The wait for the sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf GTI is over as the German market launch of the hot hatch will begin in a few days with the rest of Europe following just after Easter at the end of April. North America and Asia will follow in late summer. As you can see in our mega gallery after the jump, nothing has changed compared to the 2008 Paris Show’s so-called concept Golf GTI. The new model is powered by a new 2.0-liter TSI engine producing 210-horsepower at 5,300 – 6,200 rpm and 280Nm of torque between 1,700 and 5,200 rpm.

2010 VW Golf GTI VI Even though its performance and displacement data might suggest that VW revised the GTI V’s 200HP engine, according to the German firm, this 2.0 TSI is actually a new powerplant of the “EA888″ generation of engines whose technical origins were in the 230-PS version.
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It’s not sold here, but globally, the subcompact Volkswagen Polo is one of the most important models for the German brand. Here at the 2009 Geneva auto show, VW is unveiling an entirely new generation. It’s the fifth new Polo since 1975, when the car was first launched as a stripped version of the radically modern Audi 50, whose sales it completely cannibalized within a few years.

Mature, Handsome Styling

Styled with crisp, bold lines, the new Polo offers a fresh and very welcome interpretation of a subcompact car. Its styling is deliberately not of the cutesy, happy-face school that dominates the segment, an aesthetic that can be acutely embarrassing to some who move down-market from more “grown-up” vehicles. Instead, the Polo resembles the acclaimed, one-size-up sixth-gen Golf. Since the new Polo didn’t use a carryover platform, the design team had even more freedom to express Volkswagen’s new styling direction.

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Volkswagen’s Concept BlueSport should go a long way towards making the term “diesel performance” a household name. While it might seem to be an oxymoron to some, seeing it at the Detroit Auto Show, we can tell you that if it reaches production, everyone will be a believer. While officially just a concept for now (and the interior is a dead giveaway this isn’t production-ready), the two-door roadster sports a 2.0-liter turbodiesel four mounted amidships. It puts out 180 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque and pushes just 2,600 pounds via a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Expect a 0-60 of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 140, all while returning about 35 mpg on the European cycle and upwards of 62 mpg in “Eco” mode.

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Volkswagen used today’s Bologna motor show to unveil its Mk2 Golf Plus, the third Golf model (after the three- and five-door hatchbacks) to get Wolfsburg’s latest looks.

Only the nose on the new VW Golf Plus looks new! What’s changed?

That new nose is indeed the obvious change. The headlamps, now with daytime running lights, receive a little nip on the inner edges and the two-bar grille is now in high-gloss black.

The bodywork tweaks also see the rubbing strips disappear from the revised front bumper, while the rear is tidied up by new bodywork and LED rear lights.

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Volkswagen has made getting behind the wheel of a Scirocco just a little bit easier… in the UK. When the low-slung three-door was launched it was only available in up-level GT trim, but now it’s available in base form, starting at £18,790. For what it’s worth (not much, sadly), that converts to $32,600 at current rates, but the Scirocco still isn’t offered in the States anyway. The new standard engine is VW’s 1.4-liter TSI engine rated at 160-horsepower and nearly 43 miles per gallons in the combined EU cycle. The Base trim still includes a six-disc CD changer, air conditioning and exclusive 17-inch alloys.

A second engine is now offered in both Base and GT trims, and it’s a diesel. Displacing 2.0-liters and offering 140-horsepower, the common rail oil-burner gets over 55 European miles per gallon, with a choice of either a six-speed manual or DSG gearbox.