The New Passat GTE is now available to order in the UK, with 166mpg, 39g/km & a top speed of 140mph, what's not to like.

• State-of-the-art plug-in hybrid model joins award-winning Passat range
• Sports performance and exceptional economy come together in family-friendly model
• Available to order tomorrow, with prices starting from £36,525 (RRP OTR) excluding grant

Space, pace, and environmental credentials that even before its official UK showroom debut have already secured it a prestigious ‘green’ award: the new Volkswagen Passat GTE is calculated to offer drivers the very best of all worlds.

A winner in the Large Family Car class in the recent Next Green Car Awards even before its showroom debut here, the new Passat GTE is available to order tomorrow through the Volkswagen UK retailer network with prices starting at £36,525 (RRP OTR), excluding Government Plug-In Car Grant of £2,500.

The first Passat with a state-of-the-art plug-in hybrid drive system, the innovative new car offers spirited performance alongside the possibility of zero emissions when driving in all-electric mode. 

Available in saloon or estate body styles, the most environmentally responsible Passat to date emits just 39g of CO₂ on the EU Combined Cycle, equating to fuel economy of 166 mpg.  Yet with 400 Nm of torque and combined system power of 218 PS, the new car can sprint from rest to 62 mph in a lively 7.6 seconds before heading to a top speed of 140 mph, where legal. The potential range between refuelling stops is more than 660 miles.

The Passat GTE is a plug-in hybrid that can be driven up to 31 miles on electric power alone in E-Mode.  A 1.4-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine delivers 156 PS, while the electric motor adds a further 115 PS. Underlining its engaging performance capabilities, the electric motor alone can provide up to 330 Nm of torque from near-standstill.

A specially developed six-speed DSG gearbox is standard on the Passat GTE and features a third, disengagement clutch.  This decouples the TSI motor whenever possible, to allow the vehicle to make best use of kinetic energy and hence increases efficiency still further.

Building on the already elegant lines of the new Passat – voted European Car of the Year 2015 - the Passat GTE is distinguished outside by distinctive C-shaped LED daytime running lights and an additional blue line across the radiator grille: design cues which are shared with the award-winning Golf GTE.  A redesigned front bumper and 18-inch alloy wheels also mark out the new car.

Inside, in addition to the optional innovative Active Info Display with specific customised read-outs, standard features include blue ambient lighting, a leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel with blue decorative stitching, GTE-specific gear knob with blue stitching and seats covered in Alcantara with Vienna leather side bolsters.  Unique GTE badging also marks out the new Passat.

Bristling with innovative and engaging new technology, the new Passat GTE boasts Volkswagen’s new Car-Net e-Remote app which allows a wide variety of tasks – including charging – to be controlled via smartphone.  All climate control functions can be also activated remotely, while information on the vehicle’s state of charge, recent driving data or last parking position can be displayed.  It is also possible to check whether the doors are closed and the lights turned off.

The Passat GTE’s electric motor develops maximum torque of 330 Nm and offers continuous torque of 170 Nm. The 1.4-litre direct-injection turbocharged petrol engine is as sophisticated as the electric motor and drivetrain. This four-valve per cylinder unit from the EA211 engine family uses an ultra-rigid die-cast aluminium crankcase.  Maximum power of 156 PS comes at 5,000 rpm, and maximum torque of 250 Nm is on offer between 1,500 rpm and 3,500 rpm.

Under normal circumstances, the Passat GTE starts in pure electric E-Mode. When it reaches minimum battery charge hybrid mode is activated. Here the Passat GTE operates as a full hybrid, charging the battery under deceleration and automatically using the TSI motor and/or electric motor as required.  However, should the driver wish to conserve electric power (for example to use E-Mode in a city at the end of a journey), Battery Charge mode can be selected.  For maximum power, GTE mode can be chosen: this uses both petrol and electric motors.

