Archive for the ‘Volkswagen’ Category

The Future of Parking Comes to West Hollywood

Posted: May 28, 2011 in Los Angeles Specific Issues, Parking Structures, Volkswagen
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Anyone who lives in or visits West Hollywood knows that parking is a problem.  A major problem.  And an expensive problem when one of the countless parking enforcement drones (employed by private contractor Serco) slaps an inflated ticket on your car the moment a  meter expires or when you parked in what you thought was a “safe” space or area.

West Hollywood just finished construction of a new 333 space parking structure. It’s accessed off of Robertson and El Tovar and, when the library is complete, it will also have an entrance on San Vicente Blvd where where the new library is grafted onto the front of the structure.

Artist's rendering of the nearly completed library. This is the front of the building on San Vicente Blvd across from the Pacific Design Center, just north of Melrose. The parking structure is in back and can be entered off of Robertson Blvd and El Tovar.

Here’s the basic information from the City’s press release on the opening of the structure.

The five-story, 333-space, West Hollywood Park/Library Parking Structure provides convenient parking for park visitors as well as the surrounding business community. Features of the West Hollywood Park/Library Parking Structure include:

  • Three rooftop tennis courts
  • State-of-the-art Pay on Foot (POF) technology where visitor’s process their own parking tickets via cash or credit card payments
  • Advanced validation system for special events
  • Multiple safety features including emergency call boxes

Hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Parking rates include:

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Daily
1st Hour is free
1 Additional hour free with park validation
Thereafter $1 each 20 minutes
$12 maximum

6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday
$1 each 20 minutes
$6 maximum

6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday
$1 each 20 minutes
$8 maximum

6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday
$10 flat rate
Two hours free parking for park visitor’s with validation

That’s all nice, but it’s not the most interesting parking structure to come to West Hollywood.  The City Council has approved the construction of 5-story, 200 space, automated robo-parking structure in place of the 67 space surface lot currently in back of City hall at 8300 Santa Monica Blvd at Sweetzer Ave.

The current look of West Hollywood City Hall at Santa Monica Blvd and Sweetzer Ave.

These kinds of parking structures have been used for decades in other parts of the world. According to an article in WehoPatch, the only other similar parking structure, west of the Mississippi, is being built right now in Santa Monica, near St. John’s Hospital.

My favorite parking structures, by far, are the two, gigantic, automated parking structure used by Volkswagen at its Autostadt delivery center and theme park near its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany.

The twin automated carpark towers rise over the VW's Autostadt theme park.

The City has budgeted $13 million for “the structure, technology, motor court and community plaza area.”  The cost to engineer and fabricate the actual mechanism is approximately $2.6 million or $13,200 per space. The contract goes to Unitronics, an Israel-based automation and logistics solutions specialist.  The project is supposed to start construction in June 2012 and finish by July 2013.

2012 Volkswagen Beetle – First Look

Posted: April 18, 2011 in Volkswagen
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Today, April 14, 2011, the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle debuts both in New York and Shanghai.  Will it have the quality of the current Golf, GTI and Jetta SportsWagen or will it go down the horrible path to mediocrity of the new Jetta? Let’s hope it’s the former.

Here are the official pictures, videos, etc.:

2012 Volkswagen Beetle

2012 Vokswagen Beetle

2012 Vokswagen Beetle Interior

Here’s the official press release:

NEW GENERATION BEETLE REVEALED AT SHANGHAI SHOW

New generation of Volkswagen Beetle unveiled in Shanghai, New York and Berlin

All-new vehicle draws design cues from original Beetle launched 73 years ago

Efficient engines and innovative features combine with heritage to make a ‘modern classic’

On sale in North America in autumn 2011, then mainland Europe; UK early in 2012

Volkswagen has unveiled the latest generation Beetle in Shanghai on the eve of the city’s motor show, marking a new era in this iconic car’s history. The latest generation moves away from design of the New Beetle of 1998 and instead draws on cues from the original and Beetle Ragster concept shown in Detroit in 2005. As such it’s longer, wider and lower, giving a more masculine and dynamic appearance.

The Beetle now measures 4,278 mm in length (+152 mm), 1,808 mm in width (+84 mm) and 1,486 in height (-12 mm). The track width front and rear, as well as the wheelbase at 2,537 mm, are also increased. Overseen by Walter de Silva (Volkswagen Group) and Klaus Bischoff (Volkswagen Brand), with Marc Lichte the team leader for exterior design, the car’s new proportions mean the roof extends back further, the windscreen is shifted back and the rear section is now more akin to that of the original Beetle. The boot capacity is a practical 310 litres, up from 209 litres in the 1998 model. The Beetle has four seats, with a split-fold rear seat for added versatility.

Inside the cabin, the Beetle’s designers created a modern, practical and distinctive appearance with easy to identify and ergonomic controls. Certain features, such as the glovebox and colour accent panels hark back to the original.

Three trim levels will be available – Beetle, Design and Sport – and each will be endowed with its own individual character and features. A wide range of innovative optional equipment will also be available, ranging from Keyless Access through satellite navigation systems and a panoramic sunroof to bi-xenon headlights and LED daytime running lights – all of which are available for the first time on a Beetle.

In the UK, a choice of four engines will be offered: three petrol – a 1.2-litre TSI 105 PS, a 1.4-litre TSI 160 PS and a 2.0-litre TSI 200 PS; and one diesel – a 1.6-litre 105 PS with BlueMotion Technology. Thanks to the addition of Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems the Beetle 1.6-litre 105 PS is estimated to have a combined fuel consumption of 65.7 mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 112 g/km.

As well as being economical and environmentally sound, the Beetle is also built to be one of the safest cars on the road thanks not only to features such as standard ESP and six airbags but also a laser-welded and galvanised body structure which has one of the highest torsional rigidity values in the segment at 26,000 Nm/?. In addition the range-topping engine, the 2.0-litre 200 PS, will feature standard XDS electronic differential lock as fitted to the Golf GTI.

The new car will be available to order in the UK in the summer, with first cars arriving in showrooms early in 2012. More details will be available closer to launch.

When the original was launched in 1938, it was known simply as ‘the Volkswagen’, quickly acquiring a raft of nicknames from across the world. Whatever the name, its popularity is not in question, with 21.5 million sold in the past 73 years

From Automotive News:

In the U.S. market, three engines will be offered: VW’s 2.5-liter, five-cylinder engine that generates 170 hp; a 2.0-liter TDI engine (140 hp), and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (200 hp).

Would you buy it or is this a big disappointment? I’m thrilled that it will be offered with the excellent 2.0L TDI engine and it sounds like there will be premium options available – all good signals. It’s not a car for me; but this new-generation Beetle looks more masculine, more mature and more accessible than the retro-flavored New Beetle “chick car” that debuted back in 1998.

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