VW Premieres Sharan and Passat Variant Emergency Vehicles at the 2011 RETTmobil

After Mercedes-Benz and BMW, Volkswagen also revealed its dedicated lineup at the annual RETTmobil exhibition, which is dedicated to emergency and rescue vehicles. The Wolfsburg-based manufacturer premiered the Sharan and Passat Variant as emergency vehicles together with new features for its range of specialty cars.

The new Sharan is equipped with the 170HP version of VW’s 2.0-liter TDI engine linked to a six-speed DSG gearbox. The minivan features a special signal system with LED technology and is fitted with a remote speaker. The Passat Variant has the same engine and gearbox but adds four-wheel drive to the mix. Both cars have base Candy White paint and are fitted with front and rear flashing lights.

VW also displayed a Touareg emergency medical vehicle, equipped with the 245HP 3.0-liter diesel engine. It features blue front and rear flashing lights plus a special signal system with LED technology. There's also the Touran as a covert police car equipped with an accident data storage system and a run-safe mode that allows the engine to function even if the keys are removed from the ignition.

Volkswagen said all mergency vehicles have a special suspension tuned to the specific needs of their job.

In addition to the aforementioned vehicles, VW also showcased several new features such as the headlight flashers, which improve the visibility of emergency medical vehicles. Another useful accessory is the standard horn speaker, which makes the emergency vehicle easier to notice in traffic, while also lowering the noise level in the cabin.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Volkswagen’s Little Darth Vader Uses the Force on the European Passat

Unless you've been living in some oddball world where the internet doesn't exist - in which case, you wouldn’t be reading this anyway (…), you’ve undoubtedly seen Volkswagen’s much praised Super Bowl commercial starring a pint-sized Darth Vader who uses the Force when he discovers the new, North American-spec 2012 Passat. Having garnered close to 40 million views on Youtube on VW USA’s channel alone, the German company decided to bring the TV spot to Europe, and specifically to the UK to promote the seventh generation of the Passat that went on sale in the country in January. Not surprisingly, the only thing the advertising agency changed in the ad was the car. The campaign aired on UK television today and will run for six weeks.
“‘It’s a charming ad with great music and has the universal appeal of Star Wars,” said Volkswagen’s Communications Manager, Danny Hill. “It captures the imagination and ties in well with our message about the Passat’s clever technology. It was such a success in the States that it seemed a shame not to share it with a wider UK audience.”
We’ll remind you that Volkswagen separated the North American Passat from its European brethren with the presentation of a new model at the Detroit Show earlier this year. The U.S. Passat features a different –albeit very familiar- design and is built at the firm's brand new manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Across the pond, the mid-size sedan American buyers knew as the 2010/2011MY Passat received an extensive redesign for the 2012MY at last year’s Paris Motor Show.

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Volkswagen Announces Super Efficient 68.9mpg Passat BlueMotion for the UK

Revealed at the Geneva Motor Show this past March, the new generation of Volkswagen’s fuel-efficient Passat BlueMotion is available to order now in the United Kingdom, with first examples scheduled to hit showrooms towards the end of July. The BlueMotion version of the seventh-generation Passat (not to be confused with the US model), itself launched in Europe in January, is offered in both sedan and Estate formats with prices starting at £19,875 and £21,180 respectively.

The Passat BlueMotion is powered by a modified version of Volkswagen’s 1.6-litre common rail diesel engine developing 105-horses, connected to a six-speed manual gearbox. To improve fuel economy, Volkswagen’s engineers fitted the car with Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems and also revised aerodynamics to reduce drag through the use of rolling resistance tyres, a 15mm lower suspension at the front and 7.5 mm at the rear, a different radiator grille and underbody panels.

The saloon is also fitted with a compact rear spoiler, while both body styles are equipped with lightweight and aerodynamic 16-inch steel rims as standard, with 17-inch ‘Buenos Aires’ alloy wheels available as an option.

Together, these measures result in a combined fuel consumption of 68.9 mpg UK (57.3 mpg US or 4.1 lt / 100km) for the saloon and 65.7 mpg (54.7 mpg US or 4.3 lt / 100km) for the Estate, and CO2 emissions of 109 g/km and 113 g/km respectively.

Standard features on all BlueMotion variants include curtain airbags, ESP, ‘Climatic’ air conditioning, electric windows, electronic parking brake, RCD 310 radio / CD player and Multi Device Interface (MDI) with iPod connectivity.

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KBR Motorsport Tricks Out Volkswagen’s Passat CC

It has been a long time since we last saw a tuning firm getting its hands on the Volkswagen Passat CC, but today we received news on a freshly developed styling and performance package for the mid-size sports saloon by German firm KBR Motorsport.

The tuning company starts on the outside with a bespoke foil-wrap in a so-called dull olive gray finish matched with new 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped around 225/30 ZR20 tires and a new exhaust tail pipe. To Passat CC’s aggressive stance is further enhanced with a lowered KW Variant 3 coilover suspension.

KBR Motorsport’s press release makes word of a tuning kit for the Passat CC’s turbocharged engine that lifts output to 260-horses, but does not specify the powerplant. Looking at the available engine range in Germany, chances are KBR Motorsport’s tune concerns the 2.0-liter TFSi, which delivers 210-horsepower in stock form.

The German tuner said that the complete package is priced at €11,000 or about US$15,800.

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Volkswagen Studying Tiguan SUV Production in North America to Lower Costs

Citing inside management sources from Volkswagen, a news report from German weekly business magazine WirtschaftsWoche said the German automaker wants to produce its Tiguan compact SUV in North America in order to reduce costs and protect itself against fluctuation of exchange rates. Officially, Volkswagen declined to comment on the magazine report.

At present, the North American version of the refreshed Tiguan SUV is imported from Germany with production taking place at Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg plant. The German automaker recently opened its first plant in the United States in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The $1 billion factory assembles the North American market 2012 Passat and has an annual capacity of up to 150,000 vehicles.

The German automaker has two more models in its range that are made in North America, the new Jetta and Beetle, both of which are produced in Mexico.

WirtschaftsWoche said that it has not yet been established if the North American Tiguan would be produced at the Chattanooga facility or at VW’s plant in Pueblo, Mexico.

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