German Car Zone

2008 Los Angeles Auto Show Preview: Volkswagen Expected To Unveil Lightweight Coupe/Roadster Concept

WOLFSBURG, Germany — Volkswagen has resurrected its plan to build an affordable midengine coupe and roadster pair. The project is part of the company's image-building initiative, aimed at highlighting its strengths in design and engineering. According to a source at headquarters, VW Chairman Martin Winterkorn plans to unveil a concept in November, at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. Depending on how well it's received, the new car could be in showrooms by 2011.

It's been styled under Walter de' Silva and borrows from VW's vast parts bin to keep development costs low. The source tells Inside Line that this project is resurfacing for "the fifth time in [five] years" but expresses optimism that the project will reach fruition this time, possibly to be assembled in Germany by VW's longtime partner Karmann. Two other concepts were built but never made public, sources say.

VW showed a similar idea with the Concept R at the 2003 Frankfurt Auto Show, designed by Peter Schreyer, and, at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Show, the spartan Eco Racer. The latter was an R&D exercise rather than a full-fledged design concept, though.

The new roadster has been described as an economy-minded Lotus Elise, designed to be stylish and lightweight but offering genuinely sporty performance in combination with class-leading fuel economy. It will be based on a midengine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Among the four-cylinders said to be under consideration for the new car is a 170-horsepower, 1.4-liter Twincharger TSI gasoline engine and a new 125-hp, 1.6-liter TDI common-rail diesel power plant, both mated to a a seven-speed double-shift gearbox.

The new car could be expected to be an under-2,200-pound model that would combine GTI-style speed, which would mean a 0-60-mph time under 6.9 seconds, and Polo 1.4 TDI BlueMotion fuel economy.

To keep weight down and performance strong, VW is said to have referred to Audi about aluminum space frame construction. This has fueled some two years' worth of rumors — and attendant denials from Ingolstadt — that there could be an Audi R4 version of the new model. The rumored car has been described as a cut-priced R8 and could use more powerful Audi engines like the new EA888-based 211-hp, 2.0-liter TFSI gasoline engine and an upcoming 204-hp, twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter TDI common-rail diesel instead of the more frugal VW power plants.

Another intriguing idea: VW majority shareholder Porsche is said to have shown interest in the new project, opening the way for a possible resurrection of the 914.

What this means to you: Fascinating undercurrents of expectation making their way west from Germany.
edmunds

actually this could get a very very interessting car
i just hope that they don't think too much about it, otherwise they'll probably cancel it like so many other great VW concepts

Yet another pointless, irrelevant distraction at VW. The next Passat, Jetta and their U.S. factory should be the priorities, not a sports car. Porsche, Lambo, Bugatti isn't that enough sports cars in the family?

M

Exactly M.

i guess that my view point at vw is a different one. in my opinion volkswagen should be identified as a fun brand. the past years made them boring - inside and out. they need a car which is bringing back the vw spirit. walta de silva is definitly a man who would be able to achieve this through design and i really hope that financial cuts aren't kill such a project.