After a few teasing announcements – a 2.0L four here or a turbo V8 there – fans of diesel engines have finally heard the exciting news they’ve been waiting for: The 2014 Volkswagen Golf GTD diesel hot-hatch will be sold in the U.S. The only problem is, it may not be entirely true.
The seventh-generation Volkswagen GTD broke cover in late February, boasting similar looks to the Golf GTI but sporting a turbocharged, direct-injected four-cylinder engine with 184 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft of torque at just 1,750rpm.
So understandably, a lot of people got excited when Car And Driver sent out a Tweet yesterday, claiming the GTD was bound for the U.S. Other sites like AutoBlog ran with the story, but perhaps we need to pump the brakes for a second. The official Volkswagen USA Twitter page (@VW) this morning responded to a fan’s question by posting: “We have no plans to bring the GTD to the US at this time.” Then we received a message that clears things up a bit.
“Our official position is that we are investigating bringing the car to the U.S., but there is no decision,” Volkswagen USA Product and Technology Manager Mark Gillies said in an e-mail to autoMedia.
“Anyone who has asked VW spokespeople about the car has received this response, so anything else is supposition.”
The turbodiesel Volkswagen Golf GTD has been around since 1982, but never made its way over to America because the market doesn't support diesel engines. With automakers of all shapes and sizes desperate to increase their fuel efficiency figures, however, Volkswagen may be warming to the idea of a U.S.-spec GTD.
Known for their gripping performance, the GTD also excels in the fuel mileage game. The Euro-spec version is rated at 56 Euro Cycle MPG, but those calculations are vastly different from the U.S. system so we’ll have to wait and see how its rated in America.
Or will we?
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