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Affordable: VW has added a petrol and diesel, both turbos, to the Amarok cab-chassis range. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied

NEW engine options rein in the workhouse – it starts below $30,000.

The entry ticket to the Volkswagen Amarok range of utes has dropped below the $30,000 mark.

VW has introduced a pair of more affordable engine options and cab-chassis configurations across the range, which is still limited to crew cab bodies.

The entry model, the TDI340 cab-chassis two-wheel-drive manual, is now $29,990. This is $4000 cheaper than the TDI400 steel-tub two-wheel-drive manual which was previously the most affordable.

Until now, the only engine variant was the TDI400, a twin-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel with 120kW/400Nm.

A single turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel, which produces 103kW and 340Nm, has been added to the range. the torque figure is represented in the name – TDI340.

This engine is the most fuel-efficient Amarok model, with an official fuel economy average of 7.4L/100km, undercutting its stronger sibling by 0.3L/100km.

Volkswagen also has added a petrol powerplant to the Amarok range. It is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo, the TSI300. It generates 103kW and, you guessed it, 300Nm of torque. the petrol version has an official average fuel consumption figure of 9.6L/100km. It will cost $30,590 in cab chassis form.

The two new entry-level engines are only available with the rear-wheel-drive Amarok.

At this stage, the only transmission available for these engines, as well as the TDI400, is a six-speed manual. a class-leading eight-speed automatic will be added as an option about September. a single cab model will join the line-up at the same time.

The base TDI340 and TSI300 are cab-chassis models but customers can select a conventional steel tub rear for an extra $2000.

Both models are available in basic Amarok trim only, whereas the TDI400 is available in basic trim as well as four-wheel drive Trendline, Highline and Ultimate formats. Cab-chassis versions of the standard TDI400 and the Trendline are now available.

<a href="http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/volkswagen-has-just-the-ticket/story-fn9y0ah4-1226260897459tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/volkswagen-has-just-the-ticket/story-fn9y0ah4-1226260897459Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:14:25 GMT”>Volkswagen has just the ticket

The E-Bugster concept is powered by a 114-hp (85 kW) electric motor.

(Credit:Tim Hornyak/CNET)

DETROIT–If you’re a Bug fan, chances are you might dig an electric version.

Volkswagen has been showing off its zero-emission E-Bugster concept at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, as well as a Jetta Hybrid.

The storied Beetle, which recently had an update for the third generation since its launch in 1949, gets a Blue-e-motion drive unit with a 114-horsepower (85 kW) electric motor and 110 miles of range with its lithium-ion battery.

It does 0-60 mph in a laid-back 10.9 seconds.

The Bugster has a low-slung roof like the 2005 Ragster concept and fat, flared fenders. The 176-pound battery is recharged via a plug beneath the hood logo.

Inside, an energy consumption gauge fluctuates with acceleration; there’s also a driving range indicator, and a display for battery regeneration intensity.

The Jetta Hybrid drives in pure electric mode up to 44 mph.

(Credit:Tim Hornyak/CNET)

The Jetta Hybrid, meanwhile, is being touted as the world’s first hybrid that uses a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. it drives electric up to 44 mph and can do 0-60 mph in under 9.0 seconds, according to Volkswagen.

It has a combined fuel economy figure of 45 mpg, making it Volkswagen’s most fuel-efficient Jetta.

The 220-volt, 1.1 kWh battery will only power thecar for 1.2 miles in pure electric mode. The 1.4-liter, four-cylinder gas engine puts out 150 horsepower and works with the 27-horsepower electric motor.

Volkswagen says the Jetta Hybrid weighs less than 3310 pounds thanks to its 163-pound, seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission.

The Jetta will launch in North America at the end of 2012 and will be priced to compete with other compact hybrids, according to VW.

Check out more Volkswagen pics in our gallery.

