ViaWest January-February 2011

January - February 2011 Via West

Remember April… 2011 Toodyay Bug-In followed by the… Road Trip 2011

Volkswagen Amarok ;Volkswagen Amarok ;

The most FuelThe most Fuel--Efficient Ute in its class with 7.7 litre Efficient Ute in its class with 7.7 litre

per 100 kmsper 100 kms

First DualFirst Dual--Cab Ute To Receive 5 Star ANCAP RatingCab Ute To Receive 5 Star ANCAP Rating



CONTACT US YOUR COMMITTEE (cont’d)

VOLKSWAGEN CLUB OF WA (Inc) EDITOR: 0407347340

MAIL: PO Box 175 Ray Willis [email protected]

Victoria Park CONCESSION LICENCE: (08) 9375 3082

Western Australia 6979 John Vogiatzakis

ABN: 31 610 140 537 CMC LIAISON OFFICER: (08) 9342 8703

TELEPHONE: (08) 9342 8703 Richard Hines

E-MAIL: [email protected] PROPERTY OFFICER: (08) 9342 8703

WEBSITE: www.vwclubwa.com Richard Hines

MERCHANDISE OFFICER: 0417173886

YOUR COMMITTEE Karen Fyfe

PRESIDENT: 0407347340 SOCIAL SECRETARY: 0402589186

Ray Willis [email protected] Jamie Barrett

VICE PRESIDENT: SPORTS ORGANISER:

Jason Phillips Vacant Currently grouped under

SECRETARY: (08) 9332 6919 PUBLICITY OFFICER: “Events Coordinator”

Rod McSwain [email protected] Vacant Ray Willis

MEMBERSHIPS: (08) 9332 6919 GENERAL COMMITTEE: Colin Seth, Merrick Paget,

Rod McSwain [email protected] Karla Paget, Dave Moore, Patrick Spiteri

TREASURER: WEBMASTER:

Vacant [email protected] Tina Moore [email protected]



VIAWEST MAGAZINE

VOLKSWAGEN EVENTS

Advertising:

Please send your „for sale‟ or „wanted‟ adverts by mail or email to the Editor before the publication deadline.

Normally one event will be nominated as the club run each month. Some months will have more than one event. Not all events attended by the club will be club organised.

Please note that non-members are welcome to come to the club organised events. If you have any friends you would like to accompany us, please bring them along.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for club organised events give a Committee member a call or an e-mail and the committee so we can put it on our calendar.

The VW Events Calendar is at page 6 and lists the upcoming events and club runs for some months in advance in chrono-

Fees:

Members - 1/4 page adverts are free.

Non-Members - 1/4 page adverts are $5.00

Please contact the Editor to find out about commercial advertising in the magazine, inserting flyers or advertising on the website.

Publication Deadline: The ViaWest magazine‟s dead-

line for articles for the next issue is March 20

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Volkswagen Club of WA (Inc), its Committee or members.

Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at John Hughes Volkswagen in Victoria Park, starting at 6:30pm. Committee meetings are open to all members and invited guests.

Membership and Birthdays IN THIS ISSUE page

The Club ............................. p 2

The Club (contd) ................. p 4

A word from the Editor ........ p 5

VW Event Calendar ............ p 6

Club Run March .................. p 7

Margaret River Stomp ......... p 8

2011 Toodyay Bug-In ........................................... p 9

New Volkswagen

Amarok ......................... p 12

Volkswagen News

Polo Award Winner ....... p 16

Top safety awards ........ p 17

Sales records................ p 17

VW Wins Dakar ........... p 19

New XL1 ....................... p 21

Golf R award winner ..... p 25

Sydney Swans .............. p 26

Happy

Birthday to the following members for

JANUARY -

FEBRUARY

Gerald Frensham

Duncan Mann

Tom Mills

Rose Van Son

Russell Maslin

Robert Lafferty

Scarlett Faulkner

Amanda Logan

Shae Palmer

Nicholas Williams

Jessica Shepherd

Coral Scales

Gary Bull

Eric Logan

Karla Paget

Raelene Doran

Bill Cullen

Ann Morris

Peter Richards

Ton Verbunt

Ross Collins

Emma Faulkner

Lauren Storrs

Jerry Heldt

Kerry Muste

Adam Hallsworth

Krystle Fernandes

Sheley Hallsworth

Kelli Summerfield

Zoe Menke

Karen Fyfe

Arnold Van Son

Zoe Rea

Paul Rogers

Robert Rudd

Bridget Churack

Burgl Schindler / Ilett

Christopher Rea

Tim Churack

Lachie Glasfurd

Jasmin Summerfield

Tania Spiteri

Trish Summerfield

Dennis Morris

Aletia Artemis

Erin Taylor

Robin Gurnett

Lara Rundle

James Kuenzel

Jillian Pim

John Turnbull

Caylah Williams

Joshua Hallsworth

Claire Robinson

Sue Waters

Welcome to

new members Neil Robinson

Ben Sturkey

Mike Doyle

Natalie Grinbergs Currently the club has...

137 memberships We are still breaking records for the club. Welcome everybody...



Hello to our members and especially our new members...I must sincerely apologize for the delay

in the ViaWest coming out...not enough weeks in the days...this one says January-February on the cover but is being issued in March...please enjoy!

The coming Bug-In means that a lot of my time and the committee has been taken up organising what we hope will be a great national Volkswagen event our club can be proud of. We have made many trips to Toodyay as well as the South West to prepare the organisation of the event.

We have been processing registrations, issuing Bug-In Bulletins, booking venues, filling out forms left right and centre, keeping the website up to date and networking with all the people involved. This has used up many hours of the com-mittee‟s spare time...all donated free to the club.

You have probably been asked again and again if you are coming to the 2011 Toodyay Bug-In or any of the individual events. At the end of this week we only have 6 weeks to go to the event. We will be finalising all our arrangements based on the registrations we have on hand in the next week.

There will be little room for late entries or last minute decisions...if you are a maybe, but cannot commit right now, please let us know now. If you are coming to the Bug-In or just some of the events, please complete your registration and/or entry forms and get them to us as soon as possible...we would hate to see our members miss out.

This event will not be in WA again for another 5-6 years, if you want to attend a Bug-In in that time you will have to travel east. The decision is all yours...

Ray Willis

2011 Toodyay Bug-In



# indicates a club run

VW Event Calendar This Month March 2011

Wednesday 2nd ALFRED’S of GUILDFORD

7pm cnr of Meadow & James St Guildford

Wednesday 9th MONTHLY COMMITTEE MEETING Contact: Ray Willis 0407 347 340

6:30pm @ John Hughes Volkswagen, Victoria Park

Sunday 13th MORNING TEA 10:00am - 12:00pm Contact: Rod McSwain 9332 6919

See website www.vwclubwa.com for details

Sunday 20th # CLASSIC CAR SHOW at WHITEMAN PARK Contact: Richard Hines (08) 9342

See details on page 7

Wednesday 23rd EVENT COORDINATION MEETING - 2011 Bug-In Contact: Ray Willis 0407 347 340

See website www.vwclubwa.com for location

April 2011

Wednesday 6th ALFRED’S of GUILDFORD

7pm cnr of Meadow & James St Guildford

Sunday 10th MORNING TEA 10:00am - 12:00pm Contact: Rod McSwain 9332 6919

See website www.vwclubwa.com for details

Wednesday 13th MONTHLY COMMITTEE MEETING Contact: Ray Willis 0407 347 340

6:30pm @ John Hughes Volkswagen, Victoria Park

2011 TOODYAY BUG-IN #

Friday 22nd Hot X Buns, Afternoon Tea and Welcome BBQ Contact: Ray Willis 0407 347 340

Saturday 23rd Show n Shine, Cruise and Italian Dinner Contact: Rod McSwain 0403259719

Sunday 24th Motorkhana or York Bus Tour, Presentation Dinner

Monday 25th Anzac Day (free time), Farewell Afternoon Tea

ROAD TRIP 2011 - SOUTH WEST #

Monday 25th Dinner (Toodyay) Contact: Rod McSwain 0403259719

Tuesday 26th to Tour - Toodyay, Bunbury, Margaret River, Contact: Karen Fyfe 0417173886

Saturday 30th Pemberton, Bunbury, Mandurah



The Club Run for March is the …CLASSIC CAR SHOW at WHITEMAN PARK (MUSSEL POOL)

Sunday 20th March 2011

To participate in the car show you will need to get a ticket from the VW Club – contact Richard Hines (08) 9342 8703. Tickets are limited so be early!

Those members that were there last year will know that there is a BBQ in close proximity to our location.

For those members that have requested tickets and in-tend taking part in the annual Classic Car Show at White-man Park, here are a few tips and requirements.

Gates open at 6:00am but please don't arrive before 7:30. All entrants are required to be through the gates by 9:00am.

