We did know that Volkswagen was going to unveil its new roadster in Detroit, but we didn’t know it would show up as a diesel.
The Concept BlueSport is powered by a mid-mounted 177 hp 2.0-liter Clean Diesel (TDI) with common rail injection engine. VW says that it can make the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 6.6 seconds and tops out at 140 mph, all while getting 55 mpg. The engine is mated to a a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox mounted closer to the front of the car, which gives it a 45:55 front-to-rear weight distribution.
The concept is has some fun stuff like bi-xenon LED headlights outside and a touch screen command center inside. This all comes in a package that weights only 2645 lbs.
While everything about this car seems attractive except for possible the oil-burner engine, remember this is just a concept. When the production car shows up we expect it to keep the good points such as the mid-engine layout, almost even weight distribution, and lightweight design. We also expect to see some gasoline engines from the VW parts bin available on the production roadster.
Press release after the jump.