Gen 3 Boxster Won't Look Like This

[daro911]

VW BlueSport at Detroit
VW's stunning two-seater roadster has broken cover ahead of its debut in Detroit.

Auto Express Car Reviewshttp://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/233416/vw-bluesport-at-detroit.html
By Jack Rix
08th January 2009
The Boxster has got a fight on its hands! Ahead of its debut in Detroit this week, these are the first official images of VW's baby sports car designed to offer a cut-price alternative to Porsche's finest - and a more upmarket option to the MX-5.

Called the Concept BlueSport, it's the car that proves sportiness can go hand-in-hand with economy - combining the agility and pace of a mid-engined roadster, with the fuel-consumption and affordability of a more family-orientated model.

Performance fans won't be left wanting with a 0-60mph time of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 140mph, while running costs should be uncharacteristically low thanks to a combined fuel economy of 42mpg and supermini CO2 emissions of just 113g/km.

At the heart of the BlueSport are two efficiency-boosting technologies, an automatic stop-start function, similar to the system appearing across the BlueMotion range later this year and regenerative braking, like the KERS technology set to be employed by 2009 F1 cars.

Following in the footsteps of the Audi TT TDI, the world's first diesel sports car, the BlueSport uses an oil-burner under the bonnet. It's the familiar 2.0-litre turbocharged unit, producing 178bhp and 350Nm of torque mated to the six-speed version of VW's slick-shifting DSG "˜box.

And with all that torque being channelled through the rear wheels, genuine sports car thrills are guaranteed. Tipping the scales at a slimline 1,200kg, the BlueSport has been subject to a number of weight-saving measures. Most significant is the manually operated fabric roof, doing away with the need for heavy motors and hydraulics.

Compact dimensions mean it's shorter, lower but almost as wide as a MKVI Golf, creating a squat, muscular stance, and aiding stability in the bends. Despite short overhangs and a rear-mounted engine dictated by its all-new platform, VW insists the two storage areas, one at the front and one in the back, are roomy enough for a pair of weekend bags.

If the face seems familiar, that's because it continues the design language first implemented on the new Scirocco, MKVI Golf and UP! concept.

The sleek headlights, narrow radiator grille and prominent badge are unmistakably VW. At the rear, the LED taillights are sculpted to mimic the headlights, giving the car a front-rear symmetry much like the Boxster. A third brake light is integrated into the boot lid, just above the badge, while the blacked-out diffuser with the twin tailpipes located at it's outer-edges help to emphasise the car's width.

But it's in profile that the car really makes its presence felt. Cavernous side vents give away the car's mid-engine layout, while exaggerated wheel-arches filled with ten-spoke 19-inch alloys, bulge out of the bodywork.Inside the high-quality cabin an enormous touchscreen interface takes pride of place.

There's also lightweight sports seats clad in VW's trademark ribbed leather, with integrated roll-hoops behind the headrests and heating controls that glow blue or red depending on the desired temperature.

VW hasn't confirmed the roadster will make into production yet, but judging by the production-ready appearance, as well as the growing interest in small fuel-efficient sports cars, and it's not a question of if, but when its available to buy. Expect both TSI and TDI versions to be offered when it makes it to showrooms in 2010, with prices starting from around £22,500

 

[London987]

looks like the front of a megane stuck to the behind of a micra convertible.....

 

[Glyn]

The Boxster has got a fight on its hands?

Beats me where, this car not only looks like a wannabes sports model it performs like a family saloon - and these will be figures supplied by the hypemasters - the car wont actually achieve it,

I really have a problem with all cars that have a stop go engine, the starter and battery will take a walloping all the while plus the engine stays off until you take your foot of the brake - This will just add to the morons that sit at lights with their brake lights dazzling those behind - unless they have them switch off too when the engine cuts.

Not an attractive car and wouldnt tempt me, i couldnt drool over this car and i wouldnt even give it a go

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: Glyn

The Boxster has got a fight on its hands?

As I suspected it's aimed at the junior division and not the big boys []

The mid-engined Volkswagen BlueSport roadster is at least three years from production, one of the car's key engineers has said.

The BlueSport is assembled from a mix of bespoke and production parts. The production parts are lifted from VW's new transverse, front-engined MQB platform, not due in production until 2012.

But because those parts won't be tooled until 2012, the BlueSport can't borrow from the VW parts bin and will have to wait until then.

Despite the delay, the VW BlueSport has been deliberately designed to be production ready now. "We set out to make it legal and ready to go," said advanced design chief Thomas Inglenath.

The VW BlueSport, aimed at the likes of the Mazda MX-5 and Lotus Elise, weighs 1200kg and uses a manual, unlined hood to save weight.

VW group boss Martin Winterkorn and R&D chief Ulrich Hackenberg both pushed the project and chose the final styling, further adding to the BlueSport's production credentials.

The next task for project engineers is to present the BlueSport to other VW engineers and convince them the car is goer "" until now it hasn't been widely seen inside VW.