[r3cc0s]

Forget the City Golf

How about the South Africa revamp of the old classic MK1 GTI!

1.8L R model w/ 121 HP in this:

Volkswagen Citi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Volkswagen South Africa – Citi

Redone, modernized with a modern interior
Hopefully in gavanized steel... Converted into USD for the R = 15K

I would have one in my Garage if it came here

If they put a new MKV 2.0 FSI engine in here w/ a DSG --- it would beat the pants off cars well in the 35K range

 

[krmathis]

Nope!
I had one 16-17 years ago, and are never going back...

 

[Trippytiger]

I imagine the odds that this will meet modern North American safety requirements are rather low.

 

[wes.coleman]

Wow, that looks awesome! I love old-school VW's. I hope to god they send the new Scirocco to the US.

Oh, and put me down for one of the 2.0 TFSI engines

 

[Tone Def]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trippytiger /img/forum/go_quote.gif I imagine the odds that this will meet modern North American safety requirements are rather low.

They're actually pretty common down here. I wouldn't drive one though as they're prime targets for thieves.

 

[ak622]

Interesting concept... They really jazzed it up inside but it has a nice retro look outside.. I don't think we'll see it over here but it looks nice..

 

[plus_c]

*jaw drops* *drools*
That would be the perfect starting platform for an autocross beast! I would LOVE one!

 

[xenithon]

Quote:

I imagine the odds that this will meet modern North American safety requirements are rather low.

Where do you get that impression? We have many large auto factories here, producing and exporting the likes of VW, BMW, Audi, and Hummer. A lot (read most) end up in the European markets where safety standards exceed those in the US in terms of stringency.

 

[Trippytiger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xenithon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Where do you get that impression? We have many large auto factories here, producing and exporting the likes of VW, BMW, Audi, and Hummer. A lot (read most) end up in the European markets where safety standards exceed those in the US in terms of stringency.

It's got absolutely nothing to do with the factories. I'm sure the production quality of the manufacturing plants in South Africa is as good as anywhere else. It's the fact the basic vehicle design some 30 years old and regulations in Canada and the US have probably changed a lot in that time, particularly with regards to collision safety. Ever seen crash test videos of older vehicles (or Chinese ones, for that matter) and compared them to recent models? There's usually a biiig difference.

As for European standards being more stringent than US ones, I'm not sure if that's true in all respects. I've certainly read about a number of vehicles sold in Europe that weren't sold in the US because (among other reasons) they didn't meet American crash safety standards. I think the US may have higher requirements in that regard, whereas Europe definitely has much more stringent pedestrian safety standards for vehicles sold there. That's also why I would suspect that this GTI isn't going to make it to the EU either.

Of course, I may also be way out to lunch. I'm just basing this on what I've picked up from car magazines, not any in depth research. If anybody knows better, feel free to correct me.

 

[facelvega]

If only they hadn't done that awful ; local designers "refreshing" the appearance of a classic design from Giugiaro, the greatest automobile designer ever to have lived. Every visible departure from the original is an aesthetic mistake, and IMO that goes for the Skoda dashboard too.

In general, though, I strongly approve of doing an evolved version of a classic car-- just change the things that break and rust apart, while gently bringing performance and safety up to modern spec. It would be technically easy to tweak a new version of the Volvo Amazon with some 240 elements and modernizations that would last forty years, get 40mpg, and be easy to maintain and repair at home.

 

[lisnalee]

the MK 1 was a classic, plenty of loyal followers in the UK

 

[MASantos]

Actually it will do alright both in the US and Europe.

What about all the hot rods and old 60's and 70's cars in the US that have less or the same safety features, those cirtulate without a problem why should this car not be able to do so?

In Europe we have some old cars too that don't have ABS or airbags but they're allowed to circulate too.

I really don't understand your POV's as why this particular model wouldn't pass safety regulation

 

[plus_c]

MASantos, our old hot rods circulate because they passed safety standards as new vehicles - that is, they met the standards of the 60s and 70s, and are not re-tested with each change in safety regulations.

Now, certainly without significant changes to the design of the chassis, I don't think the Citi would score nearly as highly as, say, a MkV Golf on US/European crash safety tests. It would probably be deemed acceptable for sale by the government - however, with US consumers' attitudes towards safety (i.e. every car must have a 5-star NHTSA crash test rating or it's a rubbish car), it probably wouldn't sell well.

I'd still buy one though. :-D

 

[oicdn]

Although it's cool with the concept they're trying, I think it's like the new beetle. They should have just left it alone. Nice that they tried to "modernize" it, but they failed miserably as the new beetle shares absolutely NOTHING, including it's original purpose, with the OG, except the name.

Looks cool and all, but I don't think america is quite up to it yet. you gotta remember, America is YEARS behind on any of the trends, fashion, automobiles, etc that if it did ever get here in the US, it'd be old news.

Look at the Skyline. They're JUST NOW bringing it here to the USA, when it was in it's peak like 10 years ago. A little late eh?

 

[Trippytiger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MASantos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually it will do alright both in the US and Europe. What about all the hot rods and old 60's and 70's cars in the US that have less or the same safety features, those cirtulate without a problem why should this car not be able to do so? In Europe we have some old cars too that don't have ABS or airbags but they're allowed to circulate too. I really don't understand your POV's as why this particular model wouldn't pass safety regulation

New cars must conform to the safety regulations in place when they are sold. Old cars are essentially grandfathered in every time regulations are changed. Since this GTI is currently being manufactured, it won't be able to be sold in any country in which it doesn't meet standards.