Volkswagen Plans Eight Premieres for Frankfurt

Eight debuts are kind of a big deal. Well, six of them are BlueMotion diesel models, but the Tiguan will be an all-new offering and a hinted-at prototype referred to as "City Expert" from this Australian VW press release alludes to a concept car.

Volkswagen will present its widest product range of all time at the upcoming International Automobile Exhibition (IAA) in Frankfurt (13th to 23rd September). Europe's number 1 will be showing over fifty models and eight of these will be world premieres - including the new Tiguan, an entirely new generation of SUV developed to complement the Touareg. When the gates open at the IAA, six new BlueMotion models will also make their debut - from 2008 onward Volkswagen will offer nine vehicles under the BlueMotion label.

Volkswagen has also taken notice of this year's official motto of the IAA - "see what's driving tomorrow." In response to this message, Volkswagen will also display a prototype. The heart of this sensationally flexible City Expert will beat where the flat-four "Boxer" engine once did in the Beetle.

Volkswagen will welcome visitors to the IAA in an exposition area of 9,000 square metres. The centre piece of that space will be the Tiguan. It is the world's first production model exclusively equipped with supercharged engines and offers two advantages in particular: lower fuel consumption whilst still being fun to drive. Also new is the remarkably quiet four-cylinder diesel engine with common-rail injection. The two new TDIs produce 103 kW/140 PS and 125 kW/170 PS. Both engines already conform to the Euro 5 exhaust standards that will be introduced in 2009. On the Volkswagen stand you will be able to "see what's driving tomorrow" here and now.

Additionally, Volkswagen will unveil six new BlueMotion models at the same time. Therefore, during the course of 2008, there will be at least nine BlueMotion models available. The Volkswagen BlueMotion environmental label will certainly become a byword for effective environmental protection. The versions already available – the Polo BlueMotion (3.8 litres of diesel consumed per 100 km and 99 g/km CO2) and Passat BlueMotion (5.1 litres of diesel consumed per 100 km and 136 g/km CO2) - have already redefined the standards of economy in their respective classes.

The Volkswagen press conference will be held on the Volkswagen stand at 11am on 11th September (Hall 3.0) at which time Dr Martin Winterkorn will present the new Tiguan.