The ID. CROZZ showcar evolves into its series production version, the ID.4: Volkswagen is forging ahead with its electric mobility strategy by providing a detailed insight into the brand’s first all-electric SUV during a webcast following the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show. The new ID.4 will be launched this year. Following in the tracks of the ID.3, the countdown has already begun for the second model based on the new modular electric drive matrix (MEB). “Just like the ID.3, the ID.4 will also come onto the market as a carbon-neutral vehicle”, explains Ralf Brandstätter, Chief Operating Officer of the Volkswagen brand. “We will produce and sell the ID.4 in Europe, China and the U.S..”

The design of this zero-emission SUV is particularly aerodynamic. Ralf Brandstätter: “The outstanding aerodynamics reduce the drag coefficient, and it will boost the ID.4’s range to up to 500 kilometres, depending on the drive package.”

The ID.4 will initially be launched with rear-wheel drive, while an electric all-wheel drive version will be added to the portfolio at a later date. The high-voltage battery is positioned near the center of the underbody to create a low centre of gravity and an optimum in terms of driving dynamics, along with an extremely well-balanced axle load distribution. Just like all other MEB models, the ID.4 offers plenty of interior space thanks to its compact, electric drive technology. The fully digital cockpit of the zero-emission SUV has been clearly structured. It is operated primarily using touch surfaces and intelligent, intuitive voice control.

For Volkswagen, the ID.4 and ID.3 represent important milestones in the brand’s bid to become entirely carbon-neutral by 2050 – in line with the Paris climate agreement. Plans have been put in place to reduce the Volkswagen fleet’s CO2-emissions by a third by as early as 2025. Volkswagen is currently investing one billion euro to electrify its model range while also offering an increasing number of hybrid vehicles. This is based on the fact that, just like electric powertrains, new mild and plug-in hybrid drives in large-scale product lines such as the all-conquering Golf will significantly help to reduce fleet emissions in the future.

This is why the company’s focus during the webcast is not only on ID. models, but also on new Volkswagen models with hybrid drive. These include the new Touareg R. As a result, the most powerful Volkswagen model will in future also be powered by an efficient plug-in hybrid system. The alliance between an electric drive motor generating 100 kW (136 PS) and a V6 turbocharged petrol engine (TSI) with an output of 250 kW (340 PS) develops a system output of 340 kW (462 PS). The battery capacity of the Touareg R with a top speed of 140 km/h in all-electric E-MODE has been designed so that most average daily commuting distances can be covered with zero emissions.

The same applies to the new Golf GTE – its plug-in hybrid drive has been geared towards performance and consists of an electric drive motor with 85 kW (115 PS) and a four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine (TSI) generating 110 kW (150 PS). As a unit, the electric drive motor and the TSI develop a system output of 180 kW (245 PS). The new Golf GTE’s top speed in all-electric mode is 130 km/h. Further Volkswagen highlights include the new Golf GTD, which generates significantly lower nitrogen oxide emissions compared with its predecessor thanks to innovative twin dosing technology, plus the eighth generation of the Golf GTI, produced more than 2.3 million times. The most recent version is powered by a 180 kW (245 PS) 2.0-litre turbocharged direct injection engine. The maximum torque is 370 Nm. The four-cylinder engine is coupled with a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. A 7-speed dual clutch gearbox (DSG) is optionally available for the new GTI.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

World première with impact: When Volkswagen launched the first Golf GTI 45 years ago at the International Motor show (IAA) in Frankfurt, no one could have guessed that the three letters G, T and I would go on to identify an icon. But that is exactly what happened. Anyone referring to GTI today is talking about an icon: the Golf GTI. Now Volkswagen is presenting the eighth generation of this worldwide success at the Geneva International Motor Show from 5 to 15 March. This marks the launch of a pure, intelligent and superior high-tech sports car for the digital age.

The GTI’s secret of success is that its DNA has never changed. It still has a clean design, front-wheel drive, the most agile running gear, a powerful petrol engine, insignias like the red stripe in the radiator grille, and chequered seat covers. But the Golf GTI also became an icon because Volkswagen continually reinvented it, all along combining tradition with innovation. And that’s also the case in 2020. Volkswagen has digitalised and networked the new Golf GTI, catapulting it into the future with a multitude of intelligent assistance systems and a both powerful and stylish design.

