VAG's hopes
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VAG (UK) expects the latest water-cooled Transporter petrol engines to help boost the model's sales in the UK from an anticipated total of 5,000 this year to 6,300 in 1983.
David Abbott, VAG's marketing manager of light commercials, made this prediction last week at Volkswagen's Hanover plant where Transporters are currently being manufactured at the rate of 650 a day, together with LTs (about 30 a day) and MAN-VW MTs (about 20 a day). Production of the water-cooled 1.9-litre, horizontally opposed ("boxer") four-cylinder engines began at Hanover this summe. and has now reached the rate of 450 per day.
Volkswagen had three main objectives in the development of the water-cooled engine: to improve power, fuel economy and driver comfort in the Transporter range (there are no plans at present to fit the engine to any other models, car or commercial).
But it was the latest noise and exhaust emission regulations v lich gave most weight to the argument in favour of abandoning further development of the air-cooled model.