No car may be removed before 4:00pm. This is an in-surance requirement by Whiteman Park.

All members that have advised the club committee of their intention of taking part will be provided with their tickets and a map showing where to go.

Read all conditions printed on the ticket. If anything printed there contradicts this article, accept what is on the ticket.

Fill in your tickets as soon as you get them. They must

be completed before you get to the gate.

Follow the directions of the volunteer Marshalls

Hope to see as many as you as possible on the day….

MUSSEL POOL

CLUB RUN 20th MARCH CLUB RUN 20th MARCH -- CLASSIC CAR SHOWCLASSIC CAR SHOW



Margaret River Vintage Stomp 2011

WHAT IS VINTAGE

STOMP?

Vintage Stomp is a day of celebra-tion to mark the end of the grape harvest in Margaret River and the South - West. Local food producers, wineries, breweries, artisans, and the overall community have been committing to the family day fair since 2005.

Vintage Stomp has attracted thou-sands of visitors to the feast of food and wine, kids‟ fairground, artists, local crafts, grape - stomping com-petition and barrel race.

The Margaret River Vintage Stomp Festival Committee was established as a non - profit entity to create this superb annual event .

In many major wine regions of the world, the annual grape harvest culminates in a celebration to give thanks for a bountiful season. The Margaret River wine region had no such event and Vintage Stomp was first held in May 2005 to address this absence. The aim of the com-mittee was to create a vintage fair showcasing the region ‟s food and wine, with full community participa-tion, that would become an annual tradition within the wine industry calendar and for the community of Margaret River.

The giant god of the vintage, Bac-chus will lead revelers to Stomp on

Sunday, May 15, 2011

from 11am - 4pm

with thanks to Voyager Estate for once again donating its grounds to host this event.

THEME

Each year Vintage Stomp has an international wine growing region as its theme. In 2011 the Festival will celebrate the wine growing regions of Germany.

CAR DISPLAY

In 2010 Vintage Stomp celebrated California's wine district and in-cluded a Cadillac car display, which was very popular. Stomp organisers are approaching the Mercedes

Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen and

BMW Clubs in the hope of arrang-ing a German car display for 2011.

Each participating car member will be offered a 2

bottle gift pack (of our Chenin & Girt by Sea) as a

token of thanks. In addition, each member (and anyone

accompanying them) will, of course, receive free entry to

the Festival.

A token for a glass of Voyager Es-tate wine will also be available for participating members to enjoy in the Football Marquee, which will be televising live the Eagles vs Dock-ers derby.

BREAKDOWN OF EVENTS

The following are a list of events previously seen at the Vintage Stomp, and in planning for the Vin-tage Stomp for 2011.

In keeping with the annual tradition of celebrating harvest around the world, Vintage Stomp 2011 is in-spired by the wine growing regions of Germany:

Margaret River regional producers offering their gourmet food prod-ucts for tasting and sales.

Local artists demonstrating their craft and selling their wares.

Local beer and wine producers offering their products for tasting and sale.

Food stalls

Children's Area with multiple activi-ties and games.

Grand Parade including;

the Blessing of the Harvest led

by Bacchus and Bacchantes

Primary school children dressed in costume

Floats designed and created by students

High school dancers

Marching band

Voyager Estate's harvester

Themed floats

Car Clubs

Aboriginal dance group, smoking ceremony and welcoming dance

Bacchantes dancers

Big screen TV televising the Ea-gles vs Dockers derby

Welcome and Ode to Bacchus

Election of a Vintage King or Queen honouring someone in the community who has made a major contribution (cultural, industry, so-cial, welfare)

German musical entertainment

The Waiters Race

Industry Barrel Race

Tug of War

Hogs Head Estate Race

Celebrity Stomp

Wine Spitting Competition

SUMMARY

Vintage Stomp embodies the con-cept of celebrating the end of vin-tage in Margaret River with a festi-val renowned for its vibrancy, com-munity participation and attendance and high quality theatre produc-tions.

Its main aim is to generate an in-crease on visit or numbers to the region particularly from intrastate and interstate during the off peak season in May and to offer an excit-ing and truly unique experience in one of the world's most beautiful regions. It is one of the rare occa-sions where tourism and the local community can spend the day to-gether celebrating all that is so pre-cious to the Margaret River region.

Anybody that wants to attend, please contact Ray Willis by SMS on 0407347340 or Email

[email protected] ASAP!



2011 Toodyay Bug-In

The 2011 event will be held in and around the town of Toodyay and hosted by the VW Club of WA Inc (Friday 22nd April to Monday 25th April).

The four days of the Bug-In are filled with social get-togethers and events including the mandatory welcoming event on the Friday night; a show and shine; a motork-hana and a presentation dinner. The event will attract people from all states as well as our club members here in WA.

REGISTRATION FORM

The REGISTRATION FORM for the 2011 Toodyay Bug-In is now available. The FORM has 6 parts; Your Personal (and vehicle) Details; Your Event registration; Your Mer-chandise order; Your Motoring participation (Show n Shine or Motorkhana) if any; Road Trip 2011 registration; and Your Payment details.

The Event registration has two options to choose from;

Option 1 - You can choose an „ALL-INCLUSIVE‟ payment and adults get a Bug-In shirt included, OR

Option 2 - You can pay for the individual events you are going to attend

Register now without delay!

The REGISTRATION FORM is on the club website...

2011 Bug-In show n shine

The 2011 Bug-In Show n Shine will be held on Saturday 23rd April 2011 from 9:00am to 1:00pm - entry from 8:00am. It will be held in the main street of Toodyay (Stirling Terrace) specially closed to traffic for the event.

While the title is Show n Shine, the event is open to all Volkswagens and affiliates, from the daily driver to that special restoration and everything in between. The same as the annual Day of the Volkswagen, this is just a cele-bration of all things Volkswagen.

Come for the day, have breakfast and/or lunch, show your car, do some shopping and see the Toodyay sights.

Trophies for those just attending on the day will be handed out on the day. Trophies for the „Bug-In‟ vehicles will be handed out at the Presentation Dinner on the Sun-day night.

The entry fee is $10 per car with trophies for the best cars on show on the day. If you are not already in Toodyay for

the Bug-In, you can just enter for the Show n Shine.

Complete your ENTRY FORM and send it in with your payment now without delay!

The ENTRY FORM just for the Show N Shine is now on the club website...



Toodyay, one of Western Aus-tralia’s oldest towns, is nestled in the heart of the beautiful

Avon Valley.

Being only one hour‟s drive from Perth it is the ideal destination for both day visi-tors and those venturing further into the Wheatbelt or the Chittering Valley.

The area displays a vast wealth of cul-tural and natural heritage that can be appreciated throughout the year, with the changing sea-sons offering a new perspective of the landscape with each visit.

The beauty of the hills and the magnificent Avon River are a sight to behold, whilst the townsite maintains the charms of a past era.

Toodyay‟s rich cultural history has been preserved and protected by the high value placed on its heritage by the community. Not only are many of the historic buildings extremely well preserved in terms of integrity and au-thenticity, their histories have also been well docu-mented and explored.

Toodyay is therefore privileged to have two museums that provide a wonderful insight to the re-gion‟s past, these being the Old Gaol Mu-seum and Connor‟s Mill.

In addition there are a number of self

guided walk and drive trails in the area that provide for a wonderful days outing for the whole family.

With its museums and historic buildings, arts and crafts, emu and alpaca farms, gardens, native flora & fauna, magnificent vistas, wonderful cuisine and so much

more, Toodyay should be explored by everyone!

The ideal starting point for any visit to Toodyay is the Toodyay Visitor Centre, where the friendly staff can pro-vide you with further details on what to see and where to stay.

TOODYAY VISITORS CENTRE

Address: 7 Piesse Street, Toodyay WA 6566

Telephone: (08) 9574 2435

Email: [email protected]

Opening Hours: Sun-Sat: 9am-4pm

Website: www.toodyay.com

Shire of toodyay - bug-in motorkhana

The 'Shire of Toodyay' Motorkhana will be held on Sunday 24th April 2011 from 9:00am to 3:00pm – entry from 8:00am. It will be held inside the Toodyay Race Track.

This is a fun event where in a low speed test you can trial your driving skills and your cars ability. You can compete against yourself for better times and results or you can challenge for the trophies on offer. If you have not been to a Bug-In before or not seen or participated in a Motork-hana (or similar events) we have put together some infor-mation for you on our website.

Spectators are welcome for FREE! Come for the day or just to have a look, you may also want to do some shop-ping in town and see the Toodyay sights.

Trophies will be handed out at the Presentation Dinner on the Sunday night.

The driver entry fee is $25 with trophies for the best drivers on the day. Several drivers can share a car. If you are not already in Toodyay for the Bug-In, you can just enter for

the 'Shire of Toodyay' Motorkhana.


