Group News

• SE, SEL Tech and Black Edition are new to third-generation Touareg
• Multi-award-winner now starts from £45,445 RRP OTR in SE guise
• Large SUV benefits from Volkswagen’s 48-hour test drive programme

Volkswagen has expanded the line-up for its acclaimed Touareg SUV, adding entry-level, mid-range and high-end specifications with a focus on technology to double the number of available variants on offer. The models arrive shortly after the brand announced its 48-hour test drive programme would be expanded to include the Touareg.

The Touareg is now additionally available in SEL Tech and Black Edition trims – both new to the third-generation model – with a focus on technology, and the Black Edition also focusing on design. An entry-level SE trim is also now open for order, taking the starting price for the luxury SUV down to £45,445 RRP OTR.

Entry-level SE trim sits beneath SEL trim in the Touareg range. The new start point for Touareg ownership gets 19-inch Osorno alloys, a Discover Pro 9.2-inch touch-screen infotainment system with Gesture Control and integrated voice control, front and rear parking sensors and adaptive cruise control amongst its standard equipment. For the SE, most of the SEL’s standard-fit equipment has been kept, with luxury fittings like leather upholstery being reserved for the higher-end models to enhance the value of the entry-level car. The highly praised 231 PS and 286 PS 3.0-litre V6 TDI engines are available on this trim.

Mid-range SEL Tech trim builds upon the popular SEL, boosting the technology on offer by adding Volkswagen’s ...

• World’s most desirable SUV offered with four or seven seats
• Twin individual rear seats with massage function among a range of exclusive features
• Seven-seat configuration offers maximum flexibility
• Trio of available engines offers
• Optional Bentley Rear Entertainment, picnic tables and Mulliner Console Drinks Cooler
• Bentayga designed, engineered and handcrafted in Great Britain

The Bentley Bentayga range of exclusive go-anywhere do-anything SUVs is available with four or seven seat configurations which, combined with a trio of available engines, including the first true-luxury plug in hybrid, reinforce its status as the world’s most versatile luxury vehicle.

The flexible seating options make the all-terrain Bentayga the most practical luxury car Bentley has ever built. Big enough to carry a family of seven, it also has the ability to swallow up a boot-load of luggage when required, without ever compromising the extraordinary travelling experience for which Bentleys are renowned. While the available four seat configuration means the Bentayga can also double as a luxury limousine.

Such a variety of seat options further extends the Bentayga’s ultimate luxury experience, offering different ways to enjoy familiar journeys on the road, and open up new horizons off-road.

Both Bentayga V8 and Speed models are available with either four or seven-seat cabin options, while the Hybrid comes with four seats. In this configuration, it provides an enhanced space for relaxation, entertainment or work on-the-move. The twin rear-seat model provides two passengers with most of the same, impressive ...

Striking new SUV Coupé lines up alongside the original e-tron as the Audi electrification continues to gather momentum

• Elegant ‘SUV Coupé’ available to order in the UK from early 2020
• Drag coefficient of just 25 – even more streamlined than its sister car
• 300 kW boost output, WLTP range of up to 240 miles in UK specification
• Innovative digital Matrix LED lighting optionally available

A new dawn is breaking for Audi as the brand begins to embrace electrification on a grand scale, and with energising Californian sunshine as a very appropriate backdrop the new Audi e-tron Sportback launches today to mark the next step in its ambitious BEV and PHEV launch programme. Unveiled at the 2019 LA Auto Show, the second Audi BEV will be available in the UK from early 2020, and alongside its e-tron sister car will spearhead the roll-out of a fully electric e-tron portfolio that will be at least 20 models strong by 2025.

The dynamic new SUV coupé offers up to 300 kW of power, a WLTP range of up to 240 miles in UK specification form and a wealth of advanced technology, including digital matrix LED headlights which are available for the first time in a series-production vehicle. The sleek and even more aerodynamically efficient new alternative to the more classically styled e-tron is set to open for ordering in the UK early in 2020 ahead of first deliveries in the second quarter of the year.

“With its familiar SUV proportions and classic design the e-tron provided the perfect entry point for Audi customers approaching fully electric driving for the first time, and has very successfully paved the way for the new e-tron Sportback to head in an even bolder design direction,” says Director of Audi UK Andrew Doyle.

“As its styling would suggest the e-tron Sportback is positioned to offer a more sporting bias, and this is reflected in the fact that our specification line-up for the model in the UK will begin at S line level - but this is still fundamentally an Audi e-tron. Anyone who has already savoured that car’s amazing refinement and the numerous features that make it ...

