IRELAND - The order books are now open for the All-New Volkswagen seven-seater Sharan MPV.

Volkswagen Ireland is now taking orders for the new seven-seater Sharan MPV, which is now fully reintroduced to the Irish market. Prices for the new model start at €42,500.  

The Sharan is a full-size MPV, which benefits from the EasyFold seating concept, which allows for easier access on models with several rows of rear seats. One hand movement is all that is required to fold either of the two outer seats in the second row forwards.  The Sharan also comes with side sliding doors, making it a perfect family car.

The Sharan comes to Ireland with a straightforward choice of specifications. There is one engine, the 2.0-litre TDI with 150bhp and you can have this with either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed DSG transmission. There are two specification grades for Sharan, Comfortline and Highline.

The Comfortline specification Sharan comes generously equipped with 16" Memphis Alloy Wheels, a leather multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, 3-zone climatronic air conditioning, park distance control, folding mirrors, front fog lights and multiple storage compartments. Upgrade to the Highline specification Sharan and you add Vienna leather trim, Titanium Silver decorative inserts, heated front seats, 17" Sydney Alloy Wheels, Adaptive Cruise Control including city emergency brake functions and "Front Assist". This specification also adds keyless access locking and starting.

And as a special offer Sharan customers can avail of a Technology Pack, which includes Discover Media Navigation, Electric Rear Sliding Doors and Rear View Camera for just €161 on models ordered before the end of February 2016.

Volkswagen announces pricing and Specification of the All New Sharan.

Volkswagen Retailers will begin taking orders for the new Sharan MPV today, ahead of first UK deliveries in October.  Prices for the new model start at £26,300 RRP OTR.

The seven-seat people-carrier, the first generation of which was unveiled in 1995, has been refreshed and now features improved specification as well as a range of engines which all meet EU6 standards and are up to 15 per cent more efficient than those they replace.

The current model went on sale in November 2010, and was the first Sharan to benefit from an all-new EasyFold seating concept and side sliding doors.  Both of these key user-friendly features are carried over to the new model, along with a host of other changes.

Inside, the new Sharan gets a boost in the form of new upholsteries, new steering wheels and the brand new second generation colour touchscreen MIB infotainment systems across the range of S, SE and SEL models.  

Also standard across the range are an Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, Bluetooth phone connection and three-zone Climatronic air conditioning. 

SE trim gains chrome roof rails and tinted rear glass, front and rear parking sensors and cruise control among other items, while the range-topping SEL trim now features Front Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control, panoramic sunroof, Alcantara upholstery and Discover Navigation with CarNet Guide and Inform. 

A new SE Navigation model will also join the range: based on the mid-range SE trim it adds Discover Navigation with CarNet Guide and Inform for an additional £675.

Four engines are available in the new Sharan: one petrol and three diesel, ranging in power from 115 to 184 PS.  All are EU6 compliant, more efficient and have improved CO₂ emissions.  

The entry-level is a 2.0-litre TDI with 115 PS which is available in S trim only.  Moving up the range customers have the choice of a 1.4-litre TSI and a 2.0-litre TDI, both with 150 PS; while at the top is a 2.0-litre TDI with 184 PS.  All apart from the 115 PS TDI are available with a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed DSG gearboxes.

Prices for the new Sharan start at £26,300 and rise to £36,280 (see following page for full details).  

New Sharan pricing

Model S	Gearbox	Combined mpg	CO2 (g/km)	Price, £ RRP OTR
2.0-litre TDI 115 PS	6-spd manual	56.5	130	26,970
1.4-litre TSI 150 PS	6-spd manual	43.5	150	26,300
1.4-litre TSI 150 PS	6-spd DSG	42.2	156	27,705
2.0-litre TDI 150 PS	6-spd manual	56.5	130	27,930
2.0-litre TDI 150 PS	6-spd DSG	54.3	136	29,410

Model SE / SE Nav	Gearbox	Combined mpg	CO2 (g/km)	Price, £ RRP OTR SE	Price, £ RRP OTR SE Nav
1.4-litre TSI 150 PS	6-spd manual	43.5	150	28,485	29,160
1.4-litre TSI 150 PS	6-spd DSG	42.2	156	29,890	30,565
2.0-litre TDI 150 PS	6-spd manual	56.5	130	30,115	30,790
2.0-litre TDI 150 PS	6-spd DSG	54.3	136	31,595	32,270
2.0-litre TDI 184 PS	6-spd manual	53.3	138	31,685	32,360
2.0-litre TDI 184 PS	6-spd DSG	53.3	138	33,035	33,710

Model SEL	Gearbox	Combined mpg	CO2 (g/km)	Price, £ RRP OTR
2.0-litre TDI 150 PS	6-spd manual	55.4	132	33,360
2.0-litre TDI 150 PS	6-spd DSG	54.3	137	34,840
2.0-litre TDI 184 PS	6-spd manual	53.3	139	34,930
2.0-litre TDI 184 PS	6-spd DSG	53.3	139	36,280

All New Volkswagen Sharan to get debut at 85th International Geneva Motor Show 2015.

