Conflicting Information.

Last week I received my issue of Volkswagen Driver Magazine, and it has an advertisement/ article for the GX3. The piece on the GX3 states the vehicle will come with a 1.6-liter engine as opposed to the 1.4 that I (as well as everyone else) reported earlier. I far as I'm concerned the bigger the engine the better. I want to see sub 5.0 0-60mph times from this thing.

A New Life?

I mentioned in the last post that the death of the GX3 is not yet official. Which means there is still hope that we may see this vehicle in showrooms some day. I came across this article from "Automobile" that has some insight into the ways Volkswagen may avoid the liability issues mentioned in the previous post. It seems Volkswagen may market the GX3 through a junior brand. This would alleviate VW of certain types of liability. Looks like we need to keep hope alive.

Automobile

It's over.

It looks like the lawyers over at VW have axed the GX3 project fearing legal issues. Because the GX3 is no quite a car and not quite a motorcycle the company fears it could cause serious liability issues for the company. All this as news comes out that VW has already started promising GX3's to dealerships. VW wanted to build the GX3 in the US, and was in the process of finding a site for production. They wanted to have the production begin in mid-2007. There isn't yet a final decision, but it looks like the GX3 has been killed. You can read more about it here.

Related VW News.

These don't directly tie into the GX3, but these stories seem somewhat related to the overall project.

The 1.4 liter TSI engine that will potentially grace the GX3 was recently named Engine of the Year in the 1-1.4 liter catergory, as well being named Best New Engine 2006. Check out a rundown of the winners here: Inside Line

Also it looks like this engine, which currently is in use in euro spec Golf's, and will make it's US debut with the Rabbit this summer, may also show up in the new Scirocco in 2008. VW has confirmed production of this vehicle, what they have not done is given info about the spec's of the vehicle. Some rumors claim a 2.3L V6 others tout the 1.4L TSI. It makes sense for them to go with both, sort of like the 4th Gen. GTI. If it does get the 1.4L it will be sharing it with the GX3. Check out the great computer generated image curtesy of Auto Motor und Sport.

GX3 Links

Here are some links to various online reviews/ articles on the GX3.

VW Vortex
Autoblog
Automobile Magazine
WorldCarFans Spy Photos

more to come...