Sixth-gen VW Golf to get stop/start and BlueMotion badge

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buckeye96

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http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/06/09/sixth-gen-vw-golf-to-get-stop-start-and-bluemotion-badge/

Sixth-gen VW Golf to get stop/start and BlueMotion badge

Volkswagen has seen fit to offer stop/start technology on the next generation of its little hatchback, the Golf... or the Rabbit if you happen to live in the United States. To go along with the gasoline and carbon-saving technology, Vee Dub will add a BlueMotion label to all Golfs so-equipped. Although the stop/start technology will be standard on the BlueMotion Golf, it will also be optional on other models, according to Automotive News. So far, we have no indication on what powertrains the half-hybrid systems will be offered with, but we do know, and have already written about, new small engine options for the sixth-generation of the Golf. Considering how close we are to the planned late 2008 or early 2009 launch of the new hatch, we're sure that this new small-bore engine won't be available right away.

Expect to see VW's new stop/start technology trickle upwards to other models in its range. As is usually the case, the cost of the associated hardware will surely go down as it is installed in more and more vehicles.
 
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Mulad

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Does anyone have an Automotive News account? I'm curious if they gave any indication of availability in the U.S.
 
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donfromnaples

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Calling it the Golf without mention of the Rabbit name used in the U.S. makes me believe that it will be available first abroad.
 
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chewy

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Start-stop is a good technology. BUT, it supposedly does a grand total of 0 on the EPA test. Which would make it hard for VW to bring it here. But it would be very cool to have the engine turn off at stoplights. Of course you woulnd't be able to do it all the time when it's too cold or hot.
 
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buckeye96

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Looks like we won't be getting it period.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/15/report-volkswagen-golf-mk-vi-not-u-s-bound/

Germany's Spiegel Online is reporting that currency concerns will force Volkswagen to not sell the upcoming Mk VI Golf in the United States, Brazil, and Australia. It all boils down to profitability, and it appears that the forthcoming Golf simply cannot be sold in our market (or Brazil or Australia) in the current economic climate without falling short of VW's targets. Thus, Spiegel reports that VW boss Martin Winterkorn told a meeting of the board that the next Golf won't make an appearance here in the States, period. The original article (in German) is here, and any German-speaking readers are welcome to add clarity to the report in the comments below.

In the US, the Golf (Rabbit) family is VW's second-highest seller behind the Jetta. If this drastic measure does indeed come to pass, we're left wondering what, if anything, would fill that void. Would the current Mk V soldier on, much in the same way VW continues to offer the Mk IV in markets like Canada under the City moniker? This is going to be an interesting story to follow, regardless of what ultimately transpires.
 
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Mulad

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That's the story for the Golf, but will it be true for the Jetta? With the MkV models, the Jetta landed here about the same time as it did in Europe, but the Golf took two years or so.

Yeah, I'd be curious if stop-start is only available on DSG models. It's certainly possible to have stop-start on a manual transmission, though. I've read that the Mini and some other BMWs in Europe will turn off the engine when you shift into neutral while stopped. Put the shifter into gear, and the engine fires up. Must be a bit tricky to wait to engage the clutch until after the engine's going, though... (I'm not sure if you also need take your foot off the clutch pedal to stop the engine or not.)
 
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II_Kings_9_20

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Once again the bastard child US market is neglected for any number of lame excuses. This is a good example. They should also drop the Rabbit name as they did for many years and at least guve the US a car with a name the same as it's European cousin even if it lacks a whole host of features.
 
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RKSTDI

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II_Kings_9_20 said:
Once again the bastard child US market is neglected for any number of lame excuses. This is a good example. They should also drop the Rabbit name as they did for many years and at least guve the US a car with a name the same as it's European cousin even if it lacks a whole host of features.
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When I placed my order for my TDI Sportwagen last week, the salesman mentioned that VW loses $2000 on every Rabbit sold in America. If true, I'm guessing it's the euro-USD exchange rate that is largely to blame.
 
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truman

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RKSTDI said:
When I placed my order for my TDI Sportwagen last week, the salesman mentioned that VW loses $2000 on every Rabbit sold in America. If true, I'm guessing it's the euro-USD exchange rate that is largely to blame.
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It amazes me that VW makes money at all- in any market. Management wise it has been run like a state owned enterprise for decades.
 
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impetus19

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If that is true I cant see anyway they are turning much if any of a profit on jettas.
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chewy

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They make Jettas in Mexico. The cost to make a Jetta must be somewhat lower than to make a Rabbit in Germany with a Mexican engine. VW sells way more Jettas in the US.

