VW to take on Mercedes on track, road
By Russell Williamson
VOLKSWAGEN has fired its first salvo in its bid to take on Mercedes-Benz in all sectors of the market with the launch of its W 12 engine at the Tokyo motor show last week.
Although the 5.6-liter, 12-cylinder engine was slipped behind the front seats of a massive two-door sports car, its first production destination is expected to be a large luxury sedan.
The W 12 engine is basically two 2.8-liter VR6 engines joined together at an angle of 72 degrees.
The compact 48-valve quad-cam engine is just 510mm long and 700mm wide and weight has been kept to a minimum by using a large proportion of aluminum and magnesium components.
Maximum power output is 313kW at 5800rpm with peak torque reaching a staggering 530Nm at 3000rpm.
Volkswagen plans to use a version of the engine for its first foray into luxury cars with the German car-maker expected to build two cars above the Passat, directly targeting Mercedes' E- Class and S-Class.
A spokesman for Volkswagen said both these cars -- one of which is known internally as the Passat Plus -- will be in production before 2000.
The spokesman said the two new cars aimed to build the Volkswagen brand into something more than "cheap and cheerful".
Using a sports car to exhibit the new engine was also part of this strategy and offered more than a means of getting buyers' attention.
In order to further develop its brand image, Volkswagen plans to take on Mercedes on the track as well as the road.
While the W 12 car on show was more of a design study -- produced by Italian design house Ital Design -- Volkswagen hopes to have a race version of the car ready to compete in the Le Mans 24-hour production car race next year.
Without confirming Volkswagen's race ambitions, the spokesman said: "You do not build a car like this without considering it".
The two-seater W 12 on display uses a six-speed sequential gearbox to get the power to all four massive 19-inch wheels.
The company is also working on the development of a diesel version of the W 12 engine -- which it hopes to use in the race car -- in addition to the gasoline unit.