<a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31229_7-57356213-257/vw-goes-greener-with-electric-beetle-jetta-hybrid/tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31229_7-57356213-257/vw-goes-greener-with-electric-beetle-jetta-hybrid/Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:09:47 GMT”>VW goes greener with electric Beetle, Jetta Hybrid

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TORONTO – the true story of the Jewish engineer whose original designs for the Volkswagen (VW) Beetle were stolen by the Nazis will be published in Canada this month.

Journalist Paul Schilperoord, author of the Extraordinary Life of Josef Ganz, the Jewish Engineer Behind Hitler’s Volkswagen, first stumbled across a mention of Ganz while researching an article he planned to write about the car’s history.“I was simply intrigued that a Jewish engineer… was behind the Volkswagen Beetle, the  most successful project the Nazis ever did,” Schilperoord told the Jewish Tribune by phone from his home in Florence, Italy.More than 21.5 million VW Beetles were built over a period of 65 years. Ganz received no remuneration and no credit for his designs; even his nickname for the car, “May Bug,” was appropriated by the Nazis.the book describes how a competitor in the auto industry – first alone, then in collustion with car manufacturers, and finally with the help of high-level friends within the Nazi party – worked to destroy Josef Ganz. Ganz’s “one personal enemy,” Paul Ehrhardt, wanted to take credit for Ganz’s designs; car manufacturers wanted to stop Ganz’s magazine from criticizing their products; and the Nazis wanted to hide the Jewish origins of the Beetle’s true designer.Schilperoord, a European journalist, is a science and technology writer and car expert. He  spent five years researching the book. although a great deal of original documentation was lost or destroyed, he was pleased by how much he was able to unearth.“It’s really the first time the story has been told in so much detail,” he said. “I found pieces of the puzzle all over the world.”in the 1920s and ’30s, cars were large and expensive, while motorcycles, which cost less, were extremely dangerous to drive on new or poorly maintained roads. Josef Ganz was a brilliant, highly inventive engineer who was determined to design a small, safe car that ordinary people could afford.in 1928, Ganz became editor-in-chief of Germany’s Klein-Motor-Sport magazine. He immediately began to advocate for his vision of a Volkswagen (“people’s car”). under Ganz’s leadership, readership increased dramatically, and the renamed Motor-Kritik magazine became “the most influential and controversial car magazine of its time. He was a strong force and because of this he became very influential.”Ganz’s sharp critiques, exposés of industry scandals and refusal to print puff pieces, earned him the ire of carmakers. some filed lawsuits and tried to convince advertisers to boycott the magazine. meanwhile, Ganz continued to work on his designs and had prototypes made of his car.the campaigns against him escalated. Ganz spent a month in prison in 1933 on trumped-up charges of blackmailing the auto industry and in 1934 the Nazis stopped him from working altogether. at first they banned publication of Motor-Kritik magazine; when the publishers appealed, the ban was lifted with the proviso that Ganz be fired. A new ban was placed on Ganz’s name appearing anywhere in print, whether in publications or on designs. He fled to Switzerland that year but unfortunately his troubles followed him there.Ganz emigrated to Australia in 1954, where he lived until his death in 1967 at the age of 69. He had long-term relationships but never married and had no children. He has a grand-niece who lives in Zurich.after World War II, the German government gave Ganz 30,000 Deutsche marks for the loss of his career “by Gestapo interference.” Towards the end of his life, Ganz told his story to a couple of British and Australian car magazines but the news didn’t catch on.More than one person described Ganz to Schilperoord as “someone with a very strong sense of justice. He was a difficult person in the sense that he could not let anything go. He kept on fighting, even if he was fighting the Nazi regime… He always wanted to tell the truth.”the Extraordinary Life of Josef Ganz, the Jewish Engineer Behind Hitler’s Volkswagen, will be available in North America this month. for more information, visit www.rvpp.com.the book was first published in Dutch in 2009 and has since been translated into Portuguese, German and English.

<a href="http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5235&Itemid=53tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php?option=com_content”>Jewish Tribune – The Jewish engineer behind the Volkswagen