Small rear-engine VW concept headed for Frankfurt
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Small rear-engine VW concept headed for Frankfurt
VW City Expert: Rear-engine officially confirmed plus more details announced !
Nobody else than Dr. Martin Winterkorn, head of VW, has confirmed that the VW City Expert will have a rear-engine. He also said the the VW City Expert, which will be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, will be a 4-seater and it's possible that the engine will have 3 cylinders.
But the big news is that VW will derive two models from this concept: one targeting Western Europe, this car will be optimized for the metropolitan area and for CO2 emission and comes with air condition, airbags and servo steering support. Price will be around 8000 Euro.
The second model will be for emerging markets like China, Russia, Brazil or India. The car will be downsized in terms of accessories but therefore will cost only around 5000 to 7000 Euro.
VW also said that there will be no model below this car. It's still undecided which brand will offer these low-cost models, for emerging markets it might be Skoda. The two will hit the road not before 2010.
Nobody else than Dr. Martin Winterkorn, head of VW, has confirmed that the VW City Expert will have a rear-engine. He also said the the VW City Expert, which will be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, will be a 4-seater and it's possible that the engine will have 3 cylinders.
But the big news is that VW will derive two models from this concept: one targeting Western Europe, this car will be optimized for the metropolitan area and for CO2 emission and comes with air condition, airbags and servo steering support. Price will be around 8000 Euro.
The second model will be for emerging markets like China, Russia, Brazil or India. The car will be downsized in terms of accessories but therefore will cost only around 5000 to 7000 Euro.
VW also said that there will be no model below this car. It's still undecided which brand will offer these low-cost models, for emerging markets it might be Skoda. The two will hit the road not before 2010.
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Well, yes and no....the article doesn't say, but it probably won't have a traditional VW air-cooled engine. The original Beetle, introduced in Germany in the 1930's and sold in the U.S. till 1979 and in other countries till just a couple of years ago, was air-cooled, but those days are gone.
VW and Porsche have both pretty much dumped air-cooled engines, at least for the American market.......VW with the switch from RWD to FWD/AWD, and Porsche primarily because of emission problems with high-powered rear-boxer engines. Why? The main reason is that with air-cooled engines, it is not only difficult to get heat from the engine in the winter (you had to drive the old Beetles a hundred miles in the winter to get the heater to work) but accurate emissions control depends on precise burning temperatures in each cylinder, which is hard to get with air cooling. Also, with air cooled engines, you have the problems of noise and of exhaust fumes mixing in with the cabin heater.
So, for all these reasons....and others......I wouldn't bet the rent money on this car being air-cooled like a real retro Beetle would be.
VW and Porsche have both pretty much dumped air-cooled engines, at least for the American market.......VW with the switch from RWD to FWD/AWD, and Porsche primarily because of emission problems with high-powered rear-boxer engines. Why? The main reason is that with air-cooled engines, it is not only difficult to get heat from the engine in the winter (you had to drive the old Beetles a hundred miles in the winter to get the heater to work) but accurate emissions control depends on precise burning temperatures in each cylinder, which is hard to get with air cooling. Also, with air cooled engines, you have the problems of noise and of exhaust fumes mixing in with the cabin heater.
So, for all these reasons....and others......I wouldn't bet the rent money on this car being air-cooled like a real retro Beetle would be.
Lexus Fanatic
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,521
Likes: 261
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Liquid-cooled mid/rear-engine/RWD cars are not uncommon by any means, though. The Smart, which you named, is one example. Others are the Toyota MR2, Acura NSX, most Porsches, and the Lotus Elise.
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The article doesn't say, but, for reasons I explained above, I would be very surprised at an air-cooled layout, particularly for a U.S./Canadian, Western Europe, or Japanese market.
Liquid-cooled mid/rear-engine/RWD cars are not uncommon by any means, though. The Smart, which you named, is one example. Others are the Toyota MR2, Acura NSX, most Porsches, and the Lotus Elise.
Liquid-cooled mid/rear-engine/RWD cars are not uncommon by any means, though. The Smart, which you named, is one example. Others are the Toyota MR2, Acura NSX, most Porsches, and the Lotus Elise.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,521
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Yes. Just look at its front end. There is no space up there for any kind of a significant engine or powertrain....and only a little more room in back.
Consumer Reports, BTW, rates it as one of the worst modern vehicles they have ever tested.
In many ways, it reminds be of the old Subaru 360 back in 1969 and the Honda 600 of 1971-72.......vehicles that were simply too small and unfit for most American driving conditions.
Consumer Reports, BTW, rates it as one of the worst modern vehicles they have ever tested.
In many ways, it reminds be of the old Subaru 360 back in 1969 and the Honda 600 of 1971-72.......vehicles that were simply too small and unfit for most American driving conditions.
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