The Volkswagen standat the 2011 Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS) is one of the largest and several model debuts took place over there. The main ones were the all-new Beetle, the Go! Concept and the Golf Cabriolet. Again, it seems theAfricans just don’t receive all the good stuff the Europeans are shown.
Anyways, the Go! made its world debut at the 2011 Geneva Show.It is just under 4 metres long, and has hybrid power under its wings. VW saysit will travel about 35km onelectricity alone, despite the fact that it also has a 1.4-litre turbo engine. Total system torque is 400Nm, accessed via a 7-speedDSG ‘box.
Beetle redesigned is biggerand supposedly more butch than before. Gone is that mid-mounted flower holder atthe centre of the dashboard, and that deep, long dashboard itself. In comes asharper design, lower roofline, sportier undertonesand more powerful engines. Speaking of which, the Mzansi versions will beoffered with a 1.2 TSI worth 77kW and a 118kW 1.4 TSI. In Europe there’s a 147kW version also, while a 199kWBeetle R is reportedly under consideration. We’ll see the brand new Beetlein South Africa before June 2012.
The Golf Cabriolet will hopefully do much better for VW thanthe Eos it replaces. Featuring a soft fabric roof instead of a hard one likethe Eos, the Cabrio lands in Mzansi around April2012 with a 1.4 TSI engine giving out 90kWand 118kW. Cabrio features thingslike LED daytime running lights,16-inch wheels and all-round electric windows. Pricing will be very key here,considering the cheapest Eos went for around R356 000 and the mostexpensive cost R416 000.
There’s also a 77kWPolo Vivo GT, which is really just a kitted-up Vivo with 15-inch Cordoba alloy wheels, chrome pipes, GT badges, red seatbelts and a leather-coveredsteering wheel among others. Sadly, apart from a lower suspension, no otherperformance enhancements were done. This is basically the same thing VW didwith the Citi Golf R four years ago; keep the same pap engine and decorate the body.
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