The ENTRY FORM just for the Motorkhana is now on the club website...



accommodation

We must point out that the club is NOT booking accommo-dation. Where you choose to stay is your decision.

Groups or friends may want to share a house or get their accommodation together in one location etc. You will need to book early and bookings must be made through the Toodyay Visitors Centre...see our Toodyay 2011 Bro-chure on the website.

Our website also has an Accommodation Guide that gives you a list of what type is available, the distance from the town and approximate pricing. As the name suggests, it is only a guide. However, the Toodyay Visitors Centre has the definitive information.

Toodyay Visitors Centre: 7 Piesse Street, Toodyay WA

Telephone: (08) 9574 2435

Email: [email protected]

ROAD TRIP 2011 - SOUTH WEST

The „Volkswagen Group Australia‟ Road Trip 2011 is planned to be a 4 ½ day tour that will begin on Tuesday morning 26th April after the Bug-In being held in Toodyay over the Easter weekend of 22-25 April 2011. It will travel a loop of the South West of WA taking in all the sights, smells, tastes, sounds and feel of everything that the area has to offer in a brief but extensive experience.

The Road Trip participants will receive an information pack a month or so beforehand, so they can familiarise them-selves with more detail of the trip – once you have regis-tered keep a look out!

REGISTRATION FORM

The REGISTRATION FORM for the whole 2011 Toodyay Bug-In is now available and includes a section for the Road Trip 2011. You will need to complete this if attending more events than the Road Trip 2011.

Register now without delay - as a whole of Bug-In par-ticipant it gives you Road Trip 2011 FREE entry!

The REGISTRATION FORM is on the club website...

However, you can complete a separate ENTRY FORM for Road Trip 2011 if only attending this event – SEE BELOW.

Road Trip 2011 Entry

For those not attending the 2011 Toodyay Bug-In, you can still just participate in the Road Trip 2011 by completing a separate ENTRY FORM. For non-Buginners the entry fees for the Road Trip 2011 are;

VW Club WA Members - $30 adult and $10 child.

Non-Members - $50 registration fee plus $30 adult and $10 child.


The ENTRY FORM just for the Road Trip 2011 is now on the club website...



Australian Debut Of The

Amarok Volkswagen Ute revolutionises segment with 7.7 litre fuel con-sumption as the Most Fuel-Efficient

Ute In Its Class.

The Volkswagen ute is all-round

talent for work and recreation.

The Amarok went on sale in Aus-

tralia as of 1 March 2011..

With the new Amarok, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is presenting a debut of the world‟s most advanced production ute for the Australian mar-ket. The highly advanced TDI engine of the Amarok – a boosted direct injec-tion engine – will set new standards when it comes to fuel economy and emissions.

The ute‟s active and passive safety systems and convenience features all reach passenger vehicle levels. Yet the Amarok is extremely rugged.

Many of the technologies implemented in the Amarok are being used for the first time in the mid-size ute segment. They include Bi-Turbo charging of the engine and an optional permanent 4MOTION all-wheel drive with Torsen

differential, which is one of three drive-line options of the new model. In terms of its space, load area width and height and cargo loading abilities, the new Amarok is a class leader.

The ute from Volkswagen begins its Australian career as a Dual Cab with a four-door body that offers impressive space for five adults. The two-door Single Cab version that permits a longer load area will follow at a later date. In both concept and style, the Amarok is clearly influenced by the new Volkswagen Design DNA. This is reflected in its typical emphasis of hori-

zontal lines, in the well-defined inter-play of body surfaces and high preci-sion of its workmanship.

Specifically, one of its most prominent identifying features is the visual unit formed by the horizontal headlights and radiator grille with its louvers and decorative trim accents. Extending back from the vehicle‟s front face is a surface that develops over the wing contour to the side windows and en-closes them in an arch. The cleanly sculpted curvatures of the ute‟s side body panels and engine bonnet give the Amarok the typical rugged look of a ute. At the rear, the prominent Volks-wagen logo catches the eye on the tailgate. It is framed by the ute‟s tail-lights whose distinctive signature is their characteristic night design. The high standards of the entire develop-ment team are expressed in details like these, details that showcase the Amarok as a genuine Volkswagen and set it apart from the competition with its quality and high-class design.

Strong, cultivated and fuel-efficient: the pioneering TDI engine

On the powertrain side, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is introducing a technological achievement at the Ama-rok‟s market launch: With 120 kW in power and 2.0 litre displacement, the

(Continued on page 13)



TDI400 features common rail direct injection with twostage control bi-turbo charging and generates a maximum torque of 400 Newton-metres at a low 1,500 rpm. This superior performance contrasts with a remarkably low com-bined fuel consumption of just 7.7 litres diesel per 100 kilometres (Amarok 2WD). The 4MOTION variants have similarly impressive consumption fig-ures of 7.9 litres per 100km/h.

Dynamic and safe on any terrain

Amarok customers can choose from three different driveline versions: per-manent all-wheel drive, selectable four-wheel drive (both 4MOTION), and rear-wheel drive (2WD). The latter represents the entry-level version and should appeal to customers who are mainly interested in the ute‟s body styl-ing and versatility.

The Amarok 4MOTION with selectable four-wheel drive and a red “4” in the signature is the ideal choice for jour-neys over all terrains. When engaged at the press of a button, it produces solid power transfer to the axles. For the most difficult jobs, there is also reduced off-road gearing that makes complicated off-road passages easy to master. Even 100 percent inclines with a slope angle of 45 degrees are no obstacle. At the same time, the pro-gressively tuned Heavy Duty spring package with three main and two auxil-iary spring packs assures a high over-load safety factor and uniform comfort in all load situations.

The Amarok 4MOTION with a black “4” is optional on the Amarok Ultimate with permanent all-wheel drive and greater comfort. It exploits the advantages of all-wheel drive for superior vehicle dy-namics on paved roads too. Its Torsen differential is a rarity in its class. It dis-tributes drive forces variably between the front and rear axles; in the default setting, power is distributed 40:60. This results in excellent vehicle dy-namics combined with high traction.

All drivelines also have an electronic differential lock that utilises automatic braking intervention; this system im-proves traction on all types of road surfaces. Moreover, a rear differential lock is standard for rugged Amarok driving conditions on all 4MOTION variants and is an option on the Ama-rok 2WD variants.

Equipment lines: from work truck to

lifestyle ute

The Amarok is launched on the market in four equipment lines. The entry model relies on mechanical and ex-tremely tough components: electric windows, remote central locking and electrically adjustable door mirrors are all standard. The interior comes with rubber f loor covering to ref lect the heavyduty credentials.Standard com-fort features include Climatic air-conditioning, driver and front passen-ger seats with height adjustment as well as interior grab handles. The bumpers, door handles and mirrors are unpainted, and this makes them ideal for heavy duty use. Other standard features: variable folding rear bench seat, locking glove box and load area lighting. A special feature: the radio antenna is integrated in the door mir-rors. The Amarok comes in 2WD rear-wheel drive and optional selectable 4MOTION four-wheel drive.

One grade higher in standard features is the Amarok Trendline. On this ver-sion, the front bumper, door handles and mirror housings are painted in body colour. The rear bumper comes with an integrated step. In addition, multi-functional display, cruise control and front fog lights are all standard equipment. 16-inch alloy wheels em-phasise the Amarok‟s strong image. The cabin of the Amarok Trendline comes with carpet f loor covering as well as drawers under the front seats. This version is available in selectable 4MOTION four-wheel drive.

The Amarok Highline offers exclusive features. Building on the Trendline

(Continued from page 12)




equipment line, the Highline has up-grades such as a rear bumper with chrome details, part-chrome mirror housings, various chrome accents outside and inside the vehicle and wing f lares in body colour that create space for 18-inch alloy wheels.

In addition, this equipment line is characterised by a colour contrasting instrument panel (depending on vehi-cle configuration), an automatic cli-mate control system (Climatronic) that offers exceptional comfort, a higher performance sound system and high-quality fabric seat covers. Other im-pressive features include an alarm with back-up horn, privacy glass in the rear, leather gearshift knobs and hand-brake lever as well as a leather steer-ing wheel. The Amarok Highline comes in selectable 4MOTION four-wheel drive.

The Amarok Ultimate is the most ex-clusive equipment level. Some distin-guishing features above the Amarok Highline are leather seats, 19-inch al-loy wheels, side steps, stainless steel sports bars and „Ultimate‟ badging. The Amarok Ultimate comes in both optional permanent all-wheel drive 4MOTION and selectable 4MOTION

four-wheel drive. In addition to the ute‟s numerous standard features, an extensive accessories program is be-ing offered for the Amarok as well – accessories range from a styling bar to side steps, cargo cover, the versatile MultiConnect mounting system and a selection of alloy wheels.

