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In April, Volkswagen presented the latest evolutionary stage of the sixth generation of Polo. Now comes its sportiest version: the new Polo GTI. The bearer of the legendary acronym spearheads the Polo segment in terms of performance, technology and sportiness. The powerful TSI engine and sports chassis, tailored specifically to the Polo GTI, transform the best-selling compact car into a dynamic, four-door sports car, which also allows semi-automated driving as an option for the first time in a Polo GTI. A host of the latest generation of assistance systems guarantee even greater comfort and safety for all passengers.

In the automobile world, there are three letters that have had a magic sound to them for approaching five decades now: GTI. Since the original GTI in 1976, Volkswagen has ensured that this code is synonymous with outstanding driving pleasure in the compact segment. The Polo has borne the acronym GTI since 1998 – the third model to do so, after the Golf and the Scirocco. The latest generation seamlessly continues the illustrious GTI tradition and sets new benchmarks for compact cars. The technical basis for this is provided by Volkswagen’s Modular Transverse Toolkit (MQB). Across all the model lines, MQB stands for technological progress, high body rigidity, an exemplary low weight, and very good crash properties.

IQ.DRIVE Travel Assist, used for the first time in a Polo GTI, enables semi-automated driving. The system can take over the steering, braking and accelerating of the new Polo GTI from 0 km/h to the control limit of Travel Assist (210 km/h). For longitudinal guidance, IQ.DRIVE Travel Assist calls upon familiar systems like Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). Latitudinal guidance is supported by Lane Assist, which comes as standard. The driver can activate the system via the Travel Assist button in the redesigned, multifunctional, leather sports steering wheel. The driver’s hands must remain on the steering wheel whilst using this system, meaning the driver is always responsible for the car.

Many new infotainment systems (the latest generation of MIB3.1), which are connected to various services online, ensure state-of-the-art connectivity in the new Polo GTI. An Online Connectivity Unit (OCU) with integrated eSIM makes it possible to use online services from We Connect (prepared for a limited time) and We Connect Plus (prepared for free use in Europe for one or three years). Features like natural voice control, access to streaming services and a cloud-based personalisation using “Volkswagen ID” enhance the latest MIB3.1 system, depending on the equipment line. The integration of such apps as App-Connect Wireless for Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ is now wireless. As in the Polo, instruments and the infotainment system are arranged on a visual axis, ensuring they can be viewed and operated easily in any driving situation. The Digital Cockpit Pro impresses with a higher pixel density, an improved contrast ratio and intense colours, as well as it sheer size – the screen measures 10.25 inches or 26 centimetres diagonally.

Sportiness coupled with efficiency and moderate consumptionThe heart of a GTI is always its engine. Like all its predecessors, the new Polo GTI is also front-wheel drive. The turbo-charged, direct petrol injector changes gear via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DSG), which comes as standard. Among the highlights of the turbo engine in the new Polo GTI, which is installed transversely at the front of the car, are such features as a dual injection system with combined direct and intake-manifold fuel injection, an engine control unit with four core processors, and an electronic valve-lift system on the inlet side. Despite the high output, the engine is impressively efficient with moderate fuel consumption levels. This is aided by the low weight of the new Polo GTI when empty.

As you would expect from a genuine Volkswagen GTI, the new Polo GTI also comes with a sports chassis, tailored specially to the car, as standard. It lowers the chassis by 15 millimetres and guarantees the typical GTI synthesis of driving dynamics, safe neutrality and a high degree of driving comfort.

The new Polo GTI now comes as standard with the new IQ.Light – LED matrix headlights and an illuminated radiator grille bar as a distinctive enhancement to the daytime running light. This sees the sporty new Polo form a stylistic bridge to Volkswagen’s fully-electric ID. models and the new generation of successful models like the Golf, Arteon and Tiguan, which also come with this striking LED light strip, which is typical of new Volkswagens, as an option or depending on the equipment line.

The most striking visual change to the rear of the new Polo GTI is the newly-designed LED rear lights with animated brake light and integrated dynamic indicators, which indicate a change in direction with flowing light movements. The new, GTI-specific bumper gives the compact sports car an even more commanding and broader visual presence on the roads. The Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS), which is integrated in the side of the bumper and controlled via the main headlights, has been redesigned and now gives an even more concise lighting effect. In combination with the IQ.Light – LED matrix headlights, it provides a very homogenous illumination of the road and surroundings. The striking red GTI logo on the radiator grille, the honeycomb-shaped ventilation grilles, and the continuous red trim strip above the LED daytime running light strip remain the characteristic GTI insignia at the sharper front of the car. To the right and left, it flows into the IQ.Light – LED matrix headlights with red winglets.

The new Polo GTI is available in five colours: Deep Black Pearl Effect, Smoke Grey Metallic, Kings Red Metallic, Pure White Uni, and Reef Blue Metallic. The latter three chassis colours can be combined with a contrasting black roof as an option (Roof Pack). The car comes with 17-inch alloy wheels as standard. The Polo GTI can also be ordered with optional 18-inch alloys.