The car’s lithium-ion battery is fitted in the floor area of the rear seat bench. Comprising eight modules of 12 cells each, it creates a nominal voltage of 360 V and power of 9.9 kWh, with a peak output of 85 kW.  The high-voltage battery is overseen electronically by the Battery Management Controller, which manages various functions including the battery’s liquid cooling system.

Charging is achieved either via a standard UK domestic mains outlet in around four hours and 15 minutes; or in two hours 30 minutes from a dedicated wallbox with a 3.6 kW supply.

The Passat GTE comes in two highly specified trim levels in the UK.  On top of the standard features of the Passat GT (such as Adaptive Cruise Control with Front Assist and City Emergency Braking, Discover Navigation, Bluetooth and parking sensors), standard items include LED headlights and tail lights, Mode 2&3 charging cables and Car-Net e-Remote.  Standard items on the GTE Advance trim also include the new Active Info Display, Discover Pro navigation (eight-inch screen), Nappa leather, Area View and LED premium headlights.

Despite its extra technology and revised styling, dimensions of the Passat GTE match those of the standard Passat, including boot volume (402-968 litres for the saloon and 483-1613 litres for the estate).

Judges in the Next Green Car Awards said of the Volkswagen: “Volkswagen’s Passat is an excellent large family car that performs well in every area. Add to it the plug-in hybrid powertrain that effortlessly provides drive for all situations and the Passat GTE becomes a dominant model in the large family class.”  

Volkswagen Passat GTE
Model	Engine	Gearbox	Power	CO2(g/km)	OTR RRP	OTR RRP with OLEV grant
Passat GTE	1.4 TSI with electric motor	Six-speed DSG	218 PS	39	£36,525	£34,025
Passat GTE Advance	1.4 TSI with electric motor	Six-speed DSG	218 PS	39	£40,180	£37,680
Passat Estate GTE	1.4 TSI with electric motor	Six-speed DSG	218 PS	39	£38,075	£35,575
Passat Estate GTE Advance	1.4 TSI with electric motor	Six-speed DSG	218 PS	39	£41,730	£39,230

IRELAND - Volkswagen to offer some seriously tempting offers on a range of cars for the 162 plate.

• 0% finance available on top-spec Polo, Golf, Golf SV and Passat models

Volkswagen has announced that they will offer 0% PCP finance from Volkswagen Bank for a limited period on a select number of their high-specification 162 model range. As part of their 162 offers, which include ultra-low PCP finance rates, free motor insurance on selected models and gadget-packed €162 Innovation Packs, there is now the option of 0% finance on selected models.

Buyers of the Polo have the chance to upgrade to the higher specification models of the car with Comfortline, Polo Lounge and GT versions now with 0% finance.

With the ever popular Golf now gaining new higher specification across the board, Golf Highline, GTI, GTD and R models now too come with 0% finance. This 0% rate also applies to the Highline version of the Golf SV.

Finally, the class-leading Passat also gets the finance offer, with Passat Highline, Highline Business Edition, Alltrack and GTE all now available for a limited period with 0% finance

Volkswagen and Zipwagen collaborate to offer low or Zero emission hire cars in London.

• Europe’s largest car maker and world’s largest car sharing network enter ‘Zipwagen’ partnership
• Partnership exclusively features 50 Golf GTE plug-in hybrids, with cutting-edge technology
• Zero- and low-emission motoring for just £7 per hour via Zipcar charging stations in London

Volkswagen is joining forces with the world’s largest car-sharing network, Zipcar, to launch the ultra-low emission Golf GTE in the UK’s capital city.  ‘Zipwagen’ is a clear demonstration of how Volkswagen is offering not only cutting-edge technology in its cars, but also in the ways in which those cars are used by new types of customers.

In future, increasing numbers of inner city residents will choose to use cars only when required and most suitable to their needs, making car sharing schemes attractive.  And with air quality a long-standing and still growing focus, an ultra-low emission vehicle such as the Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid is the ideal choice.

