Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Volkswagen reconfirms EVs for 2013, next-generation vehicles to reduce weight]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/20/volkswagen-reconfirms-evs-for-2013-next-generation-vehicles-to/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/20/volkswagen-reconfirms-evs-for-2013-next-generation-vehicles-to/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/20/volkswagen-reconfirms-evs-for-2013-next-generation-vehicles-to/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Speaking outside its Electronics Research Lab in Palo Alto, California, Volkswagen chairman Dr. Martin Winterkorn reconfirmed the automaker's commitment to bring electric vehicles to market in 2013, beginning with the eGolf compact and eUp! city car.

Drawing a faint parallel to the original Beetle, Winterkorn told the assembled media that "Volkswagen is working on the electric car for everyone." And one of the first electrified V-Dubs will be its bread-and-butter Golf hatchback.

"The automotive industry is reinventing itself," Winterkorn continued, "and Volkswagen will be the first automaker to mass produce the electric car for everyone." VW believes that electric vehicles are the next great revolution in the automobile, and in order to achieve its goal of becoming the world's top automaker by 2018, it believes it has to dominate the EV segment.

In addition to bringing two EVs to market in the next three years, the Touareg Hybrid (shown above) is being produced, with the hybrid Golf and Jetta due later that year and the hybrid Passat following in 2012. All of which VW considers to be interim products.

Although current battery technology has limited the eGolf to a 100-mile range when fitted with a 26.5 kWh battery pack, Winterkorn asserts that "Our customers are not willing to compromise. They expect the same thing from a standard [internal-combustion engine] Golf as they would from an electric Golf." But until its partnerships with Samsung, Toshiba and other battery manufacturers pan out and develop lighter, smaller, less expensive and higher capacity batteries, they'll have their work cut out for them.

When asked what VW plans to do about vehicle weight, Winterkorn rattled off a litany of advanced materials - from carbon fiber to magnesium - and told Autoblog that the next generation of Volkswagen products will undergo a weight loss program.

[Image: Sean Gallup/Getty]

Volkswagen reconfirms EVs for 2013, next-generation vehicles to reduce weight originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>E-upeGolfelectricelectric autoelectric carsElectricAutoElectricCarseupevEVsgolfmartin winterkornMartinWinterkornsamsungtoshibaupveedubvolkswagenvolkswagen golfVolkswagenGolfVolkwagen upVolkwagenUpvwvw golfVwGolfweight reductionWeightReductionwinterkornTue, 20 Jul 2010 09:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19560473/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/07/20/volkswagen-reconfirms-evs-for-2013-next-generation-vehicles-to/19560473/article-detail.xml 19560473 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/winterkorn-with-touareg-hybrid-getty-630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/winterkorn-with-touareg-hybrid-getty-630.jpg <![CDATA[Report: 2013 Volkswagen E-Up! city car headed for select U.S. markets]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/02/report-2013-volkswagen-e-up-city-car-headed-for-select-u-s-ma/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/02/report-2013-volkswagen-e-up-city-car-headed-for-select-u-s-ma/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/02/report-2013-volkswagen-e-up-city-car-headed-for-select-u-s-ma/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Volkswagen E-Up! Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

According to the scribes at Automobile Magazine, Volkswagen isn't planning to offer its diminutive Up! city car here in the United States. Boo! Interestingly enough, though, the electric version, imaginatively known as the E-Up!, is said to be earmarked for select U.S. markets.

What those U.S. markets may be is unknown, but we'd imagine it would be something like the five markets where Nissan plans to initially offer its Leaf Stateside... and you can bet Southern California (as always) will be on the list.

Last we heard, the E-Up! being developed for America wold likely be a bit larger than the model sold overseas and wouldn't be offered for sale for another few years. Sure, you may want your zero-emissions goodness earlier than that, but we can stand to wait a little while longer for the "Beetle of the 21st Century," right?


