Translated :

Erlkoenig gets: Is that the new area gulf of VOLKSWAGEN?
High-put gulf variant on secret mission in the high north



Muenchen/Bodø (Norway). 17. January 2006 - VOLKSWAGEN communicated the building of a Offroad gulf in September 2005 officially. At the same time wolf castle was specified as production location for the new model. To the discussion before still the Volkswagen work stood in Portugal. Work council and the Volkswagen executive committee agreed in the long run on a competitive tariff model for the manufacturing in Germany. The Allradler - below the Touareg - will probably roll at the end of there 2007 from the volume.

Marrakesh or Beduin?
So far the official information to the new area gulf. Thus it is also clear that the technology and probably the Design of a SUVs deduce themselves below the Touareg of the gulf. There are concrete data to the details from the house VOLKSWAGEN however still none. Even with the model name one keeps oneself covered. Safe probably it is that the earlier gulf Country is in particular not revived. As possible designations spirit with Insidern name such as Marrakesh and Beduin around. A final decision did not meet VOLKSWAGEN however yet. There are thus many questions, however few answers. Strained therefore the autoworld waits for first Erlkoenigfotos of the new Offroad gulf...

High-put gulf gets
Our Erlkoenig photographer has now a high-put VOLKSWAGEN gulf plus before his curious lens to get. Is that already the mentioned SUVler? Remarkably: The test vehicle is almost ungetarnt. A fact, which actually permits only two assumptions: Either here future Offroad technology in well-known models is tested, or it concerns already seriesnear prototypes, for which briefly before its introduction on the market stands.

Possibly a CROSS gulf
Probably the latter might apply in this case. Probably the photos show rather the coming CROSS gulf and not the jeep below from the Touareg. Like already of the Polo and of the Fox, an all around beplankte and fun variant high-put is to come also by the gulf. Probably in the second half of 2006 this version without all wheel technology will go to the start. And like our Erlkoenigbilder to assume, are based to a large extent on the gulf pluses leave this model. At least the prototype discovered by us is unmistakably the plus variant of the series.

Detail of the Design still openly
Whether the final Design of the CROSS gulf will correspond to this erlkoenig, is however questionable. At least the CROSS Polo and the CROSS Fox stands out clearly against its sister models. This could be also with the CROSS gulf the case. Now, for a long time probably we will not have to wait no more for the final details.
(mh)

source : autonews.de

 

ahhh the much awaited golf offroader...tell me that's an 80% test mule...

 

looks decent, a bit weird from some angles but it really does look like small Touareg with Golf cues.

They finally got small SUV, which is very important for them. Rav4 has been Europe's best selling SUV for several years now, and it sells around 130,000 copies per year in Europe alone.

 

Damn thats ugly

 

Volkswagen is getting on with the development of the new 4x4 Golf model, based on the Golf Plus under the code-name Marrakesh. Beneath the skin, the new SUV features a re-engineered version of the Golf's 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system. It will be equipped with transversely mounted engines delivering between 105 and 250 HP.

 

One of those pictures looks to have been taken during hard acceleration ... that or the vehicle is suffering from last-generation Pontiac Grand-Prix syndrome where the rear suspension drops out after 3 months.

Either way - can anyone explain to me why it is vehicles are designed with so much gap in the front wheelwells and so little in the rear? That just looks stupid.

M.

 

I was just thinking the same thing. I understand the need for ground clearance for off-roading, but it just does not look right for everyday driving...

 

omg, first thing I thought when I saw that picture, was a completely copy of the RX300! Stupid VW.

 

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Agreed, this reminds me too much shape wise of the RX300. The tails look too close and the front looks like the new RAV4