VW Concept BlueSport at Detroit auto show 2009

By Tim Pollard

Motor Shows

12 January 2009 05:29

CAR's been tipping it for ages, but today we finally saw the first proof of VW's ambitions to build a Lotus Elise-style back-to-basics roadster. The Concept BlueSport is a mid-engined sports car with the emphasis firmly on the lack of frills – to the benefit of performance, handling and the car's environmental credentials.

The BlueSport is compact at just 3999mm long and that mid-mounted engine keeps weight distribution even-Stevens at 45:55. It's a pure two-seater and can be equipped with a TDI or TSI engines from the VW fold. The car shown in Detroit has a 178bhp 2.0 TDI unit developing 258lb ft of shove, enough for a 6.2sec 0-60mph time.

How clean is it? Well, 113g/km of CO2 and 66mpg sound pretty clean to us. Stop-start is fitted and VW claims a range of 700 miles.

So is VW going to build the BlueSport?

All the signs are that Wolfsburg will build this car. The press bumf is unusually bullish and sources CAR spoke to assure us that it's '80% there'. What's more, this would represent an affordable sports car formula for the rest of the group, with a new sub-TT model on the cards for Audi and maybe – eventually – a Seat Tango.

By Tim Pollard