SOWO Recap!!!!

So we're back from the Southern Worthersee tour in Helen, Georgia! It's a car enthusiasts dream, a show focusing primarily on German cars (VW/Audi mainly). What an experience! A great show put on by a great organization. Thanks to all the vendors, manufacturers, and Dubbers for coming out and showing everybody your stuff. Let's see some pics! Send them in!

 

Passat Performance Concept

Let's all take a step back and remember that old 1.8T. It was fun, it was powerful, it hummed to the tune of about 180 horsepower..... Ahhhh.... Well that was nice. It's back. It's been changed around a bit, though, and should be pumping out something closer to about 250 horsepower. Whoa, that puts it awfully close to the bigger 3.6 VR6. Another nice touch is that this will be mounted in the Passat for it's new Performance Concept idea. We smell a DSG coming into the mix also, but VW hasn't officially announced anything.

Taking a look at the car, you'll notice that it sits on a massive set of 19-inch wheels, bolted up to a lowered sport-suspension. It will also feature Bi-Xenon headlights, LED taillights, and carbon-fiber mirror caps on the outside. The carbon-fiber continues into the interior, as well as unique two-toned seats with carbon-look inserts. NIIIIIICCCCEEEEEE!

Let's Do the Electric Slide!

VW has recently announced a few new engine designs and concept vehicles at the 2013 Detroit Auto show. The best of which will be a new hybrid powertrain, designed to fit on the MQB chassis. The best part about this is that the MQB chassis is now going to be used to build every vehicle except the Touareg! That means this drivetrain could potentially be thrown into any car in the fleet!

What are the first vehicles VW plans on updating first? The Passat and the Golf. Nice. Starting next year, VW will now have 4 hybrid vehicles available; the Touareg, the Jetta, the Passat, and the Golf. This new drivetrain will use innovative technology called the eDSG transmission, a Direct Shift Gearbox that now incorporates an electric motor within. This is a radical new spin on hybrid technology, and much different from the Jetta's separate electric motor and DSG systems. Expect to see fuel efficiency numbers up in the mid 40 mpg range, just like the Jetta Hybrid. Great news following the announce of the CrossBlue Concept TDI Hybrid, punching in at a massive 89 mpg. Keep it up guys!!!

The 1.4 TSI Hybrid

That Chattanooga Sun!

As most of you know (and some of you are about to find out), the Volkswagen automobile factory in Chattanooga Tennessee produces the North American version of the Passat, and is the cleanest car production facility in the world. In December it was officially LEED Platinum certified (the highest level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design by the US Green Building Council) for it's revolutionary painting process and it's clever use of waste water to cool machinery, among other innovative eco-friendly tricks. But, VW isn't finished yet! There's still another surprise jumping out of the Cattanooga plant that you've yet to see!

VW has always been an eco-friendly company, and vowed to become more so back in 2005. They made the promise that they would make their factories 25% more efficient, and lower CO2 emissions across the line-up by 30%! That's a bold statement to make; but then they went further and vowed to have it done by 2015! VW enthusiasts and skeptics alike had a hard time grasping the concept of how the company could make such a drastic change in such a short period of time, but the final piece of the puzzle may have just come onto the table.

Starting in January of 2013, Volkswagen has officially activated it's new 65-acre solar park, featuring 33 acres of photovoltaic solar panels. These solar panels will generate enough electricity to power a little over 350 average American households, which will represent approximately 13% of the factory's total energy needs. It features over 33,000 solar panels, which makes it the largest solar array at any automobile facility, and the largest in the state of Tennessee, pumping out a whopping 9.6 MW of raw power! This is just another example of how Volkswagen is one of the cleanest and greenest car manufacturer's in the world. The sun is always shining on Volkswagen!

Full View of the 65-Acre Solar Park

Getting Ready to "Flip the Switch"

Warning!: You're No Longer Invisible in a Mid-Sized Sedan!

Passat Model Changes!!!

So we've all been looking at the 2013 line-up to see what changes have been made. The 2013 Passat gets no exterior changes (it's a brand new car), but it does get a few changes in the interior and technology departments. Unfortunately, the new model will no longer come standard with Climatronic (Dual Zone Climate Control), this will be a feature reserved for the SEL trim levels. Don't get too sad, though. To make up for it, Volkswagen is now offering a re-designed center console with AC vents in the rear for the SE trim levels and up. They are also adding a new trunk hinge cover over all trim levels. It looks much nicer with this cover on. Also, SEL models equipped with navigation will get an added bonus to their trial subscription of satellite radio. Instead of just 3 months of music, the car will now also come with 4 years of traffic pre-paid! They'll also be getting a back-up camera! Nice!

300k miles.......