Jan 12th, 2009 by RJ Menezes
The thought of an affordable mid-engine roadster from VW is more than enough to make any v-dub enthusiast salivate. Volkswagen fans have been waiting a long time for this one, and in my opinion the wait was well worth it.
At this year’s Detroit Auto Show the German auto giant unveiled it’s newest concept, the BlueSport Roadster. The innovative thing about this new mid-engined sports car though are its intended powerplants. The BlueSport is designed to use either the newest TDI turbo-diesel or the new TSI small-displacement twin-charged gas engine.
Still, the biggest news here is that VW’s first true sports car might be powered by a diesel engine. With an output of 177hp and 258ft-lbs of torque being fed through a 6-speed DSG gearbox, the diesel variant will hit 0-60mph in around 6.2 seconds (equaling a GTI in performance) and go on to a top speed of around 140mph. Impressive considering the BlueSport will also achieve a fuel consumption average of about 35mpg-city and 50(!!!)mpg-highway.
No word yet on how much it will cost, when it will be available, or even if it will ever be available. All we can tell you is that a car like this, priced right, would be such a hit for VW they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. V-Dubbers have been waiting a long time for this one. Hey Volkswagen: BUILD IT!!!!
Source: Inside Line
Photos: Volkswagen AG