The new Golf GTI is one of the first compact sports cars to communicate via Car2X with other vehicles, taking safety to a whole new level. As the first sports car in its class, the Golf GTI can be driven with Travel Assist up to a speed of 210 km/h. This is the first generation of Golf GTI to have a completely digitalised interior landscape of displays and controls. The new generation also has both the red stripe on the radiator grille and an optional LED crossbar integrated in the daytime running lights.

The power delivery of the GTI turbo engine will exceed expectations. The same can be said of the running gear, which can be set precisely by the driver in conjunction with a new DCC generation (adaptive chassis control). Some things have remained the same, however: the perfect ergonomics of the standard chequered sports seats. And so once again the true essence of a compact sports car is unveiled – and will make its debut in Geneva.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

The ID.3 from Volkswagen enters the new era of e-mobility – quietly but with full power. After all, the typical properties of the electric drive system change the way in which power is transmitted. The powerful APP310 e-drive unit transmits power to the driven wheels using an extremely compact gearbox. The ID.3’s single gear is able to cope with all driving situations. The mechanism used has only a small number of cogs. This 1-speed gearbox is part of the electric drive system for the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) and is manufactured by Volkswagen Group Components at the Kassel plant. But why is a single gear enough for the drive motor?

How power is transmitted to the wheels

The traction, i.e. the force that allows movement, and speed of a motor vehicle depend on the rotational speed of its drive system. As the speed of the drive system increases, the force transmitted to the wheels – the torque – can vary. With a vehicle with a combustion engine, the torque increases along with the engine speed and then falls again. With an electric drive system, however, the maximum torque is available immediately and remains constant over a wide range of speeds. The use of a multi-speed gearbox to achieve the desired speed or the necessary torque along the speed curve is therefore not absolutely necessary.

One gear for every situation

That is why a 2-stage 1-speed gearbox is used in the Volkswagen ID.3. When reversing the car, the direction of the electric drive system is simply reversed. In addition to various other components, power electronics is responsible for this and for the power characteristics of the drive system. In order to achieve the maximum power of 150 kW, the electric drive unit must rotate at high speeds. In order to provide a high level of torque, a 10x transmission ratio is used. To save space, the gearbox has a two-stage design with two smaller cogs instead of one big one. As a result, the electric drive motor in the ID.3 provides the maximum torque of 310 Nm constantly over a wide range of speeds. The maximum speed of 160 km/h is reached at a maximum of 16,000 rpm. For the ID.3 which is optimized for maximum range, the use of a single gear for all driving situations is perfectly adequate.

Precision manufacturing makes the e-vehicle particularly quiet

Because an electric drive system is very quiet, the level of noise in an e-vehicle is very important. Even the tiniest sources of noise can suddenly be heard. The parts for the 1-speed gearbox must therefore be manufactured with great precision to ensure that they do not cause any additional noise. At the end of the production line, not only the power characteristics of the electric drive system are checked – the relevant noise values are too. All drive systems for European and North American e-vehicles based on the MEB – including the 1-speed gearbox – are manufactured at the component plant in Kassel. Other important parts are produced at the component plants in Salzgitter, Poznań and Hannover.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen will celebrate the world première of the Golf GTD at the Geneva International Motor Show from 5 to 15 March. Among the technical highlights is the most powerful and – thanks to twin dosing – cleanest turbo diesel injection (TDI) engine ever to be installed in a Golf. It harmonises the confident dynamism of the Golf GTD together with higher efficiency and lowest emissions. The charismatic design of the Golf GTD reflects a unique combination of dynamism and self-confidence.

The diesel top-of-the-range version, based on the new eighth generation of the Golf, will carry the long tradition of the GTD into the future. In 1982, Volkswagen presented the very first Golf GTD. At that time, Volkswagen brought new excitement into the compact class with its turbo diesel and other equally sporty features, like in the Golf GTI Mk1.

And almost four decades later, this same dynamic concept is still going strong: Once again, Volkswagen will introduce one of the most economical and at the same time sporty compact models to the market with its Golf GTD. A significant increase in performance is accompanied by lowest emissions: The Performance TDI’s efficiency has been significantly optimised and CO2 emissions have been cut even further, all while simultaneously improving responsiveness.

Thanks to a new twin dosing SCR with double AdBlue® injection, NOx emissions will be greatly reduced as compared to its predecessor. This makes the TDI in the new Golf GTD one of the cleanest combustion engines in the world. And by the way, the four-cylinder powerhouse is started by pressing a pulsing button in the completely digitalised cockpit – to the beat of a new era.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com