2008 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan 4dr Dsg Wolfsburg on 2040-cars

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Volkswagen Golf GTD Variant burns the oil long and fast

Volkswagen offers no shortage of variations on the Golf theme in America, from the base hatchback and the electric e-Golf to the sporty GTI and performance-oriented Golf R. But as many as are available Stateside, there are even more that never make it here. Like the one you see above. It's called the Volkswagen Golf GTD Variant. It's based on what we'd know as the new Golf SportWagen, which is just arriving in the US now, but this one packs the performance upgrades from the Golf GTD. Isn't that a typo? Don't we mean GTI? No, we don't: we mean GTD. Because in Europe, you can get what is essentially a GTI with a diesel, complete with all (or at least most) of the gear you'd find in the petrol hot hatch, only with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel inline-four packing 181 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. That may not sound like all that much as far as performance models go, but it's more than we'll be able to get from either the gasoline or diesel versions of the Golf SportWagen back in the States. And that makes us a little jealous, especially with room for the kids, the dog and all their gear in the back. World premiere of the new Golf GTD Variant - The perfect all-round package: sporty, economical, comfortable and spacious - Launch set for Geneva Motor Show Since 1982 Volkswagen's GTD logo has stood for Gran Turismo Diesel, with its promise of sporty yet economical motoring. Now for the first time, the GTD initials grace the Golf Variant, which like the Golf GTD, boasts the 184 PS (135 kW) TDI engine. The new Golf GTD Variant is set for its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, and is available to order as of now at a price of 31,975 euros. The Golf GTD Variant* is excellently placed to establish itself as an iconic long-distance cruiser. The 184 PS TDI engine takes the Golf GTD Variant to 100 km/h in just 7.9 seconds with the 2-litre unit delivering a maximum torque of 380 Nm – and yet this sporty Variant car boasts impressive fuel consumption figures of only 4.4 litres per 100 km. The car's sporty character is reflected in its exterior design: along with special GTD bumpers and the honeycomb radiator grille, the Golf GTD Variant also features smoked rear lights and flared sills. The look is completed by 17-inch Curitiba alloys, black roof rails and dual chrome tailpipes.

VW previews retouched 2014 Touareg for Beijing

Volkswagen is in New York this week showing off its new Jetta and Golf TDI SportWagen concept. But in less than a week, the German automaker will be off to China for the Beijing Motor Show, where it will showcase the revised Touareg you see here.
A subtle update on the Touareg that's been on the market in its current form for four years now, the facelifted model features reworked styling front and rear, an updated interior and a host of new technologies to keep it current in the highly competitive SUV market. Among those new features are larger bi-xenon headlights, coasting function, Google Maps integration and a post-collision braking system designed to prevent a second crash.
VW will offer the new Touareg with a variety of engines around the world, but in North America it'll carry over the same six-cylinder powertrain options as the outgoing model: a 3.6-liter V6 with 280 horsepower, a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 with 240 hp (though torque isn't listed, we'd expect around 406 pound-feet, same as last year) and a hybrid that marries a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 to an electric motor that combine to deliver 380 hp.

Production Volkswagen Taigun crossover caught in patent filing?

Volkswagen brought an angular, bulldog-like small crossover concept called Taigun to the São Paulo motor show last year, claiming that it wanted to gauge interest in the design before making a decision about production. If a new report with alleged leaked patent images is to be believed, then, interest must have been pretty high.
China's Auto.Sohu.com has published this group of Taigun images, claiming that they have been sourced from the Chinese patent office and that the subcompact VW utility based on the Up! has been cleared for production.
If all of that is true, and if these images are representative of the final product, you'll see that designers haven't done much to alter the concept car's appearance. Comparing, shot for shot, with the images we have from Brazil, we see that even small details like roof rack-mounted lights and exhaust tips integrated in the rear fascia have been carried over. Take a closer look for yourself in the attached galleries.