PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of
America, Inc. is giving a high profile to vehicles with lower environmental
impact at the Designing Sustainable Mobility Summit, being held at Art
Center College of Design in Southern California. Here, designers and other
transportation experts from many countries are sharing ideas on ways to
make future mobility more environmentally compatible.
As this vision unfolds, attendees and Art Center students are being
provided the unique experience of driving VW models running on biodiesel,
ultra low sulfur diesel, hydrogen, and highly efficient gasoline engines on
public roads. Driving some of the very technologies and fuels being
discussed at the Summit provides the reality check that moving forward in
meaningful and more environmentally-conscious ways is much more than
theory. It's happening today, and in ways that address the needs and
desires of drivers now and in the years ahead.
"It's important to demonstrate that raising the bar in such important
areas as fuel efficiency and emissions reduction isn't just accomplished
with exotic or future-oriented technologies," says Ron Cogan, editor and
publisher of the Green Car Journal, which is hosting the Summit's
ride-and-drive. "Volkswagen's demonstration of its clean diesel and twin
charger engines provides real-world examples of environmentally positive
technologies that are operating on highways today."
At the event's Green Cars/Pasadena ride-and-drive, VW is fielding a
Touareg V-10 TDI running on B5 biodiesel, a mixture of conventional ultra
low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel and renewable biodiesel. Diesel fuel that
includes a mix of biodiesel burns cleaner and also helps displace fossil
fuel use, contributing to energy diversity. VW has extended warranty
protection to its models operating on B5 biodiesel as a way to encourage
use of this cleaner fuel.
An advance look is also being offered of a highly efficient, twin
charger gasoline engine Jetta in development. This Jetta's TSI engine
provides higher power output from a smaller displacement engine while also
achieving greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions. The TSI is popular
in Europe and now is being considered for use in the U.S. It uses a
supercharger to provide engine boost at lower rpms and an exhaust-driven
turbocharger at mid-range rpms and higher.
At the Summit, VW's Touran HyMotion hydrogen fuel cell vehicle not only
shows Volkswagen's interest in this zero-emission fuel, but also showcases
the company's breakthrough high-temperature fuel cell. A decade of VW
hydrogen vehicle development has led to a high-temperature fuel cell that
provides a more compact, lighter, and more durable fuel cell system. This
technology holds great promise to make fuel cell powertrains more
economical, key to future mass production.
These vehicles and many other diverse activities underscore that
environment is one of Volkswagen's core values. Volkswagen of America was
named the "industry's most environmentally friendly automaker" in the J.D.
Power and Associates 2006 Alternative Powertrain Study. Additionally, VW
received the EU Commission's European Business Award for the Environment
for its innovative Volkswagen SiCon recycling process.
Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn
Hills, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in
Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of
passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit,
New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon,
Eos, and Touareg through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit
Volkswagen of America online at vw.com.
SOURCE Volkswagen of America, Inc.
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CONTACT:
Colleen Kmiecik of Marx Layne,
+1-248-855-6777, or ckmiecik@marxlayne.com, for Volkswagen of
America, Inc.
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