With 40 cars located in the London Borough of Westminster and a further 10 cars throughout the capital Zipwagen is a partnership which will see a total of 50 Volkswagen Golf GTE models, with dedicated charging stations, made available to Zipcar members.

The partnership allows members of the car club access to the dynamic, multi award-winning Golf GTE for as little as £7 per hour – bringing sustainable, low- and zero-emission driving within the reach of a large number of Londoners.

The innovative Golf GTE is powered by a combination of petrol engine and electric motor.  Capable of returning up to 166 mpg, and with CO₂ emissions measured at just 39 g/km, this desirable plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) has already scooped a series of prominent automotive industry awards including an overall win in the UK’s influential Green Apple Awards, and the Green category in the annual BusinessCar Fleet Technology Awards.

When fully charged in all-electric mode, the Golf GTE has an electric range of up to 31 miles**.  When electric and petrol combine, the total range is 580 miles**.  The car therefore provides the best of both worlds: the zero tailpipe emissions of a pure EV along with the reassuring extra range, low emissions and impressive economy of a latest generation Volkswagen petrol engine.  This makes the Golf GTE equally suitable whether on short trips in the city or longer journeys out of town.

The car’s latest generation lithium-ion battery can be charged in two ways: either when plugged into a charging station or, if necessary, while being driven on the road.  From zero to full charge takes 2 hours 20 minutes at one of the dedicated Zipcar charging points.

Welcoming the launch of the Zipwagen initiative Rod McLeod, Head of Marketing at Volkswagen UK, said: “Volkswagen is once again demonstrating its forward thinking with this exciting new Zipwagen initiative.  We are already leading the way in terms of product technology and the new car buying experience – from clicks right through to collection – but this partnership with Zipcar shows that we are also providing attractive solutions to increasing numbers of inner-city residents who want to use cars on demand in preference to actually owning one.

“Engaging low- or no-emission driving in the city, allied to the well-established quality and practicality of today’s Volkswagen Golf, means I expect the Zipwagen initiative to prove extremely popular and look forward to seeing the 50 Golf GTEs involved in the scheme out and about on the streets of London in the weeks and months ahead.” 

Mark Walker, Zipcar UK General Manager, said: “The Volkswagen Golf GTE is ideal for Zipcar members and ideal for London.  Volkswagen’s innovative plug-in hybrid technology means the best of both worlds: zero emission driving in the city, combined with total flexibility for driving long distances.  

“Thanks to our Zipwagen partnership, Zipcar members will be able to drive this leading-edge, premium car for just £7 per hour and, once they have done so, I’m confident they will become positive advocates for electric driving in the city.”

Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GTE entries to feature bespoke ‘Q by Aston Martin’ wings badges

• Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GTE entries to feature bespoke ‘Q by Aston Martin’ wings badges
• Unique collection of iconic wings to celebrate 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship
• Handcrafted in the historic Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham

On the eve of the 2016 World Endurance Championship opener at Silverstone, Aston Martin Racing has unveiled a bespoke selection of wings in celebration of the premiere endurance series.

Every Vantage produced for the road or race track is crafted by hand and the wings that adorn each model make no exception.

Commissioned by the British marque’s personalisation service ‘Q by Aston Martin’, the collection has been created by a highly accomplished and talented workforce based in Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter. Each of these unique pieces celebrate each of the rounds of this year’s championship.

With the series to commence with the 6 Hours of Silverstone, all three V8 Vantage GTE entries will be treated to a union flag inspired piece. Alternative designs of the iconic wings logo will be proudly displayed for the following eight rounds of the championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans; the FIA WEC’s centrepiece event.

Each enamelled wing is created using a combination of state-of-the-art CAD equipment and age-old jewellery making machinery – some of which dates back over 120 years – at renowned manufacturer Vaughtons.