• Even more technical highlights for the popular Volkswagen MPV
• New TSI and TDI engines are up to 15 per cent more fuel efficient

Volkswagen is presenting the technically updated Sharan at the Geneva International Motor Show. Numerous new convenience and assistance systems make the family-friendly MPV one of the most advanced models in its segment. 

A wide range of infotainment systems also guarantees full connectivity to many smartphones and tablets. 

At the same time, the fuel economy of the petrol and diesel engines was improved by up to 15 per cent. The updated Sharan will arrive on the German market this summer; advance sales begin in April.

Along with the standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically initiates braking after a collision if the driver is no longer able to intervene, numerous optional assistance systems are available in the updated Sharan as well. 

They include the ambient traffic monitoring system Front Assist with integrated City Emergency Braking, the Lane Assist lane-keeping assistant, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), the third generation of Park Assist (for assisted parking and exiting from parking spaces) and the Blind Spot Monitor, which warns of vehicles in the blind spot when changing lanes.

The petrol (TSI) and diesel (TDI) engines, which are as powerful as they are efficient, have been completely redesigned. The turbocharged direct-injection engines are now up to 15 per cent more fuel-efficient, and they all conform to the Euro-6 emissions standard. The two TSI engines produce 110 kW / 150 PS and 162 kW / 220 PS. 

The power of the strongest petrol engine is increased by 15 kW / 20 PS. The diesel engines are offered at three power levels: 85 kW / 115 PS, 110 kW / 150 PS (gain of 10 PS) and 135 kW / 184 PS (gain of 7 PS). All engines (except the 85 kW TDI) may be combined with the agile 6-speed dual clutch gearbox (DSG), which now also enables the fuel-saving coasting function (decoupling of the engine from the drivetrain when foot is taken off the accelerator pedal).

The second generation of the modular infotainment platform is used in the Sharan; it offers a maximum level of connectivity. The Sharan is one of the first Volkswagen vehicles to be equipped with "App Connect"; thanks to MirrorLinkTM, Android Auto (Google) and Car Play (Apple), a wide variety of apps can be fed into the new infotainment systems. The systems are also impressive due to their fast processors (optimised boot- up, quick route calculation, optimal touchscreen performance) and high-resolution displays.

In addition, the Sharan interior is upgraded with new accents and materials, and the instrument cluster is perfected. The rear of the Sharan now also has a more concise light signature thanks to LED technology.

* Fuel consumption of Sharan in l/100 km: 7.1 - 4.9 (combined); CO₂ emissions in g/km: 167 – 130 (combined), efficiency class: C-A (estimated, as of 16 February, 2015)

Volkswagen hits six million sales in one year for the first time.

• Group Board member for Sales Christian Klingler:  “Tenth record in succession. Deliveries doubled since 2004.”

“The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand closed the tenth year in succession with a new delivery record, topping the six-million mark for the first time in a twelve-month period.  That means we have doubled deliveries by the brand since 2004,” Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, commented in Wolfsburg on Friday.  

The company handed over 6.12* million vehicles to customers from January to December 2014.  The brand delivered 529,500 (December 2013: 542,300; -2.4 percent) units in the month of December.  “We expect the existing challenging market conditions to continue in 2015. However, we believe we are very well prepared to face these challenges with new products such as the Passat or the internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning Golf,” Klingler added.

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 1.68 (1.64; +2.8 percent) million vehicles on the overall European market in 2014, of which 858,300 (811,800; +5.7 percent) were handed over to customers in Western Europe (excluding Germany).  

Deliveries on the home market of Germany also grew, with 578,400 (560,100; +3.3 percent) customers taking possession of a new model there.  Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 244,700 (263,300; -7.1 percent) vehicles in Central and Eastern Europe in the twelve months to December. 128,100 (156,300; -18.0 percent) units were handed over to customers in Russia.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 586,700 (622,300; -5.7 percent) units in the North America region last year, of which 367,000 (407,700; -10.0 percent) were handed over to customers in the United States.  Deliveries in the South America region from January to December decreased to 662,600 (804,300; -17.6 percent) units, of which 541,700 (623,800; -13.2 percent) were handed over to customers in Brazil.

In contrast, deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region grew by a substantial 9.0 percent from January to December 2014, with the brand handing over 2.97 (2.73) million vehicles to customers there. 2.76 (2.51; +10.0 percent) million vehicles were delivered in China (incl. Hong Kong) during the same period.

* Deliveries for 2013 have been updated to reflect subsequent statistical trends.  The Saveiro model, which is mainly sold in South America, has therefore been included in deliveries for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand retroactively from January 1, 2013.  As a consequence, in purely mathematical terms deliveries by the brand in 2013 have increased retroactively from 5.93 to 6.02 million vehicles.