Frankfurt Motor Show

Volkswagen is very excited about its new electric car, the E-Up. It's a serious attempt to present to the world for the first time what a VW electric car will look like when it's launched in 2013. E-Up is a neat development of the original Up concept car of a couple of years back, though a little shorter this time around.

Impressively, the roof on the E-Up is made up of solar cells so that the ventilation and air-conditioning system can be powered up without draining the battery. And, if you're worried that the E-Up may be too quiet for pedestrians to hear it coming, this concept version can be made to sound like an Audi R8 by switching it into loudspeaker mode.

But equally significant is the amazing Volkswagen L1 concept. Weighing in at just 838 pounds (about one-third the weight of a Polo) this 1-liter diesel has a carbon-dioxide output of a mere 36g/km and fuel economy of 204 mpg. But the L1, with its tandem seating, is even further on the horizon than the E-Up.

This is our first chance to get a good look at the Volkswagen Scirocco R, the range-topping performance version of VW's smooth coupe. This was unveiled at the Nürburgring 24-hour race back in May, but Frankfurt represents its proper show debut.

It's been worth the wait. The beefed-up bodywork indicates serious sporting intent, echoing the GT24 racing cars, while the 265 horsepower 2.0-liter turbo gas engine confