Volkswagen will migrate to a fully force-inducted lineup as its models migrate to MQB architecture; in the U.S., this rollout begins with the MkVII Golf, which will arrive on dealer lots next spring. The freshly installed head of Volkswagen R&D, Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neusser, confirmed that his brand will rely heavily on turbocharging while speaking at this year’s Frankfurt auto show. “Our clear strategy for the future is turbocharging,” he said. “We will stay with the naturally aspirated engine so long as they are in the existing models.”
Volkswagen is in the process of switching out its old 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder for the brand’s new 1.8-liter turbo four in the Jetta, the Beetle, and the Passat. We expect the Golf to follow suit, but, as U.S. powertrain info isn’t yet finalized, it remains possible that VWoA could opt to fit the hatchback with a 138-hp, 1.4-liter turbo four as the base engine. Meanwhile, the naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V-6 found in the Passat, CC, and Touareg likely will be replaced by a new-gen turbo VR6 believed to displace 3.0 liters.
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Unless someone else moves quickly, Volkswagen would become the second major automaker to offer a lineup equipped exclusively by force-induction, as the last of BMW’s naturally aspirated models soon will reach customers. Of those, the final V-8–powered M3 rolled off the assembly line over the summer—it’s to be replaced by a twin-turbo straight-six–powered model next year—and the inline-six–driven 128i will be supplanted by the forthcoming 2-series, which will adopt the brand’s turbocharged four-cylinder as its base motivator.
Source: CarAndDriver
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