Volkswagen People's Car Concept

Following the release of a few photos of the concepts designed under the Volkswagen brand's ongoing 'People’s Car Project' initiative in China, the German company brought to life one of these studies with the help of CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery). The prototype that Volkswagen chose to exhibit in the video is the Hover Car, which is a concept for a two-seater, circular shaped vehicle that uses electromagnetic levitation to float just above the regular road network.
Jump past the break to see the VW Hover Car concept in action.

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Volkswagen Cross Coupé Concept

If Volkswagen's Cross Coupé Concept looks familiar, that's because we saw it at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show last autumn. So are we going to see the same study at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show? The answer is yes and no. For starters, the Geneva concept gets a two-tone red and silver exterior paint work but it's what's hiding under the hood that justifies its existence.
Whereas the Cross Coupé shown in Tokyo features a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid system the newer versions replaces the TSI gasoline engine with an even more frugal turbodiesel four-cylinder unit with direct injection.
The setup continues to use two electric motors, one at the front and the other at the back, but with the help of the TDI, its combined fuel consumption in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) is 1.8 liters per 100 km (around 131mpg US or 157 mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of just 46 g/km.
Moreover, the system's combined output is up from 265PS (261hp) to 306PS (302hp) offering the 1,858kg (4,096 lbs) SUV a top speed of 220km/h (137mph).
There are no other mechanical or styling changes with the Cross Coupé designed to offer us a preview of what a sportier flavored variant of the Tiguan could look like.

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VW BlueSport Roadster Production on Hold as Sales Numbers Don't Crunch up

Three years ago, almost to the day, Volkswagen unveiled the BlueSport Concept at the 2009 North American International Show. At the time, sources within the company said that the mid-engine roadster was earmarked for production and would also underpin an Audi version as well as a “baby” Porsche Boxster. The good news is that the BlueSport, which even in its concept form looked like it could enter production with only a few minor tweaks, is virtually ready to offer some open-top, rear-wheel drive affordable pleasure to potential buyers. At least that’s what VW’s engineering boss, Uli Hackenberg, told Autocar magazine.
Furthermore, even though Porsche is still contemplating whether such a model would hurt the Boxster’s sales or not, Audi has decided to add a smaller mid-engine two-seater in its range, likely named the R4.
The bad news is that the BlueSport Roadster probably won’t make it into production because it just won’t sell the necessary numbers to make it viable. “It’s not a technology problem, but of finding enough customers. I don’t have enough sales volume to get the go-ahead," said Hackenberg.
VW’s bean counters estimate that to get the green light, the BlueSport needs to sell at least 50,000 units annually. They don’t expect it to be a success in the world’s biggest market for roadsters, the U.S., so the project is still on hold.
Despite the company wanting to triple its sales by 2018, even VW of America boss Jonathan Browning doesn’t think niche products are a priority right now: “To get to 800 thousand units, we don’t need to keep adding to our portfolio of models”, he said. “We’re concentrating on our core models.”

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VW E-Bugster Study Zooms into the Detroit Auto Show

If you liked Volkswagen's approach with the new Beetle then chances are you're going to give a thumbs up to the E-Bugster study that made its world premiere at the Detroit Auto Show this week. Wider, lower and sportier looking that the regular Beetle, the concept's name blends the words "E" (for electric), "Bug" and "speedster". It's closest relative is the similarly styled Ragster study back from 2005.
The strictly two seater model is propelled by an electric motor with a power output of 85 kW (114HP) and a lithium-ion battery that enables a minimum driving range of 180 km (112 miles) in zero emissions model.
The battery itself weight 695 pounds (315 kg) and is stored under the trunk floor and the rear bench. VW says that it can accommodate all three types of available chargers: Level 1 (120V), Level 2 (240V), and Level 3 in which case an 80 percent charge can be achieved in 30 minutes.
The German company won't tell us if it has any plans to produce a pure electric version of the Beetle, but the E-Bugster's propulsion system will find its way in various future products including the already confirmed Golf Blue-e-Motion.

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