Volkswagen presents Golf BiFuel at Bologna Motor Show

By Robert Adams on December 3rd, 2008

In addition to the new Golf Plus and extremely hot Scirocco Studie R Volkswagen introduced today the first Golf ever to be factory-equipped for operation with auto gas (LPG).

The bivalent drive – a simple switchover and it can be driven with gasoline – reduces costs and emissions. When the new Golf BiFuel is powered by LPG (liquified petroleum gas), its environmental impact compared to a gasoline engine: a greater than 10 percent reduction in CO2 emissions.

Compared to aftermarket auto gas systems, the system now being presented in the Golf BiFuel offers significant advantages. For one, the car together with its fuel tanks – and this is not the case with aftermarket solutions – is crash tested as a total system; so it is very safe. Second, the engine was specially configured for LPG operation, and so it is more durable than engines originally tuned as gasoline engines. The long-term quality of the Golf BiFuel has been verified in extensive durability testing. A full factory warranty and access to the large Volkswagen service network are pluses too. All of this is being offered at the same price as an aftermarket retrofit.

In LPG mode, the 72 kW / 98 PS strong 1.6 liter four-cylinder of the Golf BiFuel consumes 9.2 liters of LPG per 100 kilometers (149 g/km CO2) on average. Cost in Germany today: €6.38. In gasoline mode, the Golf BiFuel consumes a still economical 7.1 liters per 100 kilometers (169 g/km CO2). Cost in Germany today: €8.60.

In addition, the auto gas tank (41 liter effective volume at storage pressure of 8 to 10 bar) – with its space-saving installation in the spare wheel recess – and the gasoline tank (55 liter) together propel the car to a theoretical range of greater than 1,100 kilometers. In pure LPG mode, the car’s range is about 420 kilometers.