Golf VI is 40 per cent recycled materials
Sophisticated production and recycling methods mean VW has let nothing go wasted in the transition from fifth to sixth generation GolfMuch has been made of how much of the superseded Golf V Volkswagen carried over to the recently released Golf VI.
It retains the roof panels and elements of the old floorpan, the old axles and much of the old suspension (albeit substantially updated with adaptive dampers), the old fuel tank and the old wiring.
It's a classic German-style refine-and-evolve job that's garnered many a plaudit for taking a good thing and making it better. And it saved them a billion-plus dollars in clean-sheet development costs.
But the recycling factor goes deeper, with German technical standards testing agency TÜV Nord certifying that more than 40 per cent of the new car's total mass comes from recycled materials. That's around 527 kg, the great majority of which -- 501 kg, to be precise -- resides in the metalwork. The company's methods give it the potential to see 85 per cent of each car's mass turned into cars again.
And what about the non-metallic materials? The Golf VI also uses 15 kg of recycled plastics and about 9 kg of recycled glass.
The recycling starts the moment they start manufacturing. For example, when they're machining shafts, blocks and heads there's no sweeping up and binning the filings and chips. After being collected and cleaned, they all go back to the foundry for contribution to another round of raw billets.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