Largest interior and load width in its class

The vehicle‟s exceptional interior di-mensions make it the most spacious in its class. The vehicle‟s finely tuned

ergonomics are typical of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and the Amarok. Easy entry, a generous seat-ing layout and lots of head room characterise the work-space behind the wheel. Am-ple leg room on the rear bench also makes the Ama-rok a full-f ledged five-seater. When only two persons are aboard, the fold-up rear seat and folding backrest increase interior cargo space.

Important: The load area of the Amarok Dual Cab serves up the largest dimensions in its class as well. It measures 1,555 mm long by 1,620 mm wide, yielding an impressive load area of 2.52 m2. And that‟s not all. Also “Best in class” is the ute‟s maximum load width of 1,222 mm be-tween wheel wells. For the first time on a mid-size ute, this makes it possible to load Aussie and Euro pallets side-

ways, a space-saving feature. It is easy to transport sports equipment like quads as well as bulky machinery, thanks to its large dimensions, load sill height of 780 mm and payload capac-ity of up to 1.15 metric tonnes. Four lashing eyes at the corners of the load area protect cargo during the drive. When towing a trailer, the ute can han-dle up to 2,800 kg of trailer load with 280kg of downball weight.

The Amarok sets new safety standards in ute segment

The safety package of the Amarok sets new standards in its class. Along with driver and front passenger air-bags, there are also head/thorax air-bags – still rare in this segment. Also included, of course, are height-adjustable head restraints and three-point safety belts at all seating posi-tions. In front, the belts have belt ten-sioners and on the driver‟s side a vis-ual and acoustic belt warning system.

Numerous other features guarantee a high level of active safety as well. For example, the Electronic Stability Pro-gram (ESP) with Brake Assist is stan-dard equipment. Another feature con-tributing to safety is “Off-Road Mode” – activated by the press of a button – which is enabled up to a vehicle speed of 130 km/h. In this mode, the ESP system, electronic differential locks (EDL), antislip regulation (ASR) and anti-lock braking system (ABS) are all tuned for challenging off-road condi-tions.

The ABS system can reduce braking distance both off-road and on gravel





road surfaces, often significantly de-pending on the road composition. When “Off-Road Mode” is activated while the ute is driven at less than 30 km/h, Hill Descent Assist is also acti-

vated; it holds driving speed constant on steep descents by means of tar-geted brake actuations. For the first time in this class, when Hill Descent Assist is activated the driver can indi-vidually adapt the vehicle‟s speed to a driving situation by accelerating or braking, including in the neutral gear position

Volkswagen Amarok First Dual-Cab Ute To Receive 5 Star ANCAP

Rating The Volkswagen Amarok is officially the first ute in its class to be awarded a 5 Star rating by ANCAP (The Austral-asian New Car Assessment Program), making it the safest dual-cab ute in Australia. All Amarok variants with per-manent 4MOTION all-wheel drive and selectable 4MOTION four-wheel drive

were awarded this 5 Star rating. To achieve an ANCAP 5 Star rating, the Amarok had to achieve the highest internationally recognised standards in all test categories.

This result reflects the outstanding safety features that come standard across the entire Amarok range. With standard driver and front passenger airbags, front head/thorax side air-bags, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with Brake Assist as well as Off Road ABS/ASR and EDL, the Amarok is a leader amongst its competitors.

Phil Clark, Commercial Vehicles Direc-tor, is delighted with the announce-ment: “We always knew that the Ama-rok was going to be a strong contender in the very competitive ute market, but to receive a 5 Star rating from ANCAP was the icing on the cake. We are proud to be the first automotive manu-facturer in Australia to highlight the importance of standard safety features across all model variants, ensuring that every Amarok customer travels with the highest level of safety.”

The press release and specifica-tions can be read on the club web-site under ‘New Volkswagen’ at www.vwclubwa.com




Volkswagen Wins “Wheels

Car Of The

Year”, Again!

Volkswagen‟s Polo has received the coveted Wheels

Car of the Year award, following on from the success of the Golf

last year.

The Polo was up against a 21 strong field of competitors but overcame all with its quality and refinement, safety and technology to be awarded the 2010 Wheels Car of the Year.

With a string of awards under its belt, the Volkswagen Polo continues to re-define expectations for cars in the light car class.

Wheels magazine editor, Bill Thomas, put it simply when he described the Polo as a great little car in his editorial. “It‟s the depth of engineering skill ap-plied to the Polo and the very obvious quality of the car that impresses most – if you were to pay it the right compli-ment, you‟d say it feels like a scaled-down Golf. That means it brings new standards of refinement and comfort to the super-mini class.

“It feels like an expensive car at a good price rather than a cheap car

built up with loads of extras: custom-ers obviously come first for VW. Spa-cious, safe, efficient, easy to drive and

easy to live with, the Polo is a great all-rounder and a very worthy winner of Australia‟s most coveted motoring prize. Two Car of the Year victories in a row for Volkswagen reflect the skill of the engineers involved and the am-bition of the company as a whole.”

This is Volkswagen‟s fourth Wheels Car of the Year award, having twice received the award for the Golf and once for the Passat.

Volkswagen Group Australia manag-ing director, Anke Koeckler, said:” We were extremely pleased to have re-ceived this prestigious award last year but to follow up again this year with the Polo is a great achievement.

“The Polo has clearly set the new benchmark for light cars and we are pleased to see that not only the Wheels team, but also the judges from Carsguide, Drive and Australia‟s Best Cars agree.

Volkswagen launched the new Polo in May 2010 in Australia. Since its launch, it has seen incredible sales growth and demand continues to grow for the entire range.




Top Safety Pick 2011 For

Golf, Jetta, Tiguan And

Touareg Volkswagen is the absolute best as far as safety is concerned: the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has this year rated a total of six Volkswagen models with the "TOP SAFETY PICK 2011". No other vehicle manufacturer received more.

In the compact class, the Jetta, Golf, Golf GTI and Tiguan drive on to the victory podium. The Touareg is the only large SUV to receive a rating.

In the opinion of the US testers, all Volkswagens provide a high level of occupant protection in front, rear and side crashes as well in rollover acci-dents (roof strength). Alongside the body structure, standard safety sys-tems such as ABS, ESP and curtain airbags were also tested by the IHSS.

The TOP SAFETY PICK is awarded every year by the IIHS for vehicles which display particular excellence in their individual segment through par-

ticularly extensive measures in the area of active and passive safety. The institute in Arlington (Virginia), which was founded in 1959, carries out its tests under commission from various different insurance companies. A total of 66 models of the leading automobile manufacturers were rated this year.

2010 Volkswagen

Smash All-Time

Australian

Sales Record Volkswagen Group Australia has reached new heights with its all-time sales record for the last 46 years being outper-formed considerably last year.

Overall sales for the Volkswagen brand in Australia came to a total of 38,016 vehicles (32,542 Passenger Vehicles, 5,474 Commercial Vehicles). 1964‟s record of 31,419 total sales for Volkswagen was exceeded by 6,597 vehicles.

Year-on-year figures also look promis-ing with a total increase of 26.4% (2009 sales: 30,087).

Volkswagen Group Australia Managing

Director, Anke Koeckler, is very pleased with the result: “2010‟s great sales result is a true reflection of a successful product range as well as our great dealer network and head office staff. I am confident that 2011 will be another great year for the Volkswagen brand with exciting new models to hit Australian shores.”

On top of record total sales, Volks-wagen also achieved record results for four key models.

The sixth generation Golf having gone from strength to strength since its re-lease in early 2009 achieved a new record high of 15,425 sales in 2010. The Golf, while clearly the most suc-cessful model in the range, was amply supported by the growth in sales of the Tiguan and new Polo.

The Tiguan achieved a new sales re-cord of 6,216, while Polo increased by 127.6% year-on-year with a new all-time best result of 3,195 pointing at a promising future for the new Polo, which only entered the market in April last year.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles also performed well in a challenging climate for the light commercial vehicle sector. The Caddy range achieved an all-time record with 2243 vehicles sold in 2010 after receiving late last year.

The popular Transporter saw solid growth with 1,804 units (2009 sales: 1,466), an increase of 23.1% year-on-year. The growth in sales highlights the success of the first quarter model update and the introduction of new engine variants.

Record For Volkswagen Passenger

Cars Annual Vehicle Deliveries Top

4.5 Million For First Time

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand ended 2010 with a new record: 4.50 (3.95; +13.9 percent) million vehi-cles were delivered to customers worldwide for the first time in a twelve-month period. “Thanks to its innovative and environmentally-friendly new mod-





els such as the Touran and Sharan, Touareg and Passat, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand has come up with an excellent performance in a difficult market environment and sig-nificantly strengthened its competitive position,” Group Board member for Sales Christian Klingler said in Wolfsburg on Friday.

