A Peek into the Future With Volkswagen at The Geneva Motor Show 2012
The Geneva Motor Show, in its 82nd year, opened today for the Press, and as guests of Volkswagen, a few of us in the Malaysian motoring fraternity got the rare opportunity to get a sampling of what is coming our way from the Volkswagen stables, and also a little peek into where the Volkswagen Group is heading. We now know that Volkswagen is aiming to be number one in the automotive business by 2018, not only in sales, but also in terms of being a corporate social citizen. Addressing some 1500 motoring journalists from over 40 countries, the Chairman of the Board Volkswagen Group, Professor Dr. Martin Winterkorn uttered the watchwords that the VW Group will go by, as “Passion and Commitment”. By this he means that everyone in the organization must be passionate about what they do, be it in marketing, production, design, research, or sales. If everyone in the organization has the passion for the brand, plus the commitment towards doing what is right, then the company will achieve the number one status by the target date. In doing so, Professor Dr. Winterkorn also added that the company is also committed to constantly improve its products not only for the customers, but also with responsibility towards keeping the environment as safe as possible for future generations. He went on to highlight certain targets, such as “By 2015, Fleet Emissions Below 120gm CO2/km”, “Every New Vehicle Generation: 10 to 15 percent more fuel efficient”, “Efficiency Technologies standard for all new models”, that 2013 would be a year of Electro-Mobility, and by 2018, production worldwide will be 25 percent more eco-friendly.
The Volkswagen Group in the year 2011 sold 8.3 million vehicles. Assume 365 days in a year, then take away 104 days for the weekends, and that sums reveal a staggering 31,800 vehicles sold on an average working day. The entire Volkswagen Group, which includes eleven brands, with 240 models available, and increasing all the time, ninety-four production sites worldwide, a presence in 153 markets, and employing more than 500,000 people, it is only a matter of time before it becomes the number one automotive manufacturer in the world. Even back here at home, we are seeing exponential growth in Volkswagen vehicle sales, with triple digit growth in 2011 from 3,000 units to 7,400. Volkswagen advertisements and events came on as a steady stream throughout the year, and positive results are showing with waiting lists for many of the models. The CKD project involving the DRB-Hicom group with local assembly of the Passat already on going in Pekan, with the launch in the very near future is but one of the many steps the Volkswagen Group Malaysia is taking to bring Volkswagen products closer to the market. Malaysia is but one of the many markets that the Volkswagen Group is developing, but if this sort of commitment to build up each market is followed through with the same kind of passion that we see here, the end result is inevitable.
At the Geneva Motor show, Volkswagen introduced the Cross Coupe, a concept of the SUV of the future. It is a combination of TDI (diesel) technology and plug-in hybrid technology that results in a combined fuel consumption of only 1.8 litres per 100 kilometres, and represents an equivalent of only 46 gm/km CO2. The Cross Coupe is powered by an alliance of a turbo-diesel direct injection engine (TDI) and two electric motors, and this is a high performance SUV with 220 km/h top speed, has a combined power output of 235kW/306 PS, and has a kerb weight of 1,858 kg.
Also revealed at Geneva is the first ever GTi Cabriolet in the history of the Golf – with 210 PS of power, this is the most powerful Golf Cabriolet ever. Zero to 100 km/h is done in 7.3 seconds, and top speed is 237 km/h. Fuel consumption is mooted at a mere 7.7 litre per 100 km. The fabric top is electro-hydraulically operated, and takes only 9.5 seconds to open, and allowed up to speeds of 30 km/h.
Also seen at the Geneva Motorshow is the Polo BlueGT, which offers sporty performance and very frugal 4.7 litres per 100 km fuel consumption. The Polo BlueGT thus stands out for this ability to combine superior dynamic performance with extreme fuel efficiency. The technical highlight that allows this to happen is the ACT cylinder deactivation system, introduced for the first time in a Volkswagen. If fitted with the optional 7-speed DSG, fuel consumption drops further to just 4.5 litres per 100 km. On the performance side, this car accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in just 7.9 seconds – the car will be available in July this year.
Volkswagen also introduced a four-door version of the compact UP car, plus a Cargo version that should go down well with small businesses. The UP is really a cute little car, one that would give the K-cars a run for the money, but only if it is done on a CKD basis.
As at this moment, we have no indication of whether we will see these cars in Malaysia, but since many of the models currently available are on CBU basis, you never know – it probably boils down to whether the cars are available in right-hand drive or not. Personally, I think the more the merrier – it just gives us more choice.
