Redesign of Volkswagens Best-selling Golf Model in Progress

By: Benjamin Hudson

Volkswagen AG, Europe largest automaker and producer of , has announced recently that the redesign of its best-selling Golf model is already in progress. According to Ulrich Hackenberg, the head of Volkswagen brand development in an interview in Berlin, "We are right on track. We are where we want to be.''

It can be remembered that when Martin Winterkorn, now chief executive of Volkswagen assumed the position last January he took a team with him from Audi that includes Hackenberg. The first agenda of Winterkorn includes the redesigning the next-generation Golf which was created during the terms of former CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder and Lieutenant Wolfgang Bernhard. These two former VW heads were responsible for developing the Volkswagen-brand of vehicles.

Hackenberg was recently in Berlin for a debate with German politician Renate Kuenast with regards to the car industry's role in climate change. Kuenast, who is presently heading the Green party in the lower house of parliament has created great controversy in Germany after she said that people should buy hybrid cars from Toyota Motor Corp.

Kuenast explained, "What I meant is that if the Germans don't have something to offer, then people should buy a Japanese auto. That is not to say that the Greens have made a decision on what the best type of engine is.''

The BlueMotion Technology
During his meeting with Kuenast, Hackenberg pointed out the fact that Volkswagen is offering a new line of vehicles as proof of its commitment to fuel efficiency. Vehicles sold under the BlueMotion label is capable of burning 30 percent less fuel compared to traditional models.

Volkswagen has presented the first BlueMotion car---the Polo subcompact which was released last year. The automaker will also be releasing soon the BlueMotion version of the Passat sedan hopefully in two months time.

Hackenberg further explained that the BlueMotion vehicles are better in saving fuel because they are lighter, possess gearboxes that shift more slowly and use tires with less road resistance. As a result, BlueMotion cars don't accelerate as quickly and are not as powerful as traditional models. The costs of the Polo BlueMotion are about 500 euros ($679) more than the standard Polo.

Juergen Kornmann, Volkswagen spokesman said, "We are sold out of the Polo BlueMotion until the end of June, early July. The order volume is three times higher than we expected.''

Hackenberg has assured Kuenast that Volkswagen will "definitely bring out a Golf BlueMotion'' soon to which the head of the Green Party replied with BlueMotion expansion is "very positive".

The BlueMotion technology is a part of the program that the former Volkswagen brand chief Bernhard has announced at the Geneva Motor Show last February 2005 wherein he said that the company will spend two billion euros for over a five-year period to develop and build fuel-efficient cars.

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