The Volkswagen brand reported sub-stantial growth on key markets such as China, the USA, Russia and India. Over 1.51 (1.12; +35.5 percent) million vehicles were delivered for the first time in China (incl. Hong Kong) during the full year 2010. In the USA, 256,800 (213,500; +20.3 percent) ve-hicles were handed over to customers. In Russia, vehicle deliveries ran at 58,900 (39,500) units, representing a year-on-year rise of as much as 49.1 percent. Developments in India were also particularly gratifying, with the Volkswagen brand reporting a signifi-cant rise in unit volumes, delivering 30,300 (2,800) vehicles, or more than ten times as many models as in the previous year.

Brand deliveries in the entire Asia/Pacific region during the last twelve months grew 37.6 percent to 1.65 (1.20) million vehicles, while the num-ber of vehicles delivered by Volks-wagen in the North America region rose to 406,400 (344,800; 17.9 per-cent) units, and the brand reported a 2.9 percent increase in South America to 756,500 (735,100) units. Delivery levels in Europe remained largely sta-ble, with the Volkswagen brand hand-

ing over 1.55 (1.56; -1.2 percent) mil-lion vehicles to customers and there-fore performing better than the overall market, which contracted by 2.5 per-cent.

Volkswagen Group Sells More Than 7 Million Vehi-cles For First

Time In 2010, the Volkswagen Group sig-nificantly improved on prior-year vehi-cle deliveries, handing over more than seven million units for the first time in a twelve-month period. In total, 7.14 (2009: 6.29; +13.5 percent)* million vehicles were delivered to customers. Developments on the global passen-ger car market were positive too, al-though growth only ran at 11.3 percent and the Group therefore won further market share. The Volkswagen Group also reported growth for the month of December, delivering 545,400 (444,200)** units to customers, repre-senting an increase of 22.8 percent.

“2010 once again showed we are forg-ing ahead with our international growth and implementing our Strategy 2018”, Group Board member for Sales Christian Klingler said on Monday at the motor show in Detroit. “In 2011, our focus on innovative products and top technologies will remain the foun-dation of our success”, Klingler added.

Clearly positive trend on established markets and in growth regions The Volkswagen Group enjoyed a pleasing delivery situation on all of its Asian markets in 2010. Deliveries in China grew 37.4 percent to 1.92 (1.40) million units, thereby setting a new record. There was a very substantial increase in deliveries in India, where the Group handed over 53,300 (19,000) vehicles to customers, a rise of 181 percent. The Group also re-ported a marked increase throughout the Asia/Pacific region, with deliveries running at 2.14 (1.55; +38.5 percent) million units.

The picture was similar in other re-gions of the world. The Volkswagen Group delivered a total 888,000

(815,100) vehicles to customers in South America, representing an in-crease of 8.9 percent. In the USA, the Group brands delivered 360,300 (298,000) units during the twelve-month period, corresponding to growth of 20.9 percent.

In Western Europe (excluding Ger-many), the Group delivered 1.85 (1.66; +11.6 percent) million vehicles, therefore performing noticeably better than the overall market which only grew 1.9 percent for the year. 10.8 percent more vehicles were delivered to customers in Central and Eastern Europe (423,200; 381,900). The Groups growth in Russia was very pleasing (+39.5 percent).

On its home market of Germany, the Volkswagen Group delivered 1.04 (1.24; -16.8 percent) million vehicles to customers in a year characterized by the effects of the scrapping pre-mium. Since the overall market de-clined significantly during the last twelve months, contracting by 23.4 percent, the Group was able to ex-pand its market share further.

In 2010, Group models such as the Volkswagen Polo, Golf, Lavida, Ti-guan and Passat CC, the Audi A1, A5 Sportback and the Q5, the Škoda Yeti and Octavia models, as well as the SEAT Ibiza Sporttourer and Exeo Sporttourer were particularly popular.

Significant boost in deliveries for Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi and Škoda brands The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand also reported a new record for last year, with deliveries growing 13.9 percent to 4.50 (3.95) million units. In China, the brands largest single mar-ket, deliveries rose by 35.5 percent to 1.51 (1.12) million units. In the USA, 256,800 (213,500; +20.3 percent) ve-hicles were handed over to customers. In Russia, vehicle deliveries even grew year-on-year by as much as 49.1 percent (58,900; 39,500).

Audi delivered 1.09 (0.95; +15.0 per-cent) million vehicles to customers in 2010, giving the Ingolstadt-based brand its best sales figures ever. One contributory factor was deliveries to customers in the USA, where Audi sold more than 100,000 units for the first time (101,600; 82,700; +22.9 per-cent). Developments in China over the past twelve months were also very positive, with deliveries increasing by 43.4 percent (227,900; 158,900).





The Czech automaker Škoda deliv-ered 762,600 (684,200; +11.5 per-cent) vehicles during the last twelve months, thus continuing its growth path. The brand grew in China, India and Russia in particular.

The Spanish brand SEAT delivered 339,500 (336,700; +0.8 percent) vehi-cles worldwide in 2010. On its home market of Spain, the company re-ported an increase of 10.0 percent, delivering a total of 91,300 (83,000) units to customers.

Worldwide deliveries by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles grew noticeably last year, up by 20.5 percent to 435,600 (361,500) units. On West European markets (excluding Ger-many), the company grew 21.0 per-cent to 130,400 (107,800) units, in Russia deliveries grew 27.8 percent (7,200; 5,700), and in South America growth was as high as 67.4 percent (113,700; 67,900).

*) excluding Scania, including Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Trucks and Buses for January/February 2009 **) excluding Scania

Volkswagen Triumphant, Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk

Win Dakar Tumultuous celebration at the “Dakar” finish: Volkswagen has won the Dakar Rally for the third time in succession. Standing alongside Nasser AlAttiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) on the podium in Buenos Aires on Sunday will be Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) and Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E). In front of millions of enthusias-tic spectators the new Race Touareg 3 scored a much celebrated one-two-three finish in the desert classic through Argentina and Chile. As a re-sult, Volkswagen is the only manufac-turer to have won the automobile cate-gory in the desert classic with diesel technology – and remains unbeaten on the South American continent thanks to TDI power. To complete the

victory all three cars must still roll across the winner‟s ramp on Sunday and midday local time in Buenos Ai-res.

Three Volkswagen “Dakar” winners on the Podium

With Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar and Timo Gottschalk from Germany a third duo clinched a “Dakar” victory for Volkswagen in the 33 running of the motorsport marathon. Thanks to supe-rior and exceptionally durable high-tech made in Wolfsburg, the three vic-torious driver/co-driver pairs from the previous three years mount the win-ners‟ podium as first, second and third – an expression of a harmonious and strong driving squad that dominated the 2011 “Dakar” from the beginning.

Volkswagen alone is credited with 12 of a possible 13 stage victories. Carlos Sainz realised a personal best with his stage victory on the way to Buenos Aires: Now with stage win number 24 he surpasses the 23 stage victories scored in the car class by current rival Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel. One of the Volkswagen teams led the rally, with its many extremely hard stages, from the start. The challenges: winding gravel roads, soft and deep desert sand in the unrelenting Ata-cama Desert, navigationally demand-ing sections through labyrinth-like can-yons and washed-out river beds as well as spectacular river crossings. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) completed the solid Volkswagen team performance in sixth position. All four Race Touareg 3 that started finished the rally in leading positions and con-tinued the success story of enviable

reliability: Volkswagen has not re-corded a single technically related re-tirement in cross country rallying in four years.

The three pillars of a historic victory

Reliable technology, perfect teamwork and strong driver squad – Volkswagen once again set the standards during the 2011 Dakar Rally with this winning formula. The TDI technology, which represents efficiency and reliability in millions of Volkswagen road cars, revolutionised cross country rallying. Thanks to the powerful and compact design it is also pioneering in the “Dakar”. The four 310 hp Race Touareg 3 spooled-off the approxi-mate 9,600 kilometres overall distance with clockwork precision – and in the process always perfectly prepared for the forthcoming rally day by a closely-knit team and prepared tactically as-tute by Volkswagen Motorsport Direc-tor Kris Nissen. In addition to the ser-vice crew on location, the employees in Wolfsburg and Hanover undertook careful preparatory work beforehand – indispensable for the “Dakar” win. The technological basis – unbeaten since the end of 2008 – was converted by Sainz/Cruz into seven, Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk into four and de Villiers/von Zitzewitz into one stage victory.

The three: new Race Touareg triumph on debut

The third generation Race Touareg equipped with a 2.5 litre TDI engine and permanent four-wheel drive com-pleted its “Dakar” premiere success-fully from the beginning. The power unit‟s in-line 5-cylinder, bi-turbo design





guaranteeing compact dimensions and low overall weight when com-pared to its direct competition proved to be the best overall package for the third time in succession suiting both the WRC-like tracks and the extreme dune crossings. The TDI engine in the Race Touareg 3 is one of the most powerful and, at the same time, most efficient diesel power units in mo-torsport.

