Frankfurt show: Volkswagen BlueMotion a step closer

VOLKSWAGEN Australia took a step towards introducing VW’s fuel-saving BlueMotion technology last week as its parent company revealed four new eco cars at the Frankfurt motor show.

VW Australia previously was unable to import the green range of vehicles using BlueMotion techology because Volkswagen management in Wolfsburg deemed its idle/stop system unsuitable for a ‘hot country’.

Other brands such as BMW and Mini have introduced the same idle/stop technology in Australia, and now the hot-country issue has been buried after Volkswagen Australia managing director Anke Koeckler met with company officials in Wolfsburg last week.

Even so, that does not mean VW BlueMotion cars are on the way.

Ms Koeckler said the company was interested in launching the BlueMotion brand into Australia, but had not yet decided if it would do so, pending a business case.

Even if BlueMotion does head Down Under, models will be a limited.

“We won’t have a BlueMotion car for every model,” Ms Koeckler said.

From top: Passat, Golf and Polo BlueMotion.

The newly released Passat and Golf BlueMotion versions would be at the top of the import list.

BlueMotion is Volkswagen’s green vehicle line and the technology is varied. BlueMotion cars also usually benefit from aerodynamic changes, modified transmission tune and low rolling resistance tyres.

At Frankfurt, VW presented lean diesels, dual-fuel CNG, NOx storage diesels and petrol-electric hybrids, all under the BlueMotion banner.

One of the vehicles, a new Passat TDI, returns a remarkable fuel consumption figure of just 4.9L/100km and emissions of 128g/km.

Replacing a 1.9-litre diesel with an individual pump system, the 2.0-litre common-rail turbo diesel generates 77kW of power and 250Nm of torque. It uses an idle/stop system to save fuel in traffic.

VW also rolled out a new Passat BlueTDI, which can achieve Euro 6 standards in 105kW lean 2.0-litre common rail injection engine by using urea – which VW calls AdBlue – to help convert exhaust nitrogen oxide into nitrogen and water.

The engine also uses an oxidation catalytic converter and a diesel particulate filter.

All this and a fuel consumption figure of just 5.2L/100km and an emission CO2 rating of 137g/km.

The Passat TSI EcoFuel was also rolled out at Frankfurt and is the first direct-injection engine to run compressed natural gas.

It runs a 1.4-litre Twincharge engine with both a supercharger and turbocharger to run either CNG or petrol, producing 110kW. The transmission is the seven-speed DSG dual clutch automatic.

Fuel consumption comes in at 4.4kg of natural gas, emissions are 119g/km, which VW says is significantly cheaper than petrol.

Volkswagen also previewed next year’s Touareg Hybrid four-wheel-drive with a prototype version with new running gear in the current body shape.

The large wagon uses a 3.0-litre supercharged direct-injection V6, as seen in the Audi S4, as well as an electric motor fed by a nickel-metal-hydride battery.

An eight-speed torque converter type automatic will be standard.

Engineers were given the task of achieving a fuel consumption figure of 8.5L/100km, which is 25 per cent better than a petrol-only version.