On the interior, black, red, grey and chrome are the dominant colours. 
The roof pillars and roof liner are always retained in the Titanium Black trim colour, which is typical of the GTI. Red contrast stitching is also always a typical characteristic of a GTI. It adorns the multifunctional, leather sports steering wheel, which comes as standard, the gear lever trim and the seat surfaces. The optional beats sound system, with 300 watts and six speakers, make for a captivating accoustic experience. The amplifier is located under the floor in the variable cargo area to save space. The luggage capacity of the new Polo GTI is 351 litres.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen is pressing ahead with the use of innovative 3D printers in car production. For the first time, the newest process – known as binder jetting – is being used to manufacture components at the company’s main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. Whereas conventional 3D printing uses a laser to build a component layer by layer from metallic powder, the binder jetting process uses an adhesive. The resulting metallic component is then heated and shaped. Using the binder jetting component reduces costs and increases productivity – for example, the components weigh only half as much as those made from sheet steel. Volkswagen is currently the only car maker using this 3D printing technology in the production process. “Despite the ongoing challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re continuing to work on innovation,” says Christian Vollmer, member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Brand responsible for Production and Logistics. “Together with our partners, we aim to make 3D printing even more efficient in the years ahead and suitable for production-line use.”

Cedrik Neike, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO Digital Industries: “We are very proud to support Volkswagen with our innovative 3D printing solutions. Our automation and software solutions are leading in industrial production applications. Using this technology, Volkswagen will be able to develop and produce components faster, more flexibly and using fewer resources.”

To achieve this innovative advance, Volkswagen has invested an amount in the mid-double-digit million euro range over the past five years. In addition, the company has entered into a software partnership with Siemens and expanded its existing collaboration with printer manufacturer HP Inc. With the first full-scale use of binder jetting, they intend to acquire important experience and learn, for example, which components can be produced economically and quickly in the future or how additive manufacturing can support the digital transformation of production at Volkswagen. 

HP is providing the high-tech printers needed and Siemens the special software for additive manufacturing. One key process step that has been worked on jointly by Siemens and VW is optimizing the positioning of components in the build chamber. Known as nesting, this technique makes it possible to produce twice as many parts per print session.

From summer, the three companies intend to establish a joint expert team at the high-tech 3D printing center which opened in Wolfsburg at the end of 2018 and enables the manufacture of complex automotive components using 3D printing. The center also trains employees in the use of these technologies.

By 2025, the aim is to produce up to 100,000 components by 3D printing in Wolfsburg each year. The first components made using the binder jetting process have gone to Osnabrück for certification: components for the A pillar of the T-Roc convertible. These weigh almost 50 percent less than conventional components made from sheet steel. This reduction alone makes the process especially interesting for automotive production applications. Volkswagen has already successfully conducted crash tests on 3D-printed metallic vehicle components. Until now, the production of larger volumes was not cost-effective enough. However, the new technology and the collaboration will now make production-line use economically viable.

More than one million components printed in 25 years

Volkswagen has been using 3D printing for 25 years, starting in Technical Development with the goal of accelerating vehicle development and reducing costs. Today, there are 13 units at the Wolfsburg plant using various printing processes to manufacture both plastic and metal components. Typical examples are plastic components for prototypes such as center consoles, door cladding, instrument panels and bumpers. Printed metal components include intake manifolds, radiators, brackets and support elements. Over the past 25 years, more than one million components have been produced.

Volkswagen’s collaboration with Siemens is part of a comprehensive strategic partnership in the field of digital production platforms. Volkswagen Board of Management member Vollmer: “I’m pleased that we have a strong and innovative partner in Siemens so we can start working on the car production processes of the future. The example of 3D printing shows that this transformation harbors many diverse opportunities for innovation.”

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Open or closed, daily journeys to work and to kindergarten, weekends away with a motorcycle trailer or caravan: The T-Roc Cabriolet is full of possibilities, not restrictions. We went camping at the coast – and chasing bends in the Harz. The open crossover was the ideal choice for the journey in every situation!

Summer, Sun, Freedom – Cabriolet!

Even though it’s taken slightly longer than usual for the days to get warmer this year, the time has finally come: It’s now convertible season! And those who drive with the top down are connoisseurs, but often have to make some compromises.

But there aren’t many restrictions with the T-Roc Cabriolet: The high seat position of the crossover, the extensive range of features with digital services and the 400-watt BeatsAudio™ loudspeaker system and the chassis that is as comfortable as it is dynamic all make for an unrivalled driving experience – especially on the winding roads in the Harz. And the electrobeats of Daft Punk’s “Instant Crush” blend incomparibly with the impressive mountain panorama and the agile steering of the T-Roc Cabriolet.

And it seems like “spring awakening” is also the mountain region’s latest motto. Sun and rain alternate at what feels like 30-minute intervals in a combined effort to banish the last traces of the harsh winter. Good that we have a soft top that can be opened and closed quickly while driving, enabling endless spontaneous drives in the open air.