On extremely hot stages, where ambi-ent temperatures neared 60 degrees Celsius, the new cooling concept paid dividends for the extreme prototype from Wolfsburg. Thanks to improved air flow and an optimised radiator the Race Touareg 3 shrugged off the boil-ing heat in Chile‟s Atacama Desert and the extreme conditions in the no-torious dunes in the Sierras Pam-peanas around Fiambalá in Argentina. Reliability combined with speed – on every terrain Volkswagen demon-strated its technical expertise during the 2011 “Dakar”.

The three: multiple-winners made in Wolfsburg

One-two in 2009, one-two-three in 2010, one-two-three in 2011 – Volks-wagen continues an irresistible win-ning streak in the Dakar Rally. The Wolfsburg based brand has been pace setter since the event moved from Africa to South America. In Janu-ary 2009, Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz recorded the brand‟s first “Dakar” victory since the prototype project started in 2004, followed by

their team mates Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA). It was the second Volkswagen win in motorsport‟s tough-est test after Freddy Kottulinsky/Gerd Löffelmann (S/D) had won in a pro-duction based Volkswagen Iltis in 1980. In 2010, the first one/two/three followed with Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) claiming victory from their Volks-wagen team mates Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) in the clos-est ever “Dakar” finish in history. Num-ber three marks the successful re-venge for Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk – also an important entry in their career his-tories.

Nasser Al-Attiyah becomes the first Arab in the desert classic‟s history to be presented with the big “Dakar” tro-phy. The Qatari won in his sixth “Dakar” competition, his second for Volkswagen, for the first time. His

navigator Timo Gottschalk is only the fourth co-driver, after Gerd Löffel-mann, Andreas Schulz and Dirk von Zitzewitz, to bring the “Dakar” victory to Germany – a premiere for the vehi-cle technology engineer living in Rheinsberg, Brandenburg.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director) “The third successive „Dakar‟ victory for Volkswagen is a historic perform-ance which was achieved thanks to perfect teamwork, exceptional driving and navigational skills and more spe-cifically thanks to superior technology. I‟m incredibly proud of the entire team, both the employees who made this win possible and also the team with its superhuman efforts here on location. It was without a shadow of doubt the toughest „Dakar‟ that we have ever contested, and also probably the best organised. My compliments therefore also go to the organiser A.S.O. I think we proved that the Race Touareg 3 is currently the world‟s most reliable and strongest cross country rally vehicle. This is the result of years of hard work. Congratulations to Nasser Al-Attiyah and Timo Gottschalk who have worked outstandingly and obviously also to the other Volkswagen pairs who made this one-two-three finish possible.”

#302 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 2nd place leg / 1st position overall “My first „Dakar‟ win. I‟m absolutely delighted to have been the first Arab to win the world‟s toughest desert rally. These feelings are incredibly difficult to express in words. I reached my greatest goal thanks to the world‟s





best cross country rally car and the best team in this sport. I‟m delighted for the entire squad which slaved around the clock for three weeks for this victory. In Timo Gottschalk I have an exceptional co-driver at my side, who played an immense role in this victory. Today we‟ll party like there‟s no tomorrow.”

#302 – Timo Gottschalk (D), co-driver “Victory in the „Dakar‟ – I can still hardly believe it. Over last few days we built up a comfortable advantage and things looked really good for us in the previous stages. Nevertheless, everybody ignored any thoughts of victory, because anything can happen in this rally even within sight of the finish. I‟m proud and happy about the win. It was the hardest „Dakar‟ which I have ever contested. We‟ve now spent two weeks at the absolute physical limit. The organiser kept its promise of wanting to stage the tough-est Dakar Rally ever. To have won exactly this one is an incredibly good feeling.”

#308 – Giniel de Villiers (ZA), 4th place leg / 2nd position overall “The Dakar Rally is an extremely long race during which a great deal can happen. At the beginning we tried to drive cautiously and tactically. Be-cause you only have a chance of get-ting a good result if you reach the fin-ish. This approach brought us second place and I‟m delighted about the re-sult. A podium finish in the Dakar Rally is always something special. Some-thing we can personally be proud of. The team can be proud of making first, second and third positions possible.”

#308 – Dirk von Zitzewitz (D), co-driver “An incredibly demanding „Dakar‟ be-cause the days were extremely long. In the mornings you had to get up very early, we only reached the bivouac in the late afternoon. There were loads of changes to the roadbook, which duly gave us co-drivers plenty of work during the night. The stages were also physically challenging. In the Atacama Desert the navigation could certainly have been a little more challenging, which was the case in Argentina, as is fitting for a „Dakar‟. My highlight was the Fiambalá stage which we won be-cause of perfect navigation. All in all a

positive Dakar Rally for me – espe-cially because second overall was the reward.”

#300 – Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place leg / 3rd position overall “All in all I‟m more than satisfied with 2011 Dakar Rally. I think that my co-driver Lucas Cruz and I did a good job and therefore were rightfully fighting for victory for a long time. Unfortu-nately two bad days and several mis-takes cost us any chance of overall victory. But this is the Dakar Rally: You always have to be alert. I‟m de-lighted for the entire Volkswagen team, which truly deserves this one-two-three finish, and to have contrib-uted to it. Everybody worked hard for this win.”

#300 – Lucas Cruz (E), co-driver “This was by far the most challenging „Dakar‟ that I have ever completed. It was full of tricky situations for a navi-gator which had to be solved with cau-tion. There were plenty of dune sec-tions of soft sand which meant an in-credible amount of work for the driver in the cockpit. On top of this were the WRC-like sections with jumps and extreme temperatures. The rally was very varied. However, the Race Touareg 3 is the perfect car for such conditions. From the sporting point of view we were beaten for the first time since Carlos Sainz and I compete to-gether. However, I think that we nev-ertheless did a good job. Luck de-serted us on occasion.”

#304 – Mark Miller (USA), 5th place leg / 6th position overall “This „Dakar‟ was a wonderful event, with many interesting stages that de-manded everything from man and ma-chine. Unfortunately we lost so much time already on the second stage that we were out of the battle for overall victory. Our role was then to support our team mates – a task we were happy to do. When you work an entire year as team for victory, it goes with-out saying that you support one an-other to reach the targets. We did ex-actly this with energy and vigour on the eleventh stage to help Carlos Sainz onto the podium.”

#304 – Ralph Pitchford (ZA), co-driver “This year on the Dakar Rally there were many hard stages that ran through fascinating landscapes. Mark and I had real highlight stages which we really enjoyed. Unfortunately we lost our chance of overall victory right at the beginning. However, I‟m de-

lighted for the entire team that it turned out to be a one-two-three fin-ish. I think this is just reward. Now, after the last stage and after all the tension has gone we‟ll have a big celebration. It was fantastic to have worked together with this team. We have all earned the fun and relaxation which comes now.”

Number of the day ... During the 33rd running of the desert classic, the total length of felt pen markings made while “Dakar” winner Timo Gottschalk prepared his road book was 120 metres. For better iden-tification of the directions at rally pace the German uses five different day-glow marker pens.

World Premiere Of

the New XL1 Vision Becomes Reality –

Volkswagen‟s “Formula XL1”

Volkswagen XL1 prototype consumes just 0.9 l/100 km!

XL1‟s world debut at the Qatar Motor Show (26 - 29 January) Two-seat XL1 brings vision of the 1-litre car close to production maturity

Future mobility is one of the most stimulating topics of our time. The key question here: Just how much could the energy consumption of cars be reduced if all the stops were pulled out for efficiency? There is now an answer to this question, and Volkswagen is delivering it in the form of the new XL1. Combined fuel consumption: 0.9 l/100 km. No other hybrid car powered by an electric motor / internal combus-tion engine combination is more fuel efficient. The prototype was unveiled in a world debut at the Qatar Motor Show (26 – 29 January).

To the point

Conceptually, the XL1 represents the third evolutionary stage of Volks-wagen‟s 1-litre car strategy. When the new millennium was ushered in, Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Piëch, who is today Chairman of the Super visory Board of Volkswagen AG, formulated the vi-sionary goal of bringing to the market a production car that was practical for everyday use with a fuel consumption





of 1.0 litre per 100 km. In the new XL1, Volkswagen is demonstrating that this goal is now within reach.

