Automotive Design and Production

SEP 2013

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VW GTD: The Diesel Version of the Euro Hot Hatch 1. The single biggest market for the 200-hp VW GTI hot hatch is the U.S. The demographics that Andres Valbuena, product manager, VW of America, rolled out for that car are nothing short of testosterone-fueled: for the two-door version, 88.3% of the buyers are male. They have a median age of 35, and probably don't have a wife (only 40.1% are married) or kids (78.8% don't). Their median household income is $88,769. 2. The single biggest market for diesel-powered light-vehicles (e.g., passenger cars) isn't the U.S. Yet given the frst point, and given that VW has launched the GTD—a 184-hp, 2.0-liter turbodiesel-powered version of the GTI—in Europe, isn't it well within the realm of possibility that there will be GTDs coming to America in 2014? "It is being investigated," Valbuena said. "There is no specifc reason not to do it. All of the signs are there to do it." And as this is a vehicle that is based on the MQB assembly kit approach, odds are good that the car's proftability wouldn't be in doubt. The interesting aspect of the car—in addition to its top speed of 143 mph—is the diesel engine. It features dual balance shafts for smoothness. The Bosch commonrail direct injection unit operates at 29,000 psi. The intercooler is integrated into the intake manifold. To minimize emissions, there is variable valve timing; the oxidation catalytic converter and particulate trap are packaged close to the engine. There is a dual-loop EGR system with a cooled low-pressure system on the exhaust side and an uncooled high-pressure loop on the intake side. The diesel is engineered to meet the Euro 6 emissions standard that takes effect in 2014. The GTD is equipped with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic. There is p The Volkswagen GTD—Grand Turismo Diesel. Available in Europe now. Possibly coming to the U.S. in 2014. variable-ratio electric power steering. An automatic post-collision braking system (it applies the brakes to prevent secondary impacts during a crash). And the interior seat fabric is the plaid familiar to GTI owners (albeit in gray, not red). On the European driving cycle, the car achieves 56 mpg combined, which is one reason for a diesel. The other reason is that it produces 280 lb-ft of torque at from 1,750 to 3,250 rpm. (Note that while the gasoline-powered GTI, which has a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine produces more horsepower than the GTD—200 vs. 184—it only produces 207 lb-ft of torque.) Structurally, the GTD is solid: 28% of the parts used for the body-in-white are ultra-high-strength hot-stamped steel (yes, the amount of high-strength steels is going up for most vehicles across the board, but the fact that so much in this vehicle is hot stamped is notable). p The GTD features a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, directinjected diesel engine. The new version of the EA288 engine carries over the 88-mm bore spacing, 81-mm bore, and 95.5-mm stroke of the previous EA288. 29

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