The first images of Volkswagen’s all-new Golf Cabriolet have been revealed ahead of the car making its public debut at next week’s Geneva Motor Show.

The two-door, four-seater, front-engined soft top is the first Golf Cabriolet available since the Mk IV Golf, and builds on the company’s heritage for producing popular convertibles which started with the original Beetle cabriolet and still continues today with the Eos. With sales of around 1.42 million units, Volkswagen is one of the world’s most successful producers of convertibles.

But the latest Golf Cabriolet marks a whole new era of open-top motoring, boasting an electrically-powered soft top which can be lowered in just 9.5 seconds including on the move at speeds up to around 18 mph, a range of efficient petrol and diesel engines as well as the highest levels of quality, refinement and safety.

Measuring 4,215 mm in length, 1,424 mm in height and 1,779 mm in width, the Golf Cabriolet is smaller than the Eos. Yet despite being 208 mm shorter than the Eos, the cars share a 2,578 mm wheelbase, resulting in maximum interior space for all four passengers. From the front the new model is unmistakeably a Golf, and adopts the now familiar ‘face’ incorporating the latest Volkswagen ‘design DNA’. The heavily raked windscreen gives it a sportier appearance than the hatchback model, while at the rear, new LED lights and a deep crease in the bootlid endow the new Golf Cabriolet with its own individual style. Inside the Golf Cabriolet’s appearance matches very closely that of the hatchback, adopting the same high-quality materials and design.

The new Golf Cabriolet will be offered in the UK with a choice of trim levels – S, SE and GT – and all will have a high level of standard specification which is likely to include 16-inch alloy wheels, a fully automatic electro-hydraulically operated soft top, DAB radio and Bluetooth.

As customers would expect from any car in the Golf family, the Cabriolet will be equipped with the highest levels of safety equipment. This will include an active roll-over protection system, ABS, ESP, airbags all round and a driver’s knee airbag.

In addition to active safety equipment, protection is built into the Golf Cabriolet’s design. A reinforced window frame and structural modifications to the underbody, side panels, cross-members and doors endow the new car with an extremely high level of torsional rigidity which benefits safety, comfort and refinement.

Also having a positive impact on noise reduction and refinement is the advanced design of the Golf Cabriolet’s fabric roof which has an additional exterior skin, as well as new window and door seals. The heated rear windscreen is integrated in the soft top with high frequency welding. When the top is down, the upper side of the leading edge (the segment the directly connects to the windscreen frame) covers the entire top surface of the roof storage box, eliminating the need for a separate cover. This contributes to the very rapid opening time, and means it does not need to descend as deep into the bootspace. Even with the roof down, there is 250 litres of available space.

A choice of six engines will be available: three from launch (a 1.2-litre TSI 105 PS, 1.4-litre TSI 160 PS and a 1.6-litre 105 PS TDI) and a further three later in the year (a 1.4-litre TSI 122 PS, 2.0-litre TSI 210 PS and a 2.0-litre TDI with 140 PS). BlueMotion Technology modifications will be applied to the diesel engines to ensure high efficiency and low emissions.

Volkswagen UK plans to begin taking orders for the new Golf Cabriolet in July, with the first customer orders arriving in September. More details and pricing information will be available closer to launch.

The UK’s largest privately owned health club group, Fitness First, has signed a deal with Volkswagen and Audi to supply company cars to its staff over the next four years. Over this time, Fitness First will take on 190 new vehicles to gym managers and staff at its 160 sites across the UK.

The vehicles, which range from Volkswagen Golf 1.6-litre TDI to Audi A4 models were selected after a tender process which took into consideration not only the vehicles themselves but also, and just as important, the manufacturers’ aftersales and support networks.

Fitness First’s HR director Neil Tune, explains: ‘We wanted to acquire vehicles which were reliable, of high quality and with competitive whole-life costs. But they also needed to be desirable for our drivers and to reflect the qualities of our own company. The dual badge deal with Volkswagen and Audi allows us to select a variety of cars in line with our five-tier company car structure and we were also very impressed with retailers who are responsible for the supply of the cars.’

