Will a small, affordable, turbocharged two-cylinder VW come to market in 2009?
In an earlier post, we brought you VW CEO Martin Winterkorn's response to critics, including the German President himself, that VW, along with the rest of the German auto manufacturers, are not doing enough to help the environment. It is not hard to see why some people feel this way, with VW owning Lamborghini, Bugatti and Audi, who recently released their new R8 sports car. VW is partly owned by Porsche, which does not have a long history of producing exceptionally fuel efficient cars either. As the interviewer points out, Audi, BMW and Mercedes have been in an ongoing race to produce the fastest, most powerful cars in each of their respective classes, and they do not appear to be slowing down any time soon.
So, what is VW to do? For one, they will release a hybrid model starting in 2008, according to Winterkorn. But, also of interest is another possibility that the CEO mentions in the article. Will VW release a turbocharged twin-cylinder car smaller and more affordable than their current small car, the Fox? Winterkorn says that they just may. Here are his own words:
Winterkorn: When I took this position here in Wolfsburg in January, the first thing I did was to launch the development of a very small model, smaller than the Fox. It will be economical, suitable for daily use and affordable. And it will also make do with smaller engines. Two-cylinder engines with turbochargers could be an option.
SPIEGEL: When might such a Volkswagen become available?
Winterkorn: We are thinking about 2009. The sooner the better. There is great demand for this type of car in Western Europe, where it can provide mobility in big cities. But there is also considerable demand for a small Volkswagen in the emerging markets. In Russia, India and China, for example, we need cars that sell for €5,000 or €6,000.
Intriguing, no? We've heard of this before (see related posts below), but how exactly will VW offer a car to compete with SMART? And what are the chances the car will make it to America? If the past is any indication, not very likely. But, I am anxious to hear any more information along this front.
Related:
- VW's hybrids, German cars and CO2 emissions, and follow-up on the new Fox
- VW to develop a challenger for the Smart ForTwo
[Source: Spiegel]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ksmith 9:41AM (3/08/2007)
Talk about a dog of a car. It'll be tough to quell all of vibrations coming from such an unbalanced engine. Unless of course they want to throw some realativly heavy balance shafts, then engine won't want to rev for anything. It might be green, but no one will buy it when it takes 18 seconds to get up to highway speed.
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MikeW 11:51AM (3/08/2007)
Unbalanced?
An odd firing 90 degree V twin engine is pretty well balanced by using crankshaft counterweights.
http://www.timberwoof.com/motorcycle/V-TWIN-7.html
An even firing boxing2 engine, just look at BMW's latest bikes. The biggest problem is the large angular acceleration/deceleration (both pistons & con rods are stopped/started simultaneously)
And now BMW is using a Rotax even firing inline twin, four main bearings with an eccentric motion counterweight in between the cylinders.
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ray patrick 7:51AM (3/10/2007)
I see all these different approaches to "green" autos but I am very puzzeled. Aprox. 8 months ago I was watching a program on TV about alternative fuel autos & one (showed the motor running) was a French auto who came up with a auto that got 300 miles to a tank full of "COMPRESSED AIR!" How come nothing has been said since? Oil comp. buy the rights & buried it? What a wonderful go to work auto & was said it could be "re-fueled" at an air pump in 10-15 minutes or u can carry your own air compressor in the Auto!!!! (20-30 minute refuel) How come no one is talking about it????
r. patrick
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Chris M 3:08PM (3/10/2007)
ray patrick:
The French "air car" company is still in business, but the air car is not quite as fantastic as it first seems. While it can achieve a 270 mile range per tank, or 68 mph speed, it can't do both at the same time - the 270 mile range is at a much lower speed.
A special air compressor is required, the pressure is 4,500 psi, far above the 200 psi maximum of standard air compressors. Compressing air to that pressure produces a lot of waste heat, resulting in low efficiency and high energy costs.
When the compressed air expands in the engine, the temperature drops - a lot. This also reduces the efficiency, and the engine could freeze up on cold winter days unless specially heated. Of course, this does mean "free" air conditioning during the summer!
The air tank is large and expensive - carbon fiber construction for that high pressure doesn't come cheap.
The "compressed air car" has been promoted for years, with glowing promises to investors, but never quite makes it into mass production.
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Jeremy Korzeniewski 5:30PM (3/10/2007)
Ray Patrick, I have covered the air car recently, check it out there!
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/02/24/more-information-with-video-on-the-air-car-as-mentioned-by/
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