Tuesday, October 11, 2005

New Scirocco in 2008?

Text from Autoweek. Photo rendering from Auto Motor und Sport.
A rapid 3.2-liter 247-hp V6-powered all-wheel-drive coupe will spearhead Volkswagen boss Wolfgang Bernhard’s effort to establish the German carmaker as the purveyor of some of Europe’s most desirable yet affordable performance cars.

Described to AutoWeek as the spiritual successor to the once highly regarded Scirocco, the coupe will be built on a modified Jetta chassis. Wolfsburg insiders say the new car may be marketed under the name Rivo.

With styling by VW design boss Murat Gunak, whose credits include the Mercedes-Benz SLR, and VW head of advanced design Peter Schreyer, who oversaw Audi’s recent design renaissance, the resurrected Scirocco is a pure 2+2 designed to complement the Eos folding-hardtop convertible unveiled at Frankfurt.

The car adopts the muscular styling treatment first shown on VW’s Concept R—a car that now appears to be abandoned due to its complex mid-engine layout.

Power comes from two four-cylinders, the new 1.4-liter Twincharger unit, and the turbo­charged 2.0-liter FSI mill. At the top of the line is a 3.2-liter V6, paired with all-wheel drive.

Gearboxes include a six-speed manual and optional six-speed DSG unit.