Following initial negotiations with the fleet departments at Volkswagen and Audi, the vehicles will be supplied through Breeze Volkswagen and Poole Audi which are both located close to Fitness First’s head office in Poole, Dorset. They have been financed through Lex on a three-year contract hire basis and Lex will also be responsible for the vehicles’ service and maintenance via its Autolease network.

Tune continues: ‘Breeze Volkswagen and Poole Audi have been extremely helpful. Their standards of customer service are second to none and I’m pleased that these local businesses have been so closely involved in the transaction.’

Volkswagen is set to launch a new model into the Tiguan range – the Match.

Although a familiar name in the Polo, Golf and Touran model ranges, it’s the first time the Match name has been applied to the Tiguan. Replacing the SE trim level, the new Match model promises to deliver greater value and equipment to the comprehensive list of comfort and convenience features already fitted to the Tiguan.

The new Tiguan Match will add Park Assist, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, climate control, a touchscreen DAB digital radio and a leather multifunction steering wheel.

This comes in addition to the existing standard specification which includes 17-inch alloy wheels, a six-disc CD autochanger, heat insulating glass from the B-pillar back, six airbags, Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP) and ABS.

Despite these gains, the Tiguan Match commands a premium of only £250 over the existing SE model.

The Match is available with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines. The petrol engines are a 1.4-litre TSI unit developing 150 PS and a 2.0-litre TSI engine producing 170 PS. The diesel variants are based on a 2.0-litre TDI engine with either 140 or 170 PS outputs. Both the 170 PS petrol and the 140 PS diesel engines can now be specified with the newly introduced option of a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox.

The Tiguan Match is on sale now with a starting price of £22,110 ‘on the road’ RRP for the 1.4-litre TSI BlueMotion Technology model with two-wheel drive.

Diesel VW Caravelle

The Caravelle has seven seats and is one of Volkswagen’s most spacious and practical full-size people carriers with plenty of luggage space and sliding side doors allowing easy access for passengers. But its star feature is that the two individual rear seats swivel to face the rear bench seat and create a sociable lounge environment complete with a table.

Describing why she chose the Caravelle, Jo Whiley said: ‘It’s perfect for us. There’s so much space for the children and all their gear, which means they’re much happier and our journeys are instantly so much calmer!

‘We tried a Caravelle last summer and thought it was brilliant. We camped in it at festivals and it easily coped taking us all on holiday, so it was our first choice when we wanted a new car – and the new one’s quieter with a better sound system.’

The new Caravelle was launched earlier this year featuring new-look frontal styling in line with the latest Volkswagens, including the new Polo, and interior enhancements including upgraded instrumentation and audio systems, plus the option of a new seven-speed DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox).

To improve fuel economy and lower emissions, the new Caravelle is now powered by Volkswagen’s latest 2.0-litre common rail turbodiesel engine with power outputs of 140 PS or 180 PS. These are more refined and quieter than those they replace and fully comply with Euro5 emissions standards.

‘I know how stressful travelling with children can be, so completely understand why Jo is so happy with her new Caravelle as I drive one with my own young children,’ said Simon Elliott, Director, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

‘The Caravelle is only one of the people carriers with lots of seats and space we offer for families or business travel. We also have the more compact Caddy Maxi Life with seven seats, and even offer up to nine seats in the Transporter Shuttle, Transporter window van and Crafter window van,’ he continued.

Full details of the new Caravelle and the range of people carriers range from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles are available by calling 0800 717131 or from www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk.

Over the course of our life times it is almost a certainty that at some point we will be effected by cancer, whether it be directly or in-directly through a loved-one or friends.
The Race For Life event held in the UK are events staged around the country with the aim to raise as much money for Cancer Research as possible.
Last year TDISport.com members alone raised around £120 for Gemma Bush when she ran 5k at the Boston event, this year she will be running again, but an increased distance of 10k! (Around 6 miles). We would like to help her reach this years sponsorship goal of £120 and with help from kind members and visitors we hope this will be possible.
Donations do not need to be large, as i am sure you will be aware, every little helps. This year donating has been made far more easier, it can be done online through http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/gemmabush

The official sponsorship thread can be viewed below:
Gemma Bush Race For Life Sponsorship Page

Volkswagen has unveiled the revised Phaeton at the Beijing Motor Show.

