Volkswagen Reconsidering Scirocco and Phaeton for the U.S. Market

Earlier this month, Volkswagen announced that it’s going to expand its North American SUV lineup in order to catch up to GM and Toyota and triple its U.S. sales by 2018. However, the automaker also wants to boost its image, so it may bring back the Scirocco coupe and Phaeton sedan to the States.

In an interview in Washington, Jonathan Browning, head of Volkswagen’s U.S. operations, told Bloomberg News that the company is exploring the idea of selling the two models in the U.S. “We will reconsider bringing the Phaeton back to the U.S. in the next product cycle,” said Mr. Browning who added that no final decision has been made yet.

While not a bad car, the Phaeton had a short-lived career in the U.S., which ended in 2006. It seems that American buyers just couldn’t get used to the idea of a Mercedes S-Class rival with a Volkswagen badge. On the other hand, the Scirocco was successful in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s, so to this day, many are wondering why VW chose not to import the latest generation of the coupe model. In Europe, the Scirocco is offered with a variety of powertrains ranging from a 52.3 mpg 140HP diesel to a 265HP 2.0-liter turbo in the sporty 'R' model.

The Scirocco and Phaeton are not expected to offer a lot in terms of sales, but rather to provide an image boost for the company. The real “earners” will have to be models such as the new Jetta and Passat.

“VW wants to capture U.S. buyers by rolling out more emotional cars and the Scirocco certainly fits that category,” said Frank Schwope, a NordLB analyst in Hanover. “In terms of volume sales, the Scirocco and Phaeton are only decorative accents, they won’t be crucial for VW’s goal to greatly increase deliveries”.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Bloomberg

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Volkswagen Builds 100,000th New Scirocco

The 100,000th third-generation Scirocco today came off the production line at Volkswagen's Autoeuropa plant in Portugal, just two years after the compact sports coupe / hatchback was launched into the market in 2008 and even though the German company does not offer the vehicle for sale in North America. Car number '100,000' is a Scirocco R 2.0 TSI, in a Rising Blue Metallic exterior finish, with a Titan Black interior.

"The Scirocco is one of the most important cars that we produce. For myself personally, it was a moving moment", said Andreas Hinrichs, Autoeuropa Plant Manager.

The first two generations of the Scirocco sold a total of 795,650 vehicles from 1974 up until 1992, when the model was discontinued.

The new Scirocco is offered with a variety of diesel and petrol engines ranging in output from 122HP (1.4 TSI) to 265HP ('R' 2.0 TSI).

VW Scirocco Coupe Kitted Out by RDX-Racedesign

RDX Racedesign, a German tuning house, has completed a new styling package for the Volkswagen Scirocco coupe. The tuner modifies the Scirocco's appearance with a comprehensive body kit that includes a front apron, beefier side skirts, headlamp covers, a rear apron that incorporates a protruding diffuser and an extra-large roof spoiler. All components are made from PU-ABS thermoplastic. The car's looks can be further enhanced with a set of multispoke alloy wheels. Full gallery after the jump.

Sainz, Brundle, Bell, Laffitte and Biela Return to the Race Track for Scirocco R Cup

Five famous names from the world of motorsport including Carlos Sainz, Frank Biela, Jacques Laffite, Derek Bell and Martin Brundle are getting ready to line-up on the grid at Hockenheim this weekend (23-24 April) for the first round of the new VW Scirocco R Cup series.

Together, the five racing aces have started 343 Formula 1 Grand Prix and won the Dakar Rally, two World Rally Championship titles, the Sportscar World Championship, the German DTM championship, the British Touring Car Championship and the Le Mans 24-hour race a total of 11 times.

Each driver will a race a Scirocco R fitted with a modified 2.0-litre four-cylinder TSI engine running on bio-CNG that is said to reduce CO2 emissions by around 80 per cent compared with conventional engines.

The TSI unit produces 223-horsepower and 203 lbs ft of torque while an available "push-to-pass" system can provide a short 30HP boost in power.

The one-make series that supports the German DTM Touring Car Championship during 2010 includes a UK debut appearance at Brands Hatch over the weekend of 3-4 September 2010.

VW Returns to the 'Ring with Improved Scirocco GT24-CNG

Volkswagen will participate at this year's edition of the Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race over the weekend 12-16 May with three natural gas-powered Scirocco GT24-CNGs.

The Scirocco GT24-CNG coupes are fitted with the same 2.0-litre TSI engine modified to run on natural gas that secured class victory at last year's event. A few minor tweaks help increase output from 325HP to 330HP.

Further developments of the 2009-spec Scirocco racers include a larger braking system to reduce maintenance intervals and the integration of two additional light units into the front bumper to improve visibility at night.

Also, one of the three racers features a new active electro-hydraulic differential in place of the conventional system which is fitted to the other two cars. The company claims that it combines the functionality of the conventional system with improved handling characteristics and a reduction in under-steer

Volkswagen said that during the latest of the preparation races, one of its drivers, Nicki Thim, posted a lap record on the Nordschleife circuit for a front-wheel drive vehicle in a time of 8m 47.337 seconds.

B&B Raises the Horsepower Bar with VW Scirocco R

The sportiest Scirocco of them all, the 'R' variant, has received the tender tuning affections of 'B & B'. Starting with the Scirocco R's 265HP 2.0-liter turbocharged unit, the German firm offers three different stages of engine mods , with the first bumping power to 310HP.

The next two stages incrementally increase output to 324HP and 362HP, respectively, with the most powerful version using a larger turbocharger, custom exhaust system with a larger downpipe and high-performance catalyst as well as a modified ECU, air-intake and intercooler.

B & B's flagship Scirocco R model sprints from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.9 seconds and reaches a top speed in excess of 280km/h or 174 mph.

Other performance upgrades include a sport suspension that lowers the coupe's ride height by 30 mm or a little over an inch, a sport brake system and 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels.

Car-Puccino: This 'Back to the Future' VW Scirocco Literally Runs on Coffee

When people think of alternative fuels for their cars, we doubt that coffee beans make the list. Yet a team of wacky inventors from the BBC1 science programme "Bang Goes The Theory" have managed to create a vehicle runs solely on gas produced by espresso roasted coffee granules!

Nicknamed Car-puccino, this 1988 VW Scirocco that looks like a bit like the Marty Mcfly's time-travelling DeLorean DMC-12 from the 'Back to the Future' trilogy, has been heavily modified to us coffee granules to power the engine.

So how does it work? According to the graph, the first stage involves heating the coffee granules with charcoal until the beans break down into cool hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

The gas is then fed into a radiator to chill down before it is filtered out in the boot. The purified gas is then led through a rooftop pipe into the engine where it burns and powers the car.

Nick Watson, producer of Bang Goes The Theory, said: 'Coffee, like wood or coal, has some carbon content so you can use it as a fuel. The coffee needs to be very dry and in pellets to allow the air to move through the pile of coffee as it burns. The brand doesn't matter.'

But even though the Car-puccino is full of beans, it sure won't please any bean counters with an estimated average consumption of 1 kilo / 2.2 pounds of ground coffee for every 4.8km / 3 miles (or about 56 espressos per mile).

The BBC1 team said that it is planning to cover a distance of 210 miles between Manchester and London using only coffee beans.

According to Daily Mail's calculations, "the journey will use about 70 kilos of ground coffee which, at supermarket prices of between £13 and £26 a kilo depending on brand and quality, will cost between £910 and £1,820, or between 25 and 50 times the £36 cost of petrol for the journey."

So now you know why coffee beans don't make the list with alternative fuels.

Via: Daily Mail / BBC1