Striking Audi SUV Coupé is the first of its kind to bear the RS badge as a purebred product of Audi Sport

• 600PS, 800Nm (590 lb-ft), 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds, 155mph top speed
• RS-specific adaptive air suspension, all-wheel steering, quattro sport differential and electromechanical active roll stabilisation all fitted as standard
• Flagship Carbon Black and Vorsprung versions also available
• Ordering opens during Q1 2020

Range expansion and diversification continue apace at Audi Sport, as demonstrated particularly conclusively by the new Audi RS Q8, which has made its world debut today at the 2019 LA Auto Show. The first ever full-size Audi SUV to bear the RS badge pushes the boundaries of performance for a model of this type, a claim that it underscores by being the first ever production Audi SUV capable of a sub-four-second 0-62mph sprint. The 600PS, twin-turbo V8 TFSI responsible for this incredible accelerative force will be available to UK Audi Sport enthusiasts in the new RS Q8 from early next year.

Behind the brawn of this versatile SUV Coupé is exceptional intelligence and ingenuity – the new RS Q8 incorporates some of the most technologically advanced Audi features available, and combines them with outstanding flexibility and maximum everyday usability to redefine the traditional performance car genre. The impressive technical specification includes highlights such as RS-specific adaptive air suspension, all-wheel steering, sport differential and active roll stabilisation, and customers will have the option to upgrade even further to Carbon Black and Vorsprung versions which unleash even more of the sporting potential.

“For the first time in the 25-year history of Audi RS models, we are putting a large SUV coupe with the genes of a true high-performance sports car on the road,” said Oliver Hoffmann, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. “With its biturbo V8 petrol engine, the Audi ...

• Trailblazer: the Citigo^e iV is ŠKODA’s first all-electric model
• Perfect for urban environments: the five-door city car is agile, zero-emission and spacious
• Nimble plug-in: the 32.2-kWh lithium-ion battery feeding the 61-kW engine allows for a reallife range of up to 260 km

ŠKODA AUTO has taken the next step on the path to electrifying its model range: today, the first Citigo^e iV rolled off the production line at the Volkswagen plant in Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava. The zero-emission five-door city speedster is the brand’s first battery-powered car. Its real-life range allows drivers to cover up to 260 km, yet the car still boasts high torque and dynamic driving performance.

Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, said, “The Citigo^e iV’s start of production marks a new milestone in the history of ŠKODA AUTO: it is our brand’s first all-electric model with many practical advantages as well as high manufacturing quality.”

The battery-powered Citigo^e iV is made at the Volkswagen plant in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava. This is also where it celebrated its world premiere on 23 May this year during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.

The zero-emission city speedster’s lithium-ion battery has a net capacity of 32.2 kWh and feeds a 61- kW (83-PS) electric motor. Due to the way in which electrically powered vehicles work, the car’s high torque of 212 Nm is available even when pulling away. This means the front-wheel-drive Citigo^e iV accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.3 seconds, ...

• Bentley celebrates 60^th anniversary of legendary V8 engine
• World’s longest-serving V8 in production
• First used in 1959 Bentley S2 to replace straight-six engine
• V8 engine has powered 23 Bentley models and still powers the Mulsanne today
• Mulsanne Speed twin-turbo V8 develops 530 bhp (537 PS) and 811 lb.ft (1,100 Nm) of torque

Bentley is celebrating the 60^th anniversary of its venerable V8, the longest serving engine of its type in production. Originally fitted to the S2 model of 1959, the lasting appeal of the Bentley engine is proven by its continued application today in the luxurious Mulsanne limousine.

The V8 of this engine with 35,898 produced from 1959 Designed, engineered and hand-built in Crewe, England, the latest twin-turbo version of the Bentley 6¾-litre V8 engine requires 15 hours of skilled craftsmanship to build. However, whilst every part of the original S2 engine has been re-engineered over the decades, the basic principles and dimensions that have defined the engine for the last 60 years remain the same.

Dr Werner Tietz, Member of the Board, Engineering at Bentley Motors, said: ‘The original V8 was designed to deliver a step-change in performance, along with smoothness, reliability and refinement. The engine was tested over hundreds of thousands of miles in the toughest conditions, as well as at full throttle for 500 hours. The success of Bentley’s acclaimed 6¾-litre V8 today in the Mulsanne owes much to that ethos.”