Featuring a new look and technologies, the updated Phaeton builds on what is already one of the most advanced and thoroughly engineered cars on the road today.

Built in a state of the art transparent factory in Dresden, the new Phaeton features a new face, comprising a pair of bi-xenon headlight units complete with LED running lights and a new grille featuring two pronounced horizontal bars to lend the car a more imposing stance. Elsewhere, new front wings and a reprofiled bonnet are joined by a revised front bumper, complete with chrome strips and a set of LED foglights.

At the rear, a set of light units fitted with intricate lenses sit above a redesigned bumper. Finally, new alloys wheels complete the changes to the outside of the car.

Inside, a new steering wheel and a colour electronic display ahead of the driver are joined by fresh trim finishes and, for the first time on a Volkswagen, the option of Google Maps on the RNS810 satellite navigation system. Feeding power and information between these and other vehicle systems are over 2,000 separate cables measuring 3.2 km connecting to 60 control units.

The air conditioning system on the Phaeton remains one of the most advanced in the world. As well as featuring a humidity monitoring function to avoid the vehicle misting up in all conditions, the Phaeton W12’s 4Zone climate control system is designed to be capable of maintaining a steady interior temperature of 22 degrees Celsius while the vehicle is at a constant speed of 186 mph in an ambient temperature of 50 degrees.

While this situation is unlikely to be encountered by the majority of motorists, the climate control systems, aerodynamics, brakes, suspension, steering system and even wipers have been designed to cope with speeds far exceeding the norm of 0-155 mph.

The new Phaeton retains a very high level of standard equipment including 4MOTION all-wheel drive, Continuous Damping Control (CDC) adjustable air suspension, leather trim, satellite navigation, 18-way adjustable electric seats, a laminated finish to all glass areas and a total of eight airbags.

Two wheelbase options will be offered (120 mm differentiating the two) and a choice of two engines – a 3.0-litre V6 TDI diesel developing 240 PS and a 6.0-litre W12 petrol engine producing 450 PS.

The new Phaeton goes on sale this August with prices and specifications set to be announced nearer this time.

TDISport are offering the chance to win a custom remap by CCTuning worth up to £399.
The prize will also consist of a before and after Rolling Road run, allowing you to see the power of the car before and after the tuning session.

The winner will be drawn at random at the next TDISport Rolling Road Day, currently planned for the 24th July 2010 at the CCTuning Headquarters.

Two runners up will receive an official TDISport T-Shirt.

Visit the Win A Remap Thread

Škoda tops all manufacturers in the 2010 poll
Škoda Octavia wins Best Family Car category
Škoda’s increasing number of happy drivers has voted the brand Best Manufacturer in the Auto Express Driver Power Survey – for the second year running.

Furthermore, the Škoda Octavia won the hotly-contested Best Family Car category.

Over 23,000 drivers completed the Driver Power poll, scoring all manufacturers on car reliability, build quality, running costs and overall satisfaction. In the independent nationwide survey, Škoda was rated the best, beating Lexus and Jaguar into second and third positions. This comes as no surprise, as Škoda has been ranked within the top two manufacturers for the past six years, demonstrating the brand’s long-standing commitment to quality and customer service.

The full results of the Driver Power Survey are published in a special 32-page report in this week’s Auto Express, out today. In it,Britain’s best selling weekly car magazineremarks that, ‘As if knocking Lexus off top spot last year wasn’t enough of an achievement, Škoda has retained the gold medal in 2010.’

It adds that as brand leader Škoda is ‘now known for quality and reliability, as well as great value.’

As for the Škoda Octavia, Auto Express says that with the car’s ‘combination of quality, fine driving dynamics, value and reliability, the Octavia is the king of the family car market according to Driver Power respondents.’

