Features
Compact, roomy, ergonomic, technological and eco-friendly. The Volkswagens for the city of tomorrow are already here. More comfort and passenger room than a large SUV provides and performance worthy of a true sports car, with an eco-friendly heart, in less than four metres
Passenger room
Designed around man and with man in mind. The interiors of the Tex and Go! are designed to offer their occupants maximum space and maximum ergonomics.
"With this exercise I wanted to continue the design of a car able to offer maximum utilisation of its interior. The project started with the 1976 New York Taxi, and continued with the 1978 Megagamma, the 1998 Structura and then came to maturity with the 2010 Emas. The Go! is less than 4 metres long, but offers more passenger room than that of a large SUV and has a 525-litre boot, ideal for city use. The Tex is our interpretation of the Volkswagen sports car of tomorrow, where 4 occupants are comfortably seated," commented Giorgetto Giugiaro.
MQB: one architecture, two proposals
The Go! and Tex have a least common denominator labelled Volkswagen.
These platform proposals, developed by Volkswagen, show the future potential of the modular transverse architecture (MQB= Modularer Quer-Baukasten). The first vehicles, based on the MQB, will be launched next year.
In future this architecture will indeed be able to house an electrical plug-in system, a hybrid system, a classical internal combustion engine powered by petrol, diesel, LPG, CNG and even hydrogen fuel cells without distinction.
Visibility
The large glass surfaces make the Go! a very well-lit car and offer the drive the maximum visibility possible.
The A pillar is considerably farther forward than its traditional position, and the bulk of the door mirrors is eliminated by using cameras. The side windows extend beneath the waistline - markedly high and optically taken up again by adding a longitudinal structure that crosses the side windows - drawing on a solution introduced in 1988 with the Asgard prototype that guarantees visibility while manoeuvring.
Ergonomics
The seat H point corresponding to the passenger hip position makes sure that getting in and out of the passenger compartment is extremely comfortable.
An electronically driven system pushes the door outwards and pulls it back parallel to the vehicle body for gaining access to the rear seats. This mechanism, which draws on the one used on the Milano Taxi (presented in May 2010), offers the advantageous practicality of sliding doors but without sacrificing their section (room is found inside for a comfortable armrest) and makes it possible to do away with the unattractive tracks on the body typical of this solution. To make loading luggage easier, the tailgate can be operated electronically for both opening and closing. A sensor that activates the opening mechanism by simply moving the foot is also fitted underneath the bumper.
Sportiness
The passenger compartment is definitely geared to the driver. All of the instruments are positioned in a functional manner and wrap around the driver so as to leave the passenger an incredible sensation of space.
All of the controls and indicators are housed in LCD screens, as is the infotainment console put on a touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard, set in a transparent structure that lays bare part of the structure.
"We designed the interiors so that the first sensation would be that of entering a car. The driver has to be able to find himself, and this is why we chose finish details and elements that refer back to the classic idea of the sports car. We have adopted the large gear knob and leather interiors, with the speedometer and rev counter situated in the classic position behind the steering wheel and with 'analogue' graphics, precisely for that reason," said Fabrizio Giugiaro.
Hybrid
From 0 to 100 km/h in just 6 seconds, more than 220 km/h and only 38 g/km of CO2.
Just like the legendary ranger of the comic strips from which it takes its name, the Tex has the heart of a tough guy but a gentle soul as well. Thanks to the Twin Drive system that pairs a 1.4 litre turbo engine with an electrical plug-in system, the Tex is fun to drive but respectful of the environment.
Zero emissions
Studied for the cities of immediate future, the Go! not only offer the largest passenger room possible in less than 4 metres of length, but is totally ecological. Equipped with the electrical blue-e-motion system entirely designed and developed by Volkswagen, the Go! covers 240 km in combined cycle without emitting a single gram of CO2.