This super hot hatchback with almost 400 horses packed under the bonnet and was in top stories from several Auto Shows in 2014. It was unveiled in the form of a concept but now Volkswagen has decided to put it into production only if they will succeed in managing the manufacturing costs of VW R400. This news about the production was broke by an insider saying that there is a strong desire within the Volkswagen to make Golf R400 concept a reality, but only if and when VW can afford the engineering changes to provide the platform for this new potent model.
The all-new R400 is an all-wheel-drive hatchback based on the Golf R, and powered by a 395 horsepower Volkswagen engine. It was first introduced at Beijing Motor Show this year.
Volkswagen Golf R400
A 2.0 Litre turbocharged engine is well tuned to produce a punch of 395 hp and highly admired when paired with a six-speed manual transmission.
The gearbox poses yet another challenge to the Volkswagen as this new model requires a highly sophisticated and extremely reliable gearbox which can handle the power output of R400’s 395 horses and 332 lb-ft of torque. An option for automatic transmission is also under consideration which will give the R400 an extensive global appeal. However, VW has an option of six-speed DSG – an automatic gearbox used in Golf R – but is not a reliable source due to its low power handling capability. It is designed to handle only 280 lb-ft of torque whereas the R400 has a torque of 332 lb-ft.
Last week VW declared they are producing a 10-speed DSG for its more prevailing versions like R400 that can handle the power output of up to 369 lb-ft. Volkswagen is very confident that this gearbox is most likely to endow VW with the solution to the engineering changes and cost related hurdles in the production of R400.