Škoda UK Brand Director, Robert Hazelwood, said: “Being awarded the Best Manufacturer in the Auto Express Driver Power Survey again is great news for Škoda. We are delighted, as it’s good to hear that customers are telling us that they are pleased with the whole Škoda driving experience.”

Škoda manufacture a range of five models: the supermini Fabia, the family carrier Roomster, mid-size Octavia, the luxurious upper-medium Superb and the Yeti crossover.

Allan McNish scored a magnificent début victory for Audi with its latest diesel-engined sportscar in the opening round of the Le Mans Series at Paul Ricard in France today (Sunday 11 Apr).

McNish started his new Audi R15 TDI “Plus” from the front row of the 40-car grid after co-driver Dindo Capello had set the second fastest qualifying time the previous day but stormed in to the lead on the third lap.

By mid-distance in the eight-hour race the 40-year-old Scotsman, back behind the wheel after a solid stint by Capello, had extended the lead to a two-lap advantage over the second-placed Aston Martin around the fast, sweeping 3.6-mile track.

Having taken the lead after four minutes, the McNish/Capello “factory” Audi was never headed again at the former French Grand Prix circuit– their 5.5-litre twin-turbo diesel engined Audi eventually finishing five-laps, 18-miles ahead of the second-placed Aston Martin having completed 957-miles at an average speed of 119.49mph in a completely trouble-free run.

Capello set the race’s fastest lap (1m 42.541s, 126.33mph) with 90mins remaining. The pole-position starting factory-assisted Oreca Peugeot lost 18mins in the pits with a problem in the opening hour and finished fourth – eight-laps behind the victorious Audi.

“It’s fantastic to give the new R15 ‘Plus’ its first victory in its first race which follows the Audi tradition of début race wins like we achieved with the R8, R10 TDI and R15 TDI – even if this one is a little unexpected – and not many manufacturers can claim this honour,” commented an elated McNish.

“It’s been a perfect race because we got the victory and also it was a perfect test for the engineers going towards Le Mans.”

Just 37 days after the “roll-out” of the R15 “Plus”, the Paul Ricard race at Le Castellet was a “test” under race conditions marking the next phase of its development programme. After aerodynamic tests at Homestead (Florida), a multi-day endurance test at Sebring (Florida) and tyre tests at Monza (Italy), Audi Sport Team Joest used the Ricard LMS race to begin the detailed race-setup work on the updated LMP1 sports-prototype.

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “It is impressive that Audi Sport has developed a prototype for a fourth consecutive time which was able to win its début race: after the R8, the R10 and the R15 now the R15 plus. Of course we are very happy that the R15 plus has won the Le Castellet 8 Hours in its test entry.

“But even more important is the fact that the car is already very fast and reliable. We did not have the slightest technical problem here and without the rain shower in the end we would have completed the whole distance without any unscheduled pit-stop. This success is a small milestone on the way to Le Mans and a first reward for the hard work of the previous weeks and months. But we know very well that there is still plenty of work to do until Le Mans.”

Dumfries-born McNish and the Audi team continue its Le Mans 24 Hour race (12-13 Jun) preparations with a full three-car “dress rehearsal” in a 1,000km race at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), the second round of the LMS on 9 May.

Tom Kristensen partners McNish and Capello at Le Mans. The Dane tore the heel tendon in his left leg in January and decided to concentrate on his forthcoming testing commitments rather than contest the Ricard race.

Audi Sport Team Joest wins Le Mans Series opener
Clear victory for Dindo Capello and Allan McNish
Important findings for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Ingolstadt/Le Castellet, 11 April 2010 – The Audi R15 TDI, model year 2010 (internally labelled “R15 plus”) has won its race début at Le Castellet (France) and in doing so left a strong impression.

