From the very first day that Martin Winterkorn became the new Chief Executive of Volkswagen AG he has made it clear that he means business. For those who are not familiar with Winterkorn, he is the former Chief of Volkswagen's luxury unit, Audi. And tomorrow at the company's annual press conference, Winterkorn will finally discuss his plans for the Volkswagen brand. The Volkswagen brand was primarily the reason why Winterkorn was placed as the new CEO of VW. When Winterkorn assumes the CEO position in VW he also brought with him his entourage of loyal subjects from Audi which he rationalize by saying that his Audi design team can get the job done quickly. And tomorrow at the company's annual press conference Volkswagen will report its detailed financial figures. 3.61 billion USD due to the following: launching of new car models such as Audi's Q7 sport-utility vehicle, disposal of a vehicle-rental division and a tax gain. The Audi unit was accounted for about half of the group profit earned by the Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen.
The Passat Scrapped for Good? Before the takeover of Winterkorn the Passat is a project headed by Wolfgang Bernhard, former CEO of VW who resigned last January due to the management shake-up that is happening inside Volkswagen. The Bernhard Passat is the very same model that was suppose to debut at Berlin but unfortunately was stopped by Winterkorn. The Passat project is not totally abolished it's just that the new VW CEO's team from Audi which includes Walter de Silva has focused more on the next generation of Golf hatchback, Volkswagen's best-selling vehicle. The new Golf is scheduled to come out next year which doesn't leave much time for changes. Ulrich Hackenberg, the former Audi development chief and at present the head of Volkswagen engineering at an interview in Geneva. Hackenberg first week at Volkswagen he ordered outright changes especially in cutting the size of the rubber window seals in half to reduce weight and cost while giving the car a more refined look. According to Hackenberg, the Golf looks is "Very Rough". The changes that will takes place will incorporate the Audi touch to the Volkswagen models and the Golf is the going to be first product of the said change. It is expected that with VW under the leadership of Winterkorn it is expected that quality is going to be the primary priority. And it will cover all products of Volkswagen including its array of auto parts such as the VW ball joint and many more.
Being able to use the CHAdeMO quick charging is great - we have not used it a lot, yet, but we can use it. The total lack of CCS stations is a major lack, for both the e-Golf and the i3. Driving the e-Golf is far better than the Leaf - handling and steering is great. The e-Golf chassis is more solid feeling and the fit and finish is better. The Leaf has stronger acceleration, even though the motor is slightly less powerful - it must have lower gearing. The Leaf brakes are strong, but the body rolls a bit more, and occasionally the stability control kicks in by dragging a rear wheel brake - this is a bit too heavy handed, in my opinion. The e-Golf has a tilt and telescope steering wheel, while the Leaf only tilts. 6' tall) sat in the backseat. It is a much more basic car than the Leaf and the e-Golf, and it is the smallest motor at 49kW. Still pretty peppy from a stop, and the steering is very nimble. With a great big hatch, and the rear seats folded flat, it is a workhorse.
The dash is anything but modern, and it needs a dedicated range remaining gauge. Nothing fancy on the shifter, but it works like the Leaf - easy to "shift" into neutral and into B mode for more regen. 38PSI, so I didn't get to see how it really could coast. I pumped them up to 45PSI, and my Mom likes how it rolls. 17kW (if I recall correctly) so it is a snail, and only useful in stop and go traffic when you need to stretch your range. The front seats are heated, but that's it for winter amenities. The heater is resistance, and apparently gets a big help if you insulate it. The i MiEV has unusual tire sizes (narrow on the front, and normal on the back. There are 2 or 3 brands / models to choose from for all seasons, and 1 brand / model for winter tires, that are sold in the US, anyway. It is a basic electric car - seats four, and is easy to drive, and is very practical. If you are very tall, and you want an electric car, and cannot quite step up to the i3's price, then give the i MiEV a look.