Gallery: Volkswagen E-Up! Concept


[Source: Automobile]

Report: 2013 Volkswagen E-Up! city car headed for select U.S. markets originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e upe-upE-Up ConceptE-upConceptEUpvolkswagenvolkswagen e upvolkswagen e-upVolkswagen E-Up Conceptvolkswagen electric carvolkswagen electric carsvolkswagen evVolkswagenE-upVolkswagenE-upConceptVolkswagenElectricCarVolkswagenElectricCarsVolkswagenEUpVolkswagenEvvwvw e upvw e-upvw electric carvw evVwE-upVwElectricCarVwEUpVwEvFri, 02 Jul 2010 10:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19536966/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/07/02/report-2013-volkswagen-e-up-city-car-headed-for-select-u-s-ma/19536966/article-detail.xml 19536966 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/vw-e-up_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/vw-e-up.jpg <![CDATA[REPORT: Larger VW E-Up! could come to the States]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/22/report-larger-vw-e-up-could-come-to-the-states/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/22/report-larger-vw-e-up-could-come-to-the-states/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/22/report-larger-vw-e-up-could-come-to-the-states/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Volkswagen E-Up! Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

After showing off the E-Up! at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week and declaring it the Beetle of the 21st Century, VW is promising to have the tiny EV into small scale production in Europe by 2013. However, the people's automaker isn't convinced such a small car would be accepted in the United States.

Flawed logic or not, Automotive News reports that a somewhat larger version of the E-Up! - about 146 inches long, or some 20 inches longer than the concept VW claimed was its smallest car ever - is being developed for the crucial U.S. market.

The first vehicle using the Up!'s New Small Family architecture is expected to debut in 2011, with the electric version showing up in Europe about two years later. U.S. sales of the slightly larger model will come at some unspecified later date.


Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Volkswagen E-Up!


[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

REPORT: Larger VW E-Up! could come to the States originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e-upe-up conceptE-upConceptgreenupvolkswagenvolkswagen e upvolkswagen e-upvolkswagen upVolkswagenE-upVolkswagenEUpVolkswagenUpvwvw e upvw e-upvw upVwE-upVwEUpVwUpTue, 22 Sep 2009 09:30:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19168782/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/09/22/report-larger-vw-e-up-could-come-to-the-states/19168782/article-detail.xml 19168782 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/09/02-vw-e-up-live-620op_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/09/02-vw-e-up-live-620op.jpg <![CDATA[Frankfurt 2009: World Premiere of the Volkswagen E-Up! Concept]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/15/frankfurt-2009-world-premiere-of-the-volkswagen-e-up-concept/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/15/frankfurt-2009-world-premiere-of-the-volkswagen-e-up-concept/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/15/frankfurt-2009-world-premiere-of-the-volkswagen-e-up-concept/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Volkswagen E-Up! Concept - Click above for a high-res image gallery

While today might be the middle of September, 2009, Volkswagen is looking to the future. 2013 to be exact. That's when Chairman Martin Winterkorn says they'll be launching the E-Up!, an all-electric city specialist. The E-Up!'s killer app is the lightweight lithium-ion battery that kinda tips the scales at five hundred pounds. That might sound like a lot, but keep in mind that the Panasonic Metal Case Prismatic pack in the Prius weighs over 100 pounds and has a gasoline engine to boot. Not so with the E-Up! The whole teeny kit and kaboodle clocks in at a sprightly 2,387 pounds.

Volkswagen's already calling the E-Up! the Beetle of the 21st Century (no word from VW on how the current New Beetle feels about it), and based on their claim that 100 kilometers (62 miles) of driving can be had for just €2 (like five bucks) we see no reason to protest. Interestingly, the E-Up! is the smallest VW ever, so tiny in fact that it's a 3+1 seater. Because Volkswagen largely eliminated the E-Up's dashboard, the front passenger seat is about five inches forward of the driver's seat, increasing the leg room for that person seated directly behind the passenger. The person seated behind the driver, well, he's out of luck. But in a pinch you can carry around a fourth passenger.

There's a 1.4 square meter solar panel on the roof that adds power to the E-Up!'s electrical system. Not enough power? Flip down the solar cell covered sun visors and voila! -- you have 1.7-meters of solar power. That power in turn spins a electric motor that makes 155 lb-ft of torque at zero rpm. This can move the E-Up! from a standstill to 60 mph in just over eleven seconds. News flash: the E-Up! is not a Lamborghini. Still, if like Volkswagen is predicting, E-Up!s (or is that E-Ups!?) will spend most of their time in the city then who cares? Future E-Up! owners, we guess. Full details in the press release below the fold.


Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Volkswagen E-Up!



Continue reading Frankfurt 2009: World Premiere of the Volkswagen E-Up! Concept

Frankfurt 2009: World Premiere of the Volkswagen E-Up! Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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