The 6¾-litre V8 defined, and still delivers, the traditional Bentley ‘wave of torque’, unstressed performance and exceptional refinement and efficiency. It remains the beating heart of every flagship built over the last 60 years.

...

• An icon reloaded: new OCTAVIA delights with an emotive design and innovative technologies
• Making their debut: head-up display, shift-by-wire technology and back-friendly Ergo seats
• Powertrains: plug-in-hybrid drive, mild hybrid and efficient petrol, and diesel engines
• Exterior: greater dimensions and boasting an even more emotive design
• Interior: new design and multi-level dashboard

Even better, more spacious, safer, more connected and more emotive than ever: with the launch of the fourth generation of its bestseller, ŠKODA has reached new dimensions. The heart and engine of the ŠKODA brand is longer and wider than its predecessor, has an even larger boot and is even more emotive thanks to the new ŠKODA design language. The new interior concept combines an excellent amount of space and outstanding functionality with high-quality materials and clever details. Innovative connectivity and new assistance systems raise comfort and safety to an even higher level.

Sixty years after production of the OCTAVIA started in 1959, ŠKODA is now unveiling the best model yet since its re-launch in 1996. The fourth-generation OCTAVIA will continue to be the brand’s heart and engine as well as its top volume model. With more than 6.5 million units produced, it is the bestselling ŠKODA ever and has been a real icon for many years, both in its Czech home country as well as in numerous other markets around the world. The reasons for this are obvious: it features a modern design and modern technology, it is efficient, extremely practical and high-quality; it offers exceptional amounts of space and superior value for money.

Bigger and even more attractive

The new OCTAVIA has grown further and, thanks to new proportions and the latest developments in ŠKODA’s design language, is even more emotive and dynamic than its successful predecessor. At a length of 4,689 mm, the hatchback is 19 mm and the COMBI 22 mm longer than the third-generation model. Its width has increased by 15 mm. The COMBI’s boot capacity, which is the largest in the segment, has increased by 30 l to 640 l. The hatchback has a capacity of 600 l – 10 l more than the previous generation. The new front apron and the ...

• Advanced and clear: displays and controls in the new Golf are digitalised, making them intuitive to use.
• An optional windscreen head-up display projects important info such as speed and navigation information into the driver’s field of view.
• New: innovative voice control reacts to natural speech commands.

The new Golf will shortly come to market with a revolutionary cockpit that is clearer, neater, completely digitalised, and connected online, and that will make operating this bestseller more intuitive than ever.

The Digital Cockpit, which comes as standard, includes the instrument cluster, an infotainment system, and a multifunction steering wheel. Together, these form the first functional level, in which virtually all of the displays and controls are digital. Touch sliders enable quick and intuitive access to temperature and volume controls, while a touch island under the infotainment system also provides direct access to additional air conditioning functions, the assistance systems, and – depending on the equipment included – driving modes and parking assistants. In a second touch island, the light and vision functions have also been repositioned and brought together: the light, along with the windscreen and rear window heating, is now operated using a digital panel arranged higher up on the dashboard to the left of the instruments, even further improving the brand’s characteristic straightforward drive experience.

A high-end cockpit: the optional Innovision Cockpit is now also available in the Golf

It’s possible ...

• Volkswagen Group Components supplies the electric drive for the new ID.3¹
• Essential parts are produced at the component sites

The ID.3 heralds the beginning of a new era of electric mobility for Volkswagen. The electric drive, which is based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB), is produced by Volkswagen Group Components. It’s not only less complex than a conventional petrol or diesel engine, but also compact enough to fit in a sports bag. But how does the electric drive, produced at the component site in Kassel, actually work?
Components of an electric drive

Inside every electric motor is a stationary stator with a rotor spinning inside it. The stator is made of copper wire coils. When an electric current flows through these coils, a rotating magnetic field is created in the stator which causes the rotor to spin. The rotational movement is based on a simple physical principle: opposite poles in a magnet attract each other, whereas like poles repel. Furthermore, there are two types of electric drive: permanent magnet brushless machines and asynchronous machines. The permanent magnet brushless machine features a strong permanent magnet rotor, which rotates in sync with the magnetic field of the stator. In asynchronous machines, however, the rotor uses the electric current to generate its own magnetic field and, as a result, the rotation of the rotor lags behind the stator’s magnetic field rotation.

Hairpin technology and consistent lightweight construction

Volkswagen’s new ID.3 is fitted with an APP 310 electric ...