The new Volkswagen XL1 attains a CO emissions value of 24 g/km, thanks to a combination of lightweight construction (monocoque and add-on parts made of carbon fibre), very low aerodynamic drag (Cd 0.186) and a plug-in hybrid system - consisting of a two cylinder TDI engine (35 kW/48 PS), E-motor (20 kW/27 PS), 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DSG) and lithium-ion battery. The results: with fuel consumption of 0.9 l/100 km, the new Volkswagen XL1 only emits 24 g/km CO2. Since it is designed as a plug-in hybrid, the XL1 prototype can also be driven for up to 35 kilometres in pure electric mode, i.e. with zero emissions at point of use. The battery can be charged from a conventional household electric outlet. Naturally, battery regeneration is also employed to recover energy while slowing down and store as much of it as possible in the battery for re-use. In this case, the electric motor acts as an electric gen-erator.

Despite the very high levels of effi-ciency, developers were able to de-sign a body layout that offers greater everyday practicality, incorporating side by side seating rather than the tandem arrangement seen in both the first 1-litre car presented in 2002 and

the L1 presented in 2009. In the new XL1, wing doors make it easier to en-ter and exit the car. Further progress has been made by manufacturing body parts from carbon fibre rein-forced polymer parts (CFRP), a tech-nique used in Formula 1 car construc-tion. Once again, Volkswagen has successfully achieved significant re-ductions in production costs – an im-portant step forward to make viable a limited production run of the XL1. Background: together with suppliers, Volkswagen has developed and pat-ented a new system for CFRP produc-tion in what is known as the aRTM process (advanced Resin Transfer Moulding).

The most efficient car in the world

The new XL1 shows the way forward for extreme economy vehicles and clean technologies. It also demon-strates that such cars can also be fun. The feeling when driving the XL1 is truly dynamic - not based on pure power, rather on its pure efficiency. Two examples: 1) To travel at a con-stant speed of 100 km/h, the prototype only needs 6.2 kW/8.4 PS – a fraction of the performance of today‟s cars (Golf 1.6 TDI with 77 kW and 7-speed DSG: 13.2 kW/17.9 PS). In electric mode, the XL1 needs less than 0.1 kWh (82 Wh/km) to complete a one kilometre driving course. These are record values.

When the full power of the hybrid sys-tem is engaged, the Volkswagen pro-totype accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h

in just 11.9 seconds; its top speed is 160 km/h (electronically limited). Yet these numbers alone do not tell the whole story: Since the XL1 weighs just 795 kg, the drive system has an easy job of propelling the car. When full power is needed, the electric motor, which can deliver 100 Newton metres of torque from a standstill, works as a booster to support the TDI engine (120 Newton metres torque). To-gether, the TDI and E-motor deliver a maximum torque of 140 Newton me-tres in boosting mode.

Plug-in hybrid concept

With the new XL1, Volkswagen is im-plementing a plug-in hybrid concept, which utilises the fuel efficient technol-ogy of the common rail turbodiesel (TDI) and the dual clutch transmission (DSG). The TDI generates its stated maximum power of 35 kW/48 PS from just 0.8 litre displacement. The entire hybrid unit is housed above the vehi-cle‟s driven rear axle. The actual hy-brid module with electric motor and clutch is positioned between the TDI and the 7-speed DSG; this module was integrated in the DSG transmis-sion case in place of the usual fly-wheel. The integrated lithium-ion bat-tery supplies the E-motor with energy. The high voltage energy flow from and to the battery or E- motor is mana ged by the power electronics, which oper-ates at 220 Volts. The XL1‟s body electrical system is supplied with the necessary 12 Volts through a DC/DC converter.





Interplay of E-motor and TDI engine: The E-motor supports the TDI in ac-celeration (boosting), but as described it can also power the XL1 prototype on its own for a distance of up to 35 km. In this mode, the TDI is decoupled from the drivetrain by disengaging a clutch, and it is shut down. Meanwhile, the clutch on the gearbox side re-mains closed, so the DSG is fully en-gaged with the electric motor. Impor-tant: The driver can choose to drive the XL1 in pure electric mode (provided that the battery is sufficiently charged). As soon as the electric mode button on the instrument panel is pressed, the car is propelled exclu-sively by electrical power. Restarting of the TDI is a very smooth and com-fortable process: In what is known as “pulse starting” of the TDI engine while driving, the electric motor‟s rotor is sped up and is very quickly coupled to the engine clutch. This accelerates the TDI to the required speed and starts it. The entire proc-ess takes place without any jolts, so the driver hardly no-tices the TDI en-gine re-

starting.

When the XL1 is braked, the E-motor oper-ates as a generator that utilises the braking en-ergy to charge the battery (battery regeneration). In certain operating conditions the load shared between the TDI engine and the electric motor can be shifted so that the turbodiesel is operating at its most favourable effi-ciency level. The gears of the auto-matically shifting 7-speed DSG are also always selected with the aim of minimising energy usage. The engine controller regulates all energy flow and drive management tasks, taking into account the power demanded at any given moment by the driver. Some of the parameters used to realise the optimum propulsion mode for the

given conditions are: accelerator pedal position and engine load, as well as the energy supply and mix of kinetic and electrical energy at any given time.

Two-cylinder TDI uses mass produc-tion technology: The 0.8 litre TDI (35 kW/48 PS) was derived from the 1.6 litre TDI, which drives such cars as the Golf and Passat. The 0.8 TDI exhibits the same data as the 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine in terms of cylin-der spacing (88 mm), cylinder bore (79.5 mm) and stroke (80.5 mm). In addition, the XL1‟s two- cylinder and the mass produced four cylinder share key internal engine features for reduc-ing emissions. They include special piston recesses for multiple injection and individual orientation of the indi-vidual injection jets.

The excellent, smooth running proper-ties of the common rail engines were transferred to the two cylinder engine. Within addition, a balancer shaft that is driven by the crankshaft turning at

the same speed optimises smooth engine running.

Meanwhile, the TDI‟s aluminium crankcase was constructed to achieve high rigidity and precision, which in turn leads to very low friction losses. With the goal of reducing emissions, exhaust gas recirculation and an oxi-dation catalytic converter as well as a diesel particulate filter are used. Equipped in this way, the 0.8 TDI al-ready fulfils the limits of the Euro-6 emissions standard.

Also designed for efficiency is the ve-hicle‟s cooling system. Engine man-agement only cools the TDI by activat-ing an externally driven electric water pump when engine operating condi-tions require it. This cooling system includes an automatically controlled air intake system at the front of the vehicle to reduce cooling system drag. This thermal management strategy also contributes towards reduced fuel consumption. A second electric water pump, which is also used only as needed, circulates a separate lower temperature coolant loop to cool the starter generator and power electron-ics.

CFRP body is a technical masterpiece

The development team made extraor-dinary strides in designing the CFRP body - in terms of its lightweight con-struction as well as its aerodynamics. A comparison to the Golf illustrates just how innovative the body concept of the new XL1 is:

The drag coefficient of the highly suc-cessful Golf is very good for the

compact class: Cd (0.312) x A (frontal area

2.22 m2) equals a total drag

figure of 0.693

m2

(Cd.A) provid-

ing this car with

benchmark aero dynamic credentials

in its class. Meanwhile, the XL1 exceeds this performance with

a Cd value of 0.186 and a frontal area of 1.50 m2. The product of these two parameters yields a total drag, or Cd.A value of 0.277 m2 which is 2.5 times lower than that of the Golf.

Design for a new era: The new XL1 is 3,888 mm long, 1,665 mm wide and just 1,156 mm tall. These are extreme dimensions. The Polo has a similar length (3,970 mm) and width (1,682 m), but it is significantly taller (1,462 mm). The height of the new XL1 is about the same as that of a Lambor-





ghini Gallardo Spyder (1,184 mm). So, it is easy to visualise just how spec-tacular such a Volkswagen would ap-pear on the road – as long and wide as a Polo, but with a low profile like a Lamborghini.

The wing doors of the new XL1 are also reminiscent of a high-end sports car. They are hinged at two points: low on the A-pillars and just above the windscreen in the roof frame, so they do not just swivel upwards, but slightly forwards as well. The doors also ex-tend far into the roof. When they are opened, they free up an exceptionally large amount of entry and exit space.

Visually, the new XL1 also adopts the styling lines of the L1 presented in 2009; however, the new proto-type has a more dynamic appearance thanks to its greater width. The design of the entire body was uncom-

promisingly subjected to the laws of aero-dynamics. In front, the new XL1 exhibits the greatest width; the car then narrows towards the rear. Viewed from above, the form of the XL1 re-sembles that of a dolphin; especially at the rear, where the lines optimally conform to the air flow over the car body to reduce the Volkswagen‟s aerodynamic drag.

In side profile, the roofline reflects styl-ing lines that trace an arc from the A-pillar back to the rear. The rear wheels are fully covered to prevent air turbu-lence; the air flows here are also opti-mised by small spoilers in front of and behind the wheels. Observers will look

for door mirrors in vain; replacing them on the wing doors are small cameras which take on the role of digital out-side mirrors that send images of the surroundings behind the car to two displays inside the vehicle.