Basically VW will continue to have low sales numbers until they start building US only vehicles. VW has never done so because they have concentrated more on the European/International market.

Toyota and Honda have concentrated heavily on the US market, hence their sucess here/much less sucess in Europe.
 
frugality

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chewy said:
Basically VW will continue to have low sales numbers until they start building US only vehicles. VW has never done so because they have concentrated more on the European/International market.
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Never done so???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen#Volkswagen_from_1974_to_1990

North American production of the Rabbit commenced at a factory in New Stanton, Pennsylvania in 1978. It would be produced in the United States as the Rabbit until the spring of 1984. The second-generation Golf hatchback/Jetta sedan ran from late 1983 to late 1991, and a North American version produced in Pennsylvania went on sale at the start of the 1985 model year. The production numbers of the first-generation Golf has continued to grow annually in South Africa as the Citi Golf, with only minor modifications to the interior, engine and chassis, using tooling relocated from the New Stanton plant in Westmoreland Pennsylvania when that site began to build the Second Generation car.
In the 1980s, Volkswagen's sales in the United States and Canada fell dramatically, despite the success of models like the Golf elsewhere. The problems had stemmed from the Rabbit, which had developed a reputation for bad electrical systems and oil burning.[citation needed] The Japanese and the Americans were able to compete with similar products at lower prices. Sales in the United States were 293,595 in 1980, but by 1984 they were down to 177,709.[6] The introduction of the second-generation Golf, GTI and Jetta models helped Volkswagen briefly in North America. Motor Trend named the GTI its Car of the Year for 1985, and Volkswagen rose in the J.D. Power buyer satisfaction ratings to eighth place in 1985, up from 22nd a year earlier.[7] VW's American sales broke 200,000 in 1985 and 1986 before resuming the downward trend from earlier in the decade. Chairman Carl Hahn decided to expand the company elsewhere, and the New Stanton, Pennsylvania factory closed on 14 July 1988.
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NuklearTDI

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buckeye96 said:
Looks like we won't be getting it period.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/15/report-volkswagen-golf-mk-vi-not-u-s-bound/

Germany's Spiegel Online is reporting that currency concerns will force Volkswagen to not sell the upcoming Mk VI Golf in the United States, Brazil, and Australia. It all boils down to profitability, and it appears that the forthcoming Golf simply cannot be sold in our market (or Brazil or Australia) in the current economic climate without falling short of VW's targets. Thus, Spiegel reports that VW boss Martin Winterkorn told a meeting of the board that the next Golf won't make an appearance here in the States, period. The original article (in German) is here, and any German-speaking readers are welcome to add clarity to the report in the comments below.
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LIES!!!

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=127288

Do you people seriously believe that VW would Axe the Rabbit from the US lineup shortly after they brought back the Rabbit name to bring more customers to the brand? It is not mean to be a model with a huge profit margin, but it is there to help the brand image and keep customers, like the New Beetle. Would all these people reporting this false story believe me if I told them the word gullible was written on the ceiling above them?
 
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chewy

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The latest word is that a diesel Rabbit will come in Fall 09, exactly when the new MKVI Rabbit goes on sale in the US.
 
frugality

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chewy said:
The latest word is that a diesel Rabbit will come in Fall 09, exactly when the new MKVI Rabbit goes on sale in the US.
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I like the look of the MKVI Wabbit better than the current MKV. If it's at least $2k cheaper than a Sportwagen and has cloth seats...:cool:
 
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donfromnaples

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chewy,

are you hearing that the diesel Rabbit will be in the States in 2009 at the same time as the MKVI hits our showrooms? I am wondering about the timeline for the diesel to be on sale in the U.S. thanks
 
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donfromnaples

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I was figuring on the MKVI Rabbit in Fall 2009 with the TDI version coming in 2010 to the States. If the rumor is true, this is good news. I think everyone is sick of waiting on diesels, hybrid diesels, and full electrics. We have had teasers out and about at auto shows for several years now. I hope we get that TDI Rabbit here next year.
 
German_1er_diesel

German_1er_diesel

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Mulad said:
I've read that the Mini and some other BMWs in Europe will turn off the engine when you shift into neutral while stopped. Put the shifter into gear, and the engine fires up. Must be a bit tricky to wait to engage the clutch until after the engine's going, though...
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It's the other way around: The engine stops when you shift into neutral. It fires up back again when you press the clutch. So you can't shift into gear before the engine is running.
It works completely transparently. You don't need to get used to anything. The silence when you stop is nice.
All manual 4-cylinder BMWs have it, automatics and larger engines will follow.
 
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