A few days ago, it was rumored that the Volkswagen Bluesport had been dropped because the company couldn’t find enough sales to justify investing in the model. But, according to British magazine Evo, this simply isn’t true because the Bluesport is still on track.
In a recent interview with EVO, Volkswagen’s engineering boss, Uli Hackenberg, stated that the Bluesport project is still very much alive: "dealers are always looking backwards, not forwards… this is particularly the case when a new model is being considered as they don’t have any reference point to guide them, so they look around at the current market and give an estimate based on that."
Uli elaborated by stating that a production version will arrive in the next three years and will carry a price tag of about £30,000 (about $47k at the current exchange rates). Maybe this means we’ll also see the baby Boxster in the near future?
Porsche’s decision for putting the baby Boxster on hold because the current generation may not be ready for it may just have started a domino effect for similar proposed vehicles. Volkswagen has just announced that the production version of the mid-engined Blue Sport Concept is also uncertain, stating the same reasons as Porsche: the company can’t find enough sales to justify investing in the model.
This may put a little hiccup in Volkswagen’s plans to increase sales to 800,000 units a year by 2018, but according to Volkswagen of America boss Jonathan Browning, "we don’t need to keep adding to our portfolio of models. We’re concentrating on our core models." Nice sidestep, but this only means that the company failed to find the market needed to sell 50,000 units a year of the production BlueSport.
They’re surely not getting rid of the vehicle, though, especially since engineering for the Blue Sport has been completed: "There is no official release for the project. It’s not a technology problem, but of finding enough customers. I don’t have enough [sales] volume to get the go-ahead," said Volkswagen’s engineering boss, Uli Hackenberg.
So, for now, the production Volkswagen BlueSport has been put on hold, further opening the door Porsche cracked when the Baby Boxster took its fall. We’re guessing Audi’s plans of offering a new sports car slotted under the R8 may get invited to this party, but Audi seemed pretty intent on producing the junior model. Only time will tell.
Ever since Volkswagen unveiled the BlueSport concept at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, we’ve heard plenty "to be or not to be" rumors about a possible production version. Now we can finally confirm, without any doubts, that the Volkswagen Group will offer three different versions of this concept. Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen will each have their own version of the concept with different levels of sportiness and performance, butSkoda and Seat will be left out of the mix.
Starting with Audi, their production version will be inspired by the E-tron Spyder concept and will be offered with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-pot and 2.5-liter five-cylinder units, priced at around $45,000. The Porsche model will take its design cues from the iconic 1953 550 Spyder and will be offered with a twin-turbocharged engine with an output of about 380 HP. It is also believed that the Porsche model will be called the 550 as a tribute to the classic model. Prices will be in the $52K area. The Volkswagen model will, in fact, be the only version taking its design inspiration from the BlueSport concept. It will feature a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine with an output of about 170 HP. This will be the cheapest version with prices starting from around $30K.
The three models will stare the same platform, but their interiors will deliver different levels of luxury by featuring parts - such as instrument panels and dials - that are unique to each model. This type of differentiation was successful with the Q7, the Cayenne, and the Touareg SUVs so Volkswagen is sure to recreate that success with the three roadster models.
More details to come on Volkswagen’s three different production BlueSport Concepts, so stay tuned!
After what seems like forever of the to be or not to be confliction, Volkswagen has finally confirmed the production version of the BlueSport roadster unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Sales will begin in 2013 at a price of around $30k.
The future BlueSport will feature the same design language as the current Golf and Scirocco, translated into a sleek headlights, a narrow, horizontal grille and LED daytime running lamps. The interior will be similar to the one found on the Scirocco.
It will be a mid-engine sports car featuring a choice of: 178bhp 2.0-liter diesel, a turbo and supercharged 1.4 TFSI engine and a 2.0-liter turbo unit. The engines will be coupled to a standard six-speed manual gearbox or a dual-clutch DSG as an option. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph is expected to be made in around 6 seconds. The 2013 Bluesport will come with an ultra-light aluminium chassis, plus a manually operated canvas folding roof.
There are also rumors about a hybrid version.
Like a family fighting about where to go on vacation, the Volkswagen Group are having a little internal conflict of their own. This situation could endanger the future of the Porsche 356, the Audi R5, and the VW BlueSport.
The VW BlueSport was shown at the 2009 Detroit auto show and it got such good press that it was close to production. Yet, because of the infighting, the vehicle is on hold.
So, what’s going on? Well, Porsche doesn’t want the next-generation Boxster to lose sales because of the cheaper 356. Audi, who is having issues with R8 demand, doesn’t want a third sports car to be put between the new Audi TT and their supercar. While VW really likes the idea of the BlueSport, they are currently occupied with other areas, such as the next-generation Golf.
"Sports cars are not at the top of our priority list," states chairman Martin Winterkorn. "This applies in particular to sports cars that require the collaboration of Porsche, which is not even part of the VW Group yet."
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