Starting with an initial pressing and annealing process to ensure the badge’s strength and durability, all wings are subjected to chipping; a sequence of removing any ridges in the metal. The colours which give this collection its unique finish are applied by hand and linished using a fine grindstone to ensure a perfectly smooth surface. The wings are then fired to glaze, polished to instil a lustrous shine and carefully plated for the finishing touch.

General Manager for Q by Aston Martin Dr. Matthew Bennett said: “Our service endeavours to provide customers with a range of unique and personalised options for their road cars and I’m proud to be able to bring a bespoke touch of luxury to our Aston Martin Racing entries for the 2016 season. We look forward to seeing these iconic Aston Martin wings badges take to some of the world’s leading race circuits.”

Paul Howarth, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal said, “This season really is a fresh start for us. With a re-balanced driver line-up and our new V8 Vantage GTE making its competitive debut this weekend, I’m confident that we can put in strong performances throughout the season and carry these wings to strong race results.”

Further information for Aston Martin Racing can be found at www.astonmartin.com/racing or via the team’s social media channels.

Volkswagen takes the over top prize, in this years 5th annual, green Apple Awards held at the Houses of Parliament.

VOLKSWAGEN has won the top Green Apple Award for the way one of its models is both environmentally friendly and good to drive. 

The awards are made by The Green Organisation, a not for profits group which invites entries from all parts of industry, presented at the Houses of Parliament each autumn.

Midland Group of Motoring Writers members are asked to choose winners in the automotive part of the Green Apple Awards.

Overall winner in 2015 - the fifth year of the awards - is the Volkswagen Golf GTE, which is powered by a combination of petrol engine and electric motor.

The award was made at a ceremony in the terrace pavilion of the Houses of Parliament today (Monday 16 November).

The Golf GTE beat another VW Group car, a Skoda Fabia diesel into second place overall.

One Midland Group judge said of the winning Golf GTE: "It’s engineered like a Volkswagen, feeling solid and safe, while the hybrid system returns some superb figures when driven like a hybrid should be. 

For those days where there’s an empty country road, it turns in to a proper GTi, handling the extra weight with aplomb and proving you don’t need to make many compromises to produce a viable green choice."

The awards, which also features a SEAT model from another arm of the VW Group, comes at a time when Volkswagen is embroiled in a huge emissions scandal, starting in the United States

Midland Group chairman Ian Donaldson told the guests at the awards ceremony: "Twelve months ago it would have sounded like the plot of a bad Hollywood movie to suggest one of the world's biggest car companies might be involved in skulduggery on such a scale that the news bounced round the world, saw share prices tumble and a chief executive retire with a stain on his reputation.

"Today the VW emissions scandal rumbles on as lawyers and law makers work on bringing the culprits to book and ensuring we learn something from the debacle.

"I will leave the court cases to the legal teams who must, as we speak, be rooting out evidence for actions that are going to keep my learned friends busy for years."

He added: "What we can say with some certainty is that the way all car companies approach the measurement of the gases that come from the exhaust pipes of the cars they build will be changed to be more representative of the real world.

"That's being addressed by - you've guessed - an official committee. But they have been taking their time. I expect the VW rumpus has acted as a hurry up call. I hope so."

Category winners of the 2015 Green Apple Awards

Superminis

Winner: Mazda2 1.5 Skyactiv-D

Runner-up: Suzuki Celerio 1.0 Dualjet

Smaller family cars

Winner: Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI

Runner-up: Citroen C4 Cactus 1.6 BlueHDi.

Larger family cars

Winner: BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics

Runner-up: SEAT Leon 1.6 TDI Ecomotive

Smaller SUVs

Winner: Dacia Duster 1.5 dCi

Runner-up: Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi

Electric hybrids or pure electric vehicles

Winner: Volkswagen Golf GTE

Runner-up: Tesla Model S

Executive cars

Winner: Audi A6 2.0 TDI Ultra

Runner-up: Jaguar XF diesel

Green Apple champion for 2015

Winner: Volkswagen Golf GTE

Runner-up: Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI