The top brass from Volkswagen performance arm, R GmbH, say “The future is diesel and all-wheel drive.” Sure, in current day context that makes perfect sense for a Touareg R, for example. But would punters really cough up for a diesel powered hot hatch, such as the Golf R?

Well, as Jeremy Clarkson recently showed, there’s no reason a diesel cannot be a barrel of fun. Certainly, the in-gear acceleration of diesels can be a real laugh.

More pleasingly, though, is the claim of Ulrich Riestenpatt gt. Richter, General Manager of Volkswagen R GmbH, that sending a car on a diet has many benefits, including fuel efficiency. “You can get the same efficiency [as a hybrid] by dropping 100 kilos,” he said. Expect more use of aluminium and, possibly, carbon fibre body panels in future, then.

[Source: Autoblog]