All battery producers in the UK are required to be registered with the Government as part of an EU-wide initiative to increase battery collection/recycling and completely prohibit the landfill/incineration of automotive and industrial batteries. Volkswagen Group UK Ltd. is registered as a Producer of Batteries under Registration Number BPRN00504.

Vehicle Batteries

When an automotive (starter) battery in your vehicle or the high voltage battery if your vehicle is a Hybrid reaches its end of life, it can be delivered to the facilities listed below for disposal:

• Garages
• Civic amenity and recycling centres
• Local authority battery collection schemes (please check with your local council)
• Licensed scrap yards
• Authorised treatment facilities (car dismantlers etc.)

To find out the easiest way to dispose of your battery please search the "Recycling near you" directory (http://www.recycle-more.co.uk/banklocator/banklocator.aspx/).

If requested, Volkswagen Group UK Ltd. can arrange for the automotive or the high voltage batteries it has produced to be collected from the types of sites listed above. Should you wish to arrange a collection, please telephone 01908 548 584 and ask to speak to a member of the environment team.

Portable Batteries

Volkswagen Group UK Ltd. is a member of the BatteryBack producer compliance scheme. To find your nearest portable battery disposal facility and find out more about the benefits of battery recycling, please visit www.batteryback.org.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

The new Volkswagen XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV)

The new Volkswagen XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV) has been unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show. Pioneering construction techniques, an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain and innovative packaging all play a part in allowing the XL1 to return 313 mpg on the combined cycle while emitting 24 g/km of CO2 to set a new benchmark for vehicle efficiency.

Powering the XL1 is a compact 800 cc TDI two-cylinder common rail diesel engine developing 48 PS. It’s linked to an electric motor producing 27 PS, resulting in a total of 75 PS – a modest output yet more than enough when the low kerb weight (795 kg) of the vehicle is taken into account.

The TDI engine is linked to an electric motor and a seven-speed DSG gearbox with an automatic clutch mounted between each unit. The electric motor can either work independently of the TDI engine or in tandem when accelerating. In pure electric mode the XL1 can travel up to 35 km before the diesel engine cuts in. Accelerating from rest to 62 mph can be achieved in 11.9 seconds; the electronically limited top speed is 99 mph.

In both its styling and packaging the XL1 draws on lessons learned from the 1-Litre car (2002) and the L1 concept (2009). The XL1 has evolved to feature staggered seating with the driver and passenger placed next to each other in a body structure made from advanced new materials providing immense strength yet weighing just 230 kg.

To make such weight savings possible, and yet viable for series production, Volkswagen developed and patented a new system for the manufacture of the Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) parts on the car called the Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) process.

In total the XL1 weighs 795 kg. In addition to the body structure, the weight is accounted for by the drivetrain (227 kg), the running gear (153 kg), the interior including a pair of bucket seats (80 kg) and the electrical system (105 kg). In total just 23.2 per cent of the car (184 kg) is made out of either steel or iron.

Further savings are made through the extensive use of lightweight materials including magnesium (wheels), ceramics (brake discs) and aluminium (dampers, steering system, brake calipers).

The styling of the XL1 is borne out of functional requirements – easy access to the interior is granted via a pair of elegant scissor doors that hinge on the A-pillar while the profile of the car has been honed in the wind tunnel, the result being a remarkable coefficient of drag figure of 0.186. The XL1’s overall length (3,970 mm) and width (1,682 mm) are similar to those of a Volkswagen Polo yet its height (1,184 mm) is more akin to that of a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

Although the XL1 is still very much a concept, its unveiling marks the next step towards the birth of a new class of Super Efficient Vehicles, while the advent of a process such as RTM is a significant milestone.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

Welcome to Volkswagen Racing’s RacingLine Motorsport and Performance Parts range

Volkswagen Racing have been developing the highest quality motorsport parts for our own race and rally cars for the past decade and a half – with some great success.   These race parts are all available to our Motorsport customers around the world to win on-track.

But great motosport parts don’t always make for great road car upgrades.

So the Volkswagen Racing team have taken all the lessons learned by our engineers and partner companies over the years and used this expertise to develop our RacingLine range of road car performance upgrades.

Within Volkswagen Racing’s RacingLine upgrade range, there are many parts that are exactly the same as we specify for our race cars around the world.  But there are other components that we have adapted from the race parts to reflect the different engineering requirements that a road car demands.

What doesn’t change is our philosophy for everything in the RacingLine upgrade range; we will only offer products that are engineered with the same pride and exacting standards, whether its for a full race car or a brand new showroom Volkswagen.

We are proud of the reassurance that the RacingLine upgrades offer; all have been developed by the very same team of motorsport engineers and suppliers, and everything in the RacingLine range is proven on road and track before we offer it for sale.

We wouldn’t risk anything less for the RacingLine range; we’d suggest you shouldn’t risk anything less for your Volkswagen.

We hope you enjoy looking around our site.  Please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team for advice via the Contact Us page.

Article source: www.volkswagenracing.co.uk

Heritage - Our proud past - our exciting future

Naturally, we're very proud of our heritage - few car manufacturers have produced so many legendary cars as Volkswagen. The Beetle, whose spirit lives on in our beautiful New Beetle and the Golf, our modern masterpiece.

The concept of the Volkswagen - the people's car - was created in 1934 by Ferdinand Porsche as an affordable and reliable means of transport for everyone. Since those early days the company has developed to become a major global force in car manufacturing.

We think the best way to honour our past is to invest in the future. Which is why you'll find Volkswagen at the forefront of pioneering developments in design, technology and environmental initiatives.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk