NY Show press release - Media VW

VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: John Schilling
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Jessica Anderson
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VOLKSWAGEN AT THE 2015 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL
AUTO SHOW
 Four Beetle Special Edition concepts introduced: Beetle Convertible Denim,
Beetle R-Line, Beetle Convertible Wave, and Beetle Pink Color Edition
 All-wheel-drive Golf SportWagen Alltrack announced for production in 2016
 Volkswagen celebrates 60 years of Beetle heritage
New York, New York — Volkswagen of America, Inc., today announced that it will produce
the all-wheel-drive Golf SportWagen Alltrack for the U.S. market beginning in 2016, and
showed four unique Beetle and Beetle Convertible models that help to commemorate
Volkswagen of America’s 60 th anniversary.
Golf SportWagen Alltrack
Coinciding with the arrival of the all-new Golf SportWagen, currently available in dealer
showrooms, Volkswagen is pleased to announce that the all -wheel-drive Alltrack model will
go on sale in 2016 as a 2017 model. “We have heard from dealers and customers that they
want to see a Golf SportWagen with the all-terrain capability that comes from all-wheel
drive,” said Michael Horn, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. “We
are delighted to introduce the SportWagen Alltrack in 2016 in the U.S."
Technical and visual differences between the Golf SportWagen and the Alltrac k include a
4MOTION® all-wheel-drive system, nearly an inch higher ground clearance, wheelarch
moldings and flared side sills that offer body protection, newly designed bumpers, and an
even more upscale interior.
The 4MOTION all-wheel drive system uses the latest generation Haldex-5 coupling,
activated via an electro-hydraulic oil pump. In normal driving, the Alltrack acts like a front wheel-drive car for better fuel economy, but as soon as the system detects wheel slip, up to
50 percent of the drive torque can be shipped to the rear wheels. In addition to the Haldex
coupling that acts longitudinally, electronic differential locks (EDL) at the front and rear axles
act laterally in concert with the electronic stability control system. The system briefly bra kes a
wheel that is slipping, enabling uninterrupted and stable transfer of drive power to the wheel
on the opposite side.
In combination with the higher ground clearance, this 4MOTION all -wheel drive system helps
to give the newest Golf SportWagen the off-road capability and load-carrying capacity of a
compact SUV along with the on-road manners and fuel economy of a compact wagon.
Beetle
The Beetle has been an almost continuous thread through Volkswagen’s history in America,
beginning with the first Volkswagens to arrive in 1949 and continuing through the New
Beetle and the current generation car. New York has been tied in with that history, too. The
first two Beetle vehicles were shipped to the U.S. via New York, VWoA’s first headquarters
was in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and the current Beetle made its debut at the New York
Show in 2011.
Volkswagen is showing four Beetle concepts at the 2015 New York Auto Show, all of which
pay homage to the Beetle’s past while providing a glimpse at a possible future direction for
the vehicle. There are two coupes and two convertibles, all of which could make it into
production in the near future.
The Beetle Pink Color Edition, painted entirely in Pink Metallic, was designed for the styleconscious who also like to make a visual statement with their car. The Beetle Convertible
Denim concept car takes a cool approach to design with a denim-look soft top and a
matching Stonewashed Blue Metallic body color. The Beetle Convertible Wave is an opentop four-seater that pays tribute to summertime on the American coasts. The B eetle R-Line®
concept stresses dynamic performance more than ever.
Beetle Convertible Denim
Denim is an international fashion piece—whether you call the clothing denim or jeans. This
casual style was behind the first Jeans Bug (or Beetle) that made its debut in the mid-1970s.
Other "jeans" special models followed for the world's most successful car in the subsequent
decades. At New York, Volkswagen is showing the first ever droptop version in this style with
the Beetle Convertible Denim. The car in New York is powered by a 170-horsepower 1.8liter TSI® engine.
Just as you’ll find denim in all manner of washes, v ariations of blue define the new Beetle
Convertible Denim concept. On the exterior, the fast opening power soft top features a dark
blue, textured fabric resembling denim. Stonewashed Blue Metallic paint was developed
specifically for the concept car, but nine other colors would also be available for a
production version. The exterior mirror caps, side skirts and body moldings are finished in
gray and the appearance is finished off by 18-inch Disc aluminum-alloy wheels.
Naturally, the use of denim extends to the interior as well. The Color & Trim department
restyled such features as the sport seats in blue; the inner seating surfaces are upholstered in
a light blue fabric, while the outer surfaces are designed in dark blue V-tex leatherette. The
piping was executed in white and the usual small Beetle flags in red. The designers also
integrated practical denim-look pockets on the backs and sides of the seats.
