Eco-diesel Engine Put In Motion

Newcastle Herald

Saturday May 31, 2008

Brent Davison

VOLKSWAGEN Group Australia clawed its way back into the new car market's top 10 a couple of years ago, lifting its sales to more than 20,000 units.

Is that satisfactory? Not by a long chalk and plans are in train to lift market share even further within the next few years.

The only manufacturer to offer a diesel alternative for its complete model range, the company will go one step further with an eco-diesel engine known as Blu-Motion which it expects to have here within two years.

The hold-up, says marketing general manager Peter Dierks, is the availability of automatic transmission with the engine.

"Right-hand-drive with Blu-Motion is only available with manual transmission right now. An automatic could be two years away," he says.

Another automatic transmission, Volkswagen's seven-speed Dynamic Shift Gearbox (DSG), is also waiting in the wings but, says Dierks, that transmission will arrive with the sixth-generation Golf which is also a way off.

The smaller-than-Polo Fox is also on VWGA's shopping list but again, it will be the next-generation car and not the current one that will come here and again, the reason centres on the availability of an automatic transmission for this market.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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