Report: Volkswagen's New Mid-Size Sedan to Be Offered as a Diesel
Volkswagen will offer its new mid-size sedan with both gasoline and diesel engines says VW North America boss Stefan Jacoby. In doing so VW will be the only automaker in North America to offer a mid-size diesel sedan, competing against the likes of the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion. The popularity of hybrid mid-size sedans has grown and if VW decides to offer the same TDI motor that powers both the Golf and Jetta then we should expect hybrid-rivaling fuel economy numbers with the Jetta TDI achieving 29/40 mpg (city/highway).
The new mid-size sedan is expected to be larger and less expensive to help it compete with other mid-size sedans and while part of the cost is expected to be the result of a less-premium interior compared to VW’s current mid-size offering (the Passat), much of the cost savings will also made from building the car in the U.S. at the company’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant. The new mid-size sedan from Volkswagen is set to go on sale next year.
In other VW news, during the same press conference Jacoby waffled on earlier reports that the Golf R was destined for U.S. shores, saying the decision was, “still up in the air.” The main reason the car might not be offered in the U.S. is the poor dollar-to-Euro exchange rate right now. The Golf R, currently on sale in Europe, uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine to makes 265-hp and 258 ft-lbs of torque, combined with VW’s 4MOTION AWD setup to deliver a 0-62 mph time of just 5.5 seconds! We’ve speculated in the past that despite those reports to the contrary, the Golf R is unlikely to find its way to the U.S. due to how much it would cost here.
As for the Audi brand, the high-performance S5 model will continue to be offered with a V8 for 2011, rather than the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 currently being used in the A6 3.0T and S4.
[Source: NewYorkTimes]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
More by Colum Wood
Comments
Join the conversation
About the Golf R... there are people who would like the performance of an Audi TT but the practicality of a hot hatch. Sure it would cost a bundle, but VWoA sold 5000 of the original R32's, they could sell that many Golf R's or maybe a few few more.