Other custom features include a brushed matt aluminum dashpad, door shoulder panels that
are painted in the exterior color, contrasting blue door armrests, light ceramique stitching on
the steering wheel and shift lever, and a front center armrest that has contrasting stitching
and blue fabric.
Beetle Pink Color Edition
There is growing demand for a pink Beetle at Volkswagen dealers—especially in the U.S.,
but also in China. Volkswagen will be assessing public reaction to the Beetle Pink Color
Edition and a limited edition is possible if that reaction is positive. Volkswagen is showing the
concept car as a coupe, but it could also be built as a convertible.
There’s only one logical choice of exterior color: Pink Metallic. For the concept car, the door
mirror housings and side body moldings are painted in contrasting gray. The design of the
Beetle Pink Color Edition also gets some drama from its striking R-Line front and rear
bumper designs.
Bringing the vivacious nature of the exterior inside, this Beetle uses Pink Metallic as a
contrast to all of the features executed in black, chrome and aluminum inside the car. The
dashpad is finished high-gloss Titanium Black, but most of the other elements are customized
in Pink Metallic. These include details such as the door shoulder panels, air vent surrounds,
steering wheel spoke trim, and the stitching around the steering wheel and shift lever and the
borders of the floormats. An even higher proportion of pink would be conceivable , based on
feedback from the auto show.
Beetle Convertible Wave
The Beetle Convertible Wave is designed to enjoy the summer, whether in the Hamptons or
in Santa Monica. This particular convertible is painted in Habanero Orange Metallic, a spicy
color that is offset by bright Tornado 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and chromed door
mirrors.
Inside the car, technology and contemporary design merge with iconic styl ing elements such
as the seating inserts in a classic houndstooth pattern that harkens back to high-end fashion
and vehicles of the 1950s and 1960s. Visually, the seats complement the genuine wood
dashpad that was designed in the style of a traditional surfboard. The Beetle Convertible
Wave is still a concept car, but vehicles like the Beetle Dune that was shown at the North
American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2014 demonstrate how Volkswagen can
create production models from such concepts very rapidly. The Dune will arrive in dealer
showrooms in early 2016.
Beetle R-Line concept
Today's Beetle differs conceptually from the New Beetle, having a lower roof and longer
hood to give sportier lines, even though its silhouette features the iconic graphic of three
semi-circles for the front and rear fenders and the roof. The Beetle R-Line concept, powered
by a 217-hp 2.0-liter TSI engine, takes this further and makes an extremely sporty statement.
The Beetle R-Line concept is finished in Oryx White Pearl effect paint and has a customized
exterior featuring aggressive bumpers that have large air vents at the front and wrap-around
high-gloss black moldings that extend down the sides of the car. Other visual changes
include a rear diffuser, painted black exterior mirror caps, a large rear spoiler and 20-inch
Monterey aluminum-alloy wheels. The Beetle R-Line concept is 0.6 inches wider than the
standard production car.
The interior is equipped with upgraded sport bucket seats. In addition, numerous interior
features, including the dashpad, door inserts and steering wheel spoke trim, have a carbon
fiber-style finish. Forming a distinctive contrast is the yellow finish of the instruments and the
decorative stitching in the cabin.
Turbocharged direct-injection engines. Volkswagen has long been a leader in
turbocharged and direct-injection technology, and U.S. Beetle models use these engines
exclusively. Currently, U.S. Beetles are powered by 1.8- and 2.0-liter turbocharged and
direct-injection TSI gasoline engines making 170 and 210 hp respectively, as well as by a
2.0-liter TDI® Clean Diesel engine. This produces 150 hp and achieves an EPA estimated
highway fuel economy rating of 40 mpg for the Convertible and 41 mpg for the Coupe.
About Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc., an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of
America, Inc. (VWoA) is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen
AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. VWoA’s operations in the United Sta tes include
research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales,
marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state -of-the- art
manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Gro up is one of the
world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. VWoA sells the
Beetle, Beetle Convertible, CC, Eos, e-Golf, Golf, Golf GTI, Golf R, Jetta, Passat, Tiguan
and Touareg vehicles through approximately 652 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen
of America online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.
Notes:
This press release and images of the Golf Alltrack and New York Beetle concepts are
available at media.vw.com. Follow us @VWNews
“R-Line”, “TDI”, “TSI”, “VW”, “Volkswagen”, “4MOTION”, all model names and the
Volkswagen logo are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG.
Fuel economy values are based on EPA estimates. See www.fueleconomy.gov for details.
Individual mileage will vary and depends on several factors including driving habits and
vehicle condition.