The technically further developed diesel racing sports car ran the entire distance without the smallest problem during the test race. On the opening lap of the 8-hour race Allan McNish overtook the Peugeot which had started from pole position in the hands of Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin and on the third lap the Lola-Aston Martin of Stefan Mücke. From then on Allan McNish and teammate Dindo Capello did not relinquish the lead. At the chequered flag after 266 laps the two Audi drivers held a five-lap lead from the Lola-Aston Martin of defending champion Stefan Mücke, Harold Primat and Adrian Fernandez. The Oreca team Peugeot finished fourth after succumbing to a technical problem during the opening stages of the race.

The only unscheduled pit stop was made just seven minutes before the end of the race, when Audi Sport Team Joest switched to rain tires for safety reasons as rain began to fall.

Audi Sport Team Joest used the Le Mans Series 2010 season opener as preparation for the 24-hour race at Le Mans on 12/13 June. In the practice sessions on Friday and Saturday as well as Sunday morning’s warm-up the team compared different set-up configurations before selecting a version which allowed Dindo Capello and Allan McNish to record constantly fast laps in the relatively low temperatures. The Audi R15 TDI was almost always the fastest car in the field throughout the eight hours and also set the fastest race lap.

Audi Sport Team Joest gained important knowledge for Le Mans during the victorious race at Le Castellet, which will now be evaluated by Audi Sport in Ingolstadt and which go into further fine tuning of the R15 plus.

Next on the agenda is a 30-hour test and the Le Mans dress rehearsal at the 1000-kilomtere race at Spa-Francorchamps on 9 May, which Audi Sport Team Joest will contest, exactly like Le Mans, with three Audi R15 TDI.

Quotes after the race

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “It is impressive that Audi Sport has developed a prototype for a fourth consecutive time which was able to win its début race: after the R8, the R10 and the R15 now the R15 plus. Of course we are very happy that the R15 plus has won the Le Castellet 8 Hours in its test entry. But even more important is the fact that the car is already very fast and reliable. We did not have the slightest technical problem here and without the rain shower in the end we would have completed the whole distance without any unscheduled pit-stop. This success is a small milestone on the way to Le Mans and a first reward for the hard work of the previous weeks and months. But we know very well that there is still plenty of work to do until Le Mans.”

Dindo Capello (Audi R15 TDI #7): “For sure it is nice to be back on the highest step of the podium – especially at the début of a new car. What makes me happy is that the changes we have done with the car – even the ones after the warm-up – worked quite well. Our next task is to make the R15 plus more consistent.”

Allan McNish (Audi R15 TDI #7): “We have achieved three things: First of all we gave the R15 plus its début victory. This continues a tradition for Audi’s début wins of new LMP1 cars. We won the race, which for the team and the drivers was very important especially after our difficulties last year. And for the engineers and the drivers it was very good experience for Le Mans. I think we ticked all the boxes and achieved our goals for this one.”

Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “This was a good race for us. After the Oreca-Peugeot had problems so early in the race, the pressure was missing a little bit. But we just tried to continue to go flat out. We did this for eight hours without any problems. But we’ve seen this weekend as well that we still have to learn a lot with the car – and this was the purpose of this test race. We’ve already completed a lot of kilometres with the R15 plus, but these have all been endurance tests. We just started to play with the car here at Le Castellet and this weekend has given us a lot of knowledge and a big step forward. Thanks to the team which has done a great job. This is a superb result we can build on.”

Race results

1 Capello/McNish (Audi R15 TDI) 266 laps in 8h 00m 36.415s
2 Primat/Mücke/Fernandez (Lola-Aston Martin) – 5 laps
3 Belicchi/Boullion/Smith (Lola-Rebellion) – 5 laps
4 Panis/Lapierre/Sarrazin (Peugeot) – 8 laps
5 Ayari/Andre/Duval (Oreca-AIM) – 8 laps
6 Ragues/Mailleux/Ickx (Lola-Aston Martin) – 10 laps
7 Leventis/Watts/Kane (Acura/Honda) – 16 laps
8 Moreau/Gulliaume/Hein (Pescarolo-Judd) – 16 laps
9 Erdos/Newton/Wallace (Lola-Honda) – 17 laps
10 Lahaye/Nicolet (Pescarolo-Judd) – 17 laps