VW's baby roadster is coming!

[Mr.B]

THE lid has been lifted on VW’s hot new roadster! Auto Express’s sources in Germany have revealed that a production version of the stunning BlueSport roadster has been given the green light.

The mid-engined two-seater wowed crowds on its debut at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show with its blend of sports car thrills and a frugal diesel engine. Now, insiders close to the project have revealed that a showroom-ready design is being finalised before engineering prototypes begin testing.

Stylists have stayed as true as possible to the original show car, and our exclusive illustrations reveal the newcomer’s look.

The familiar VW face is carried over from the Golf and Scirocco, so sleek headlights and a narrow, horizontal grille will appear. A set of LED daytime running lamps is the only notable addition.

Compact dimensions mean the BlueSport is shorter and lower than the Golf, but nearly as wide, so it has a squat, muscular stance.

Inside, the bespoke-style interior of the concept will make way for a more understated and sporty design, similar to that seen on other performance VWs, including the Scirocco. Thanks to the mid-engined layout, storage spaces in the front and rear should boost practicality.

Weight is kept to a minimum by the use of an ultra-light aluminium chassis, plus a manually operated canvas folding roof. The car will tip the scales as low as 1,200kg – similar to rivals such as Mazda’s MX-5.

Power will come from the show car’s 178bhp 2.0-litre diesel, as well as a choice of the turbo and supercharged 1.4 TFSI engine from the Polo GTI, and the Golf GTI’s 2.0-litre turbo unit. A six-speed manual gearbox is to be offered as standard, but VW’s dual-clutch DSG set-up will be available as an option.

Performance from the diesel version is expected to be rapid, with 0-60mph in around six seconds. But it won’t come at the expense of efficiency; thanks to regenerative braking and stop-start, the newcomer promises fuel economy of 45mpg and sub-120g/km CO2 emissions.

Our sources say that as Toyota is said to be working on a hybrid version of its MR2 replacement, and Honda has already launched its petrol-electric CR-Z, a hybrid BlueSport could follow. Expect to see the car in dealers by 2013, priced from around £20,000.

VW's baby roadster is coming! | Auto Express News | News | Auto Express

[GoLfMan]

fantastic!

Finally a RWD VW

[The_Hawk]

That looks pretty hot! I wouldn't say know if someone wanted to give me one

[Tim]

nice! Hopefully we get to see this thing here!

Id love to see a coupe version as well.

[team_v]

Yes, this is awesome news!
Hopefully it is priced reasonably (compared to the Eos) and has an optionaol hard-roof.

[Sharkie]

Provided it comes with the new 2.0 TSI engine and a manual option, this will be my next VW. It will make us a 3 VW family, 1 for the wife, 1 for the family and 1 just for me ....

No other VW currently appeals to me in the same way this does.... it is simply awesome.

[geeza]

i think thats just made my day!

[Buller_Scott]

hmmmm...... i like the look of it, but i'd want a hard top- personally dont really like convertibles.

interesting, some of the comments underneath the article, and all the praise for the mx5 by comparison, as well as ripping on the diesel engine.

1. once again, ****ing clowns who know nothing about advancements in diesel tech, thinking that they're only for 30 year old trucks

2. according to redbook, the golf gtd is only 0.3 seconds slower than a 2010 manual mx5, and that's with a first gear that only lasts till around 45km/h. the Bluesport will be significantly faster still.

3. just going by numbers for the gtd engine, i cannot, for the love of me, stress just how utterly humiliating it would be for an mx5 if it tried to step to this Bluesport, up mt. buller. what's that? only 188nm? **** off, clown.

well, that's what i would have posted under the article, but i couldnt be bothered signing up.

cheers,

scotty

[Tim]

Its coming back down the mountain where the mx5 will have just about any VW available on the market for breakfast.

[tanehy]

I may have just found me next car!