But only a few cumulus clouds are hiding the direct source of vitamin B at the moment. The perfect weather for enjoying the route through the romantic Oker Valley with the top down and letting the cool spring wind ruffle through the tips of your hair.

The journey is the destination

Passing Adlerklippe (Eagle’s Crag) and Verlobungsinsel (Engagement Island), we eventually reach the Oker reservoir, which thanks to a 75-metre high dam wall at the Oker dam is used to produce drinking water. Up here it feels like the heavens are within even closer reach, the air is even fresher – and the motorcycle in the rear-view mirror even closer.

A motorcycle in the rear-view mirror? While driving along the reservoir and eventually crossing the poker straight Weißwasser bridge, the glances behind get more and more frequent, building the excitement. Even though we hardly noticed it while driving, we have the new Desert Sled by Scrambler Ducati on a trailer behind us. For an even more intense cornering experience – thanks to the design. So: lower the trailer, unload the motorcylce and away you go!

To the sea with the caravan

Change of scene – the next day: We are at dizzying heights, looking out over the biggest seaport in Germany, the Hamburg port. The Köhlbrand Bridge has long been one of the city’s landmarks and is the ideal backdrop. Fun fact: The bridge’s suspension ropes have been cushioned with Volkswagen shock absorbers for decades, to counterbalance the oscillations triggered by the wind and cars.

On our way to the Baltic Sea we have a small caravan by T@B with room for two attached to the back of the car, after yesterday’s jaunt with the motorcycle. Our destination: A spot right by the sea. And we find one on the coast between Wismar and Rostock – for a few hours at least.

The T-Roc Cabriolet as an all-rounder

Motorcycle or caravan: The T-Roc Cabriolet opens up new possibilities and imparts pure joy in driving – even as a towing vehicle. After all, the journey to the destination is part of a holiday or time off, so why not enjoy that as well? It’s definitely possible with the open crossover with a trailer loda of up to 1,500 kilograms.

• Emotional design. With its snappy proportions, the exterior reflects the car’s strong character
• Room for four. The T-Roc Cabriolet accommodates 2+2 persons. They sit higher up and enjoy a good view
• Lightweight and fast. The soft top has electrohydraulic drive. It opens and closes fully automatically in nine and eleven seconds respectively, even at speeds of up to 30 km/h
• High level of safety. If a rollover looks imminent, a safety system extends behind the rear seats
• Digital operating concept. The Digital Cockpit and the infotainment system Discover Media are available on request
• Always on. The infotainment hardware and the Volkswagen We services connect the car with its surroundings, improving navigation and entertainment, and making them even more attractive
• Two specifications. The Style line appeals to design fans, while the R-Line for the 1.5 TSI is a sporty number 
• Generous standard features. Front Assist and Lane Assist come as standard in the T-Roc Cabriolet, as do 17-inch alloy wheels
• Two TSI engines. The 1.0 TSI has an output of 85 kW / 115 PS, the 1.5 TSI delivers 110 kW / 150 PS. It is also available with DSG. Both motorisations are coupled with the front-wheel drive.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen is participating, with a contribution of US$620 million (about €500 million), in a financing round of its Swedish battery partner Northvolt AB with a total volume of US$2.75 billion. The Group will thus maintain its stake in the company constant at about 20 percent. The funds are to be used for capacity expansion in the fields of production, recycling and research and development. Among other activities, Northvolt intends to expand the capacity of its Northvolt Ett gigafactory in Skellefteå, Northern Sweden from 40 GWh to 60 GWh per year, in order to meet higher demand from customers.

Arno Antlitz, Group Board Member for Finance and IT: “With this investment, we are strengthening our strategic partnership with Northvolt as a supplier of sustainable battery cells which are produced using renewable energy and are comprehensively recyclable.

”Thomas Schmall, Group Board Member for Technology and CEO of Volkswagen Group Components: “Batteries are one of the key success factors in our unprecedented electric offensive. In the major area of green battery cells, we are assuming a pioneering role in Germany and Europe together.

”Volkswagen had already invested about €900 million in Northvolt in June 2019, acquiring about 20 percent of the shares in the company as well as a seat on the Board of Directors. The production of Volkswagen premium cells is to be concentrated at Skellefteå in cooperation with Northvolt. Production of these cells is due to start in 2023 and the annual capacity intended for Volkswagen is to be built up step-by-step to as much as 40 GWh.

The second Volkswagen gigafactory is located in Salzgitter and will produce the standard cell for the volume segment from 2025. It is also expected to reach an annual production volume of up to 40 GWh. Both gigafactories are to be operated using electric power from renewable energy sources.

All in all, Volkswagen expects to commission six cell factories in Europe by 2030 together with its partners with a view to safeguarding the ramp-up of electric vehicle production. After Skellefteå and Salzgitter, possible locations and partners for the next cell factories are already being considered.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com