NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Volkswagen will introduce a 2-seater sports car at next week's Frankfurt auto show in Germany. The car, called the Concept-R, is a concept vehicle, but, according to reports in the automotive media, VW plans to produce a very similar vehicle by 2006.
The 261-horsepower mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive V6 roadster accelerates from zero to 100 kilometers per hour -- or 62 miles per hour -- in 5.2 seconds. The car has an automatic transmission which can be operated manually using buttons mounted on the steering wheel.
In the concept car, the driver and passenger seats do not move. Instead, the dashboard, which is covered in shiny polished aluminum, is movable, as are the pedals. The passenger can adjust a movable footrest.
When the LED headlights come on, circular covers over the headlights open -- first one, then the other -- revealing a narrow beam that widens as each light is uncovered. The VW emblem in the steering wheel is also created with LED lights.
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Although it looks like a three-dimensional chrome badge, it is actually a flat light display. When the car is not running, it disappears entirely. When the car is in stand-by mode, it pulses gently.
A story on Autoweek Online cited high-level VW sources saying the roadster will be produced for sale by 2006.
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