The front end of the new XL1 no longer exhibits the typical radiator grille; however, it still reflects the styl-ing of the current Volkswagen “design DNA” with a predominance of horizon-tal lines. Specifically, there is a black cross-stripe (in the area where there is no longer a radiator grille) that com-bines with the energy-efficient dual LED headlights to form a continuous band. The actual air intake for cooling the TDI engine, battery and interior is located in the lower front end section and has electrically controlled louvres. The narrow turn indicators are also de-

signed in LED technology; these form an “L” shape which vertically follows the wheel housing and horizontally a line beneath the headlights. This cre-ates a front end, which – although it is completely redesigned and extreme in its dimensions – can immediately be recognised as a Volkswagen design by its clean lines.

At the rear, the design takes an en-tirely new path, reinterpreting the brand values of precision and quality. A new dimension of Volkswagen styl-

ing was created here. Four character-istics are discernible:

Once again, the dolphin body form that narrows towards the rear with very precise trailing edges for perfect aerodynamics.

The coupé-shaped roofline without rear windscreen. Merging into the roofline is the large rear boot lid that covers the drive unit and 100 litre lug-gage space.

A strip of red LEDs that frames the rear section at the top and on the sides. Integrated in this LED strip are the reversing lights, rear lights, rear fog lights and brake lights.

A black diffuser, which exhibits nearly seamless transitions to the completely covered underbody.

Lightweight construction: more systematic than ever:

Large sections of the new

XL1‟s body

con-sist of

carbon fibre reinforced poly-

mer (CFRP) - which is as lightweight as it is strong.

Specifically, the monocoque with its slightly offset seats for driver and pas-senger and all exterior body parts are made of CFRP. The layers of carbon fibre, which are aligned with the direc-tions of forces, are formed into parts with an epoxy resin system in the aRTM process. This material mix pro-duces an extremely durable and light-weight composite. For a long time, it was considered impossible to manu-facture a body of CFRP, like that of





the new XL1, to industrial standards. Nonetheless, Volkswagen success-fully found a cost-effective way to mass produce CFRP parts in sufficient volumes as early as 2009 – in the framework of the XL1 development project. Now this process has been further perfected.

CFRP is the ideal material for the body of the new XL1 because of its light weight. The XL1 prototype weighs only 795 kg. Of this figure, 227 kg represents the entire drive unit, 153 kg the running gear, 80 kg the equip-ment (including the two bucket seats) and 105 kg the electrical system. That leaves 230 kg, which is precisely the weight of the body – produced largely of CFRP - including wing doors, front windscreen in thin-glass technology as in motorsport and the highly safe mono coque. A total of 21.3 percent of the new XL1, or 169 kg, consists of CFRP. In addition, Volkswagen uses lightweight metals for 22.5 percent of all parts (179 kg). Only 23.2 percent (184 kg) of the new XL1 is constructed from steel and iron materials. The rest of its weight is distributed among vari-ous other polymers (e.g. polycarbon-ate side windows), metals, natural fi-bres, process materials and electron-ics.

Lightweight construction: safer than ever: The new XL1 is not only light-weight, but very safe as well. As men-tioned, this is due in part to the use of CFRP as a material. In the style of Formula 1 race cars, the Volkswagen has a high-strength monocoque. In

contrast to Formula 1, however, this safety capsule is enclosed on top – for safety. Depending on the type of colli-sion, the load path may be directed through the A- and B-pillars, cant rails and sills, all of which absorb the im-pact energy. Additional side members and crossmembers in the front and rear perfect the car‟s passive safety.

Running gear with ESP utilises high-tech materials

The running gear is equipped with anti-roll bars at the front and rear and is characterised by lightweight construc-tion with maximum safety. In front, a double wishbone suspension is used, while a semi-trailing link system is em-ployed at the rear. The front and rear suspension are both very compact in construction and offer a high level of driving comfort. The running gear components mount directly to the CFRP monocoque in key areas.

Running gear weight has been re-duced by the use of aluminium parts (including suspension components, brake calipers, dampers, steering gear housing), CFRP (anti-roll bars), ce-ramics (brake discs) magnesium (wheels) and plastics (steering wheel body). Friction-optimised wheel bear-ings and drive shafts, as well as an entirely new generation of optimised low rolling resistance tyres from MICHELIN (front: 115/80 R 15; rear: 145/55 R 16), contribute to the low energy consumption of the new XL1. Safety gains are realised by an anti-lock braking system (ABS) and elec-tronic stabilisation programme (ESP). That is because sustainability without maximum safety would not really be a step forward. The new XL1 shows how these two parameters can be

brought into harmony.

Golf R Is Crowned Top

Gear Hot Hatch Of The

Year

The Volkswagen Golf R has scooped the Hot Hatch of the Year honour at the UK TopGear Awards hosted by the TV show‟s presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

The Golf R was singled out in a hotly contested category due to its mix of dynamic ability, its powerful and char-ismatic engine and everyday refine-ment. In deciding the winner of the category the judges found the Golf R to be „extraordinarily good at so many things‟.

On hand to collect the award was Dr. Hendrik Muth, Head of Marketing and Communications at Volkswagen R – the special projects wing of Volks-wagen tasked with designing and de-veloping R products.

Dr. Muth commented: „This is the third generation of Golf R and the fastest and most focussed yet; we designed it to appeal to keen drivers exactly like the judges at TopGear. On behalf of Volkswagen and Volkswagen R it‟s a real honour for the Golf to be recog-nised with such an award.‟

The Golf R takes the Top Gear crown from the Golf GTI which won the Hot Hatch category in 2009.

2010 Volks-wagen Dealer

Of The Year Volkswagen Group Australia has offi-cially announced the winner of the 2010 Volkswagen Dealer of the Year Awards at a gala event in Melbourne on Saturday.

Ms Anke Koeckler, Volkswagen Group Australia‟s Managing Director pre-sented Mr Francis Mohammed, Dealer





Principlal of South Yarra Volkswagen, Victoria, with the award as National Dealer of the Year.

“South Yarra Volkswagen is a deserv-ing winner as 2010 National Dealer of the Year with excellent performance and service across the board. But 2010 was also marked by the entire Volkswagen dealer network embrac-ing the brand and taking it to new heights in Australia with an excellent all-time sales record. This result is the best proof of how professional and high achieving our dealer network team is and we can be very optimistic for the year ahead.”

A total of six awards including regional categories as well as the overall Com-mercial Vehicle Dealer of the Year and

the National Dealer of the Year were announced.

The 6 trophies were handed over to:

Southern Region Dealer of the Year – South Yarra Volkswagen, VIC

Central Region Dealer of the Year

– Lennock Volkswagen, ACT

Northern Region Dealer of the Year – Wippells Volkswagen, QLD

Western Region Dealer of the Year – Albany Volkswagen, WA

Rural Dealer of the Year – Wood-ley Motors, NSW

Commercial Vehicle Dealer of the Year – Burwin Volkswagen, VIC

Volkswagen Group Australia congratu-lates all the winning dealers and their dealership staff.

$100,000 Donation to Premier's Disaster Relief

Appeal at the Awards

As part of the gala event, Ms Anke Koeckler also announced a $100,000 donation on behalf of Volkswagen Group Australia to the Premier‟s Dis-aster Relief Appeal to help those af-fected by the wide spread flooding in Queensland.

Volkswagen Group

Australia and the Sydney

Swans Team

Up Volkswagen Group Australia are pleased to announce the start of a longterm partnership as major sponsor

with The Sydney Swans.

As part of the sponsorship agreement the Volkswagen logo will feature on the Club‟s playing shorts for the next four years. The logo will also be seen on the polo shirts of all Swans coaches and players. As part of the partnership, Volkswagen will also be aligned with the TeamSWANS Com-munity Program and the TeamSWANS Environment Program. Several high-profile players and staff members will also be provided with Volkswagen vehicles.

Anke Koeckler, Volkswagen Group Australia Managing Director, is looking forward to a long-lasting and success-ful partnership: “The Sydney Swans and Volkswagen are a natural fit. Both brands have a long-standing history with the Australian public and we are very excited to enter into this new era for the Volkswagen brand when it comes to supporting the truly Aussie sport AFL and in particular The Syd-ney Swans.”

Sydney Swans Chief Executive An-drew Ireland said the partnership was an exciting development at a pivotal time for the Club. “Volkswagen and the Sydney Swans are iconic brands, and in 2011 we will both be striving for success in very competitive industries. We believe this strong relationship will be of major benefit to both entities.‟‟

This partnership with a major Austra-lian sporting club is continuing Volks-wagen‟s global strategy of support for local sports in the respective markets. AFL as one of the most successful sports in this country represents the perfect choice for the Volkswagen brand.


ViaWest January-February 2011

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Transcript of ViaWest January-February 2011