen Group of America's Electronics Research Lab.
AIDA's expressive behaviors are designed to endear the device to you as it helps in your daily navigation. The robot learns your daily commute and which areas you frequent for which purposes.
For example, if you always head to a particular district in your city around dinner time, it will assume you like to eat dinner there. After it memorizes your commute, it will automatically plug in your route to work when you get into the car on a weekday morning. If you go to a hotel for a dalliance every Thursday at noon, it will probably give you a wink and a knowing grin as it maps the route for you.
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This sketch shows a sedan, to be built in Tennessee, that Volkswagen designed specifically for North America.
(Credit: Volkswagen)Volkswagen released a sketch on Wednesday of a car designed for the North American market and that will be produced by its new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, opening in 2011. In typical concept fashion, the sketch shows a car with oversized wheels that would surely be reduced for a production vehicle. The hood is low and the roof nicely curved, similar to other European sedans, but the rear rises up in a brawny, distinctly American style.
Volkswagen's announcement of a new midsize sedan baffles us, though, as the company already offers a sporty, economical, and comfortable sedan--namely, the new CC.
(Credit:
Volkswagen Group of America)
If you're a person who would gladly relinquish the task of parking your car to a computer, there may be a Volkswagen in your future.
Last weekend, Volkswagen Group of America and Stanford University's School of Engineering hosted a dedication ceremony on the Stanford campus for the new Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Laboratory (VAIL) that included the "first ever" autonomous parking demonstration by a driverless car.
(Credit:
Volkswagen Group of America)
The car, a VW Passat called Junior, was developed jointly by VW and Stanford and is the same one that finished second in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. Driverless cars have come a long way since the first DARPA race in 2004, when not one contestant made it over the finish line, much less parallel-parked itself.
VW donated $5.75 million for the new laboratory, which it called "the next step in the evolution of the two organizations' commitment to drive innovation in automotive development."
"When the new building opens early next year, VAIL will provide a home on campus for faculty and students from around the university to work on advanced automotive research," said Jim Plummer, dean of the Stanford School of Engineering.
The company also unveiled the Pike's Peak Audi TT-S, the latest iteration of driverless vehicles developed through the VW-Stanford partnership.
Test-drive six 2010 VW hatchbacks in Firemint's free Real Racing GTI.
Firemint's Real Racing is one of the top-rated and most popular racing games in the App Store, but at $6.99 it's also among the priciest.
Alas, there's no lite version you can test-drive before you buy, but Volkswagen just unveiled the next best thing: Real Racing GTI, a free, VW-oriented version of the game.
Specifically, you get all the same visually stunning championship-racing goodness, but with just three tracks and half a dozen 2010 GTI hatchbacks.
This slimmed-down Real Racing offers three game modes: Quick Race, Time Trial (which lets you post race replays on YouTube!), and career-oriented GTI Cup Championship. (The full game offers more cars, tracks, game modes, etc., including local multiplayer.)
As Jason Parker wrote in his review, near-perfect controls set this game apart from other iPhone racers: "The sensitive accelerometer steering in Real Racing somehow gets it just right. This is due, in no small part, to the autobraking feature that teaches you the best speed at which to enter turns."
Thanks to Real Racing GTI, now you can experience that for yourself. Interestingly, this isn't VW's first foray into branded iPhone apps: just last month the company partnered with Fish Labs for VW Scirocco 24H Challenge.
So, now that you've had a chance to test-drive it, how does Real Racing compare with other iPhone racers you've played? Are you more likely to buy the full game?
Consumer Reports tested the Toyota Venza's brakes with a wide-open throttle.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)After the Toyota recall over loose floor mats interfering with gas pedals, Consumer Reports tested stuck throttle scenarios with a Toyota Venza, Chevrolet HHR, Volkswagen Jetta Wagon, and Mercedes-Benz E350. The nature of the test was simple, but probably a bit harrowing: the drivers floored the gas pedal until the cars reaches 60 mph, then, keeping the gas depressed, pushed down the brake pedal to see if the car would stop.
The Jetta wagon has Smart Throttle technology, which idles the engine when the brakes are used.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)The test wasn't quite fair, as both German cars had a tech trick, called Smart Throttle, for just such a situation. When the brakes are applied, the throttle lifts, no matter what's happening with the gas pedal. According to the Consumer Reports blog post, both cars easily came to a stop, and the engines idled even with the gas pedal floored.
With the Toyota and the Chevrolet, the drivers performed this test at 20 mph the first time because the cars did not have the Smart Throttle technology. Both cars downshifted quickly when put through this test, and the drivers had to struggle to keep pressure on the brakes, fighting engine torque. But they were able to bring the cars to a stop. Repeating the test on these cars by running up to the full 60 mph, the drivers were able to slow to about 10 mph, but brake fade kept them from coming to a complete stop.
Consumer Reports concludes, as Toyota said in its advisory, that the best thing to do if your throttle is stuck is put the car in neutral. The engine will continue to run at horrendous speeds, but the rev limiter will keep it from burning up over redline. When the car is safely stopped on the side of the road, you can turn it all the way off.
