Auto Zeitung has some information about upcoming new models from Volkswagen (the Lupo II, the Golf VI Cabrio and the new Scirocco), together with some computer-generated images (these don’t seem too credible, though).
The two big novelties under the Piech-Winterkorn management are going to be the market positioning of the VW brand and its stylistic direction.
VW is going back to being a “semi-premium” brand, with prices a little above the competition but with superior quality standards (no “volks-wagen” for Ferdinand Piech!).
As for the styling, it seems that De’ Silva and Winterkorn are in agreement on the need for a new direction, and have it in for the big chrome grills of the latest VW models.
For the new entry-level model is not going to repeat the errors it made with the Fox: there’ll be a different car for emerging markets and one for Europe, the Lupo II, coming in 2010, with an entry price around 8,000 €.
The new Lupo will, obviously, share much with the corresponding Seat and Skoda models, will be 3.
70 m long (12 cm more than the Lupo I), will offer space for 4 persons plus luggage and and should have very low running costs.
It’ hard to believe that it will be as “renault-esque” as the car in the image from Auto Zeitung.
It seems that VW engineers have studied a rear wheel drive – rear engine layout, with the engine in a very low horizontal position and auxiliary systems in front for a better weight distributions.
One of the advantages of this layout is that the car wouldn’t need power steering.
It’s not very likely that this will be the solution used in the Lupo II, though: the PQ24 platform (Polo, Fabia, Ibiza, futura A2, ecc) enjoys suchh economies of scale that it will probably be used also in the new entry-level with reasonable costs.
As for the engines, there should be a new loaded two cylinders, the 1.
2-liter with 64 ps and the 1.
4 with 80 ps.
A version with only an electric engine is possible, for people who use it only inside cities or for short travels.
The Golf VI Cabrio is a model that Martin Winterkorn likes, but it has to find its own market niche, between the New Beetle Cabrio and the Eos, but it enjoy the advantage of sharing much with the upcoming Audi A3 Cabrio (2008).
Finally, the new Scirocco, coming next year.
It seems that in people in Wolfsburg are working feverishly to remake the exterior (at least in part), which had been finalized but was considered unsatifactory by the new management.
As for engines, the entry level should have the 1.
4 TSI twin-charger with 170 ps, followed by the 2.
0 Turbo-FSI engine, probably in the 230 ps power-step used by the GTI Edition 30 and by a possible R32 (3.
2 VR6, 250 ps) or R36 version (with the 300 ps 3.
6 VR6 engine of the Passat R36).