Volkswagen Reconsidering Scirocco and Phaeton for the U.S. Market

Earlier this month, Volkswagen announced that it?s going to expand its North American SUV lineup in order to catch up to GM and Toyota and triple its U.S. sales by 2018. However, the automaker also wants to boost its image, so it may bring back the Scirocco coupe and Phaeton sedan to the States.

In an interview in Washington, Jonathan Browning, head of Volkswagen?s U.S. operations, told Bloomberg News that the company is exploring the idea of selling the two models in the U.S. ?We will reconsider bringing the Phaeton back to the U.S. in the next product cycle,? said Mr. Browning who added that no final decision has been made yet.

While not a bad car, the Phaeton had a short-lived career in the U.S., which ended in 2006. It seems that American buyers just couldn?t get used to the idea of a Mercedes S-Class rival with a Volkswagen badge. On the other hand, the Scirocco was successful in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s, so to this day, many are wondering why VW chose not to import the latest generation of the coupe model. In Europe, the Scirocco is offered with a variety of powertrains ranging from a 52.3 mpg 140HP diesel to a 265HP 2.0-liter turbo in the sporty "R" model.

The Scirocco and Phaeton are not expected to offer a lot in terms of sales, but rather to provide an image boost for the company. The real ?earners? will have to be models such as the new Jetta and Passat.

?VW wants to capture U.S. buyers by rolling out more emotional cars and the Scirocco certainly fits that category,? said Frank Schwope, a NordLB analyst in Hanover. ?In terms of volume sales, the Scirocco and Phaeton are only decorative accents, they won?t be crucial for VW?s goal to greatly increase deliveries?.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Bloomberg

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JE Design gives the VW Scirocco 2.0 TDI Wings

Banking on the popularity of diesel models in Europe, JE Design has presented a comprehensive tuning package for the VW Scirocco 2.0 TDI coupe that even includes a pair of Lamborghini-style scissor doors. For the basic version of the 2.0-liter diesel engine, the tuner offers a kit that boosts output from 140HP to 180HP and peak torque from 320Nm to 400Nm. In this case, top speed increases from to 213km/h or 132mph (+5km/h) while acceleration from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) is reduced by 0.9sec to 8.4 sec.

The most potent version of the 2.0 TDI that makes 170HP in stock form receives a 35HP and 60Nm bump to 205HP and 410Nm launching the Scirocco from standstill to 100km/h in 7.1sec (-0.7sec) and on to a tp speed of 229km/h or 143mph (+7km/h). The upgrade price for the 140HP motor is ?1,249 and for the 170HP version, ?1,449.

For those that would like to spice up the Scirocco"s appearance, JS Design offers a complete bodykit for ?919 that includes a front spoiler with carbon fiber trim, side skirts with air intakes (optionally available in carbon fiber) and a rear diffuser that houses a pair of chrome tailpipes. The LSD doors are priced from ?1,559.

The package is rounded off with a suspension kit that lowers the height of the vehicle by 30mm (?219), a sport exhaust system (?899) and a set of 19-inch alloy wheels in silver (?2,810) or graphite (?2,930) wrapped in 235/25 R19 rubber.

New VW Scirocco BlueMotion returns 62.8 mpg UK

Volkswagen is upping the fuel economy ante in the UK with the presentation of new Scirocco and Passat CC diesel range that benefit from the firm's BlueMotion Technology.

Starting with VW's proposal in the compact coupe segment, all entry-level and GT trim models with the 2.0-litre 140HP diesel engine now feature BlueMotion Technology modifications, which include Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems, thus helping to create the cleanest and most fuel efficient Scirocco to date.

When combined with a six speed manual gearbox, fuel economy on the Scirocco 2.0 TDI 140HP is improved from 55.4 mpg to 62.8 mpg UK on the combined cycle (51.4 to 57.6 DSG), while CO2 emissions drop down from 134 g/km to 118 g/km (145 to 129 DSG).

The German company also announced updates to the more powerful 2.0-litre TDI 170HP engine fitted to the Scirocco GT. These changes result in fuel economy figures improving from 53.3 mpg to 55.4 mpg UK for the manual gearbox model (50.4 to 51.4 DSG) and CO2 emissions reducing from 139 to 134 g/km (147 to 144 for DSG) .

The Passat CC line-up also sees BlueMotion Technology models with regenerative braking and Start/Stop systems replacing existing diesel versions. The updates help the 2.0-litre TDI 140HP Passat CC achieve a combined 60.1 mpg UK, up from 50.4, while CO2 emissions are reduced to 125 g/km, down from 146 g/km.

The 170HP version of the 2.0-litre diesel engine also boasts improved figures with fuel economy up to 57.6 mpg UK (51.4 DSG) and emissions down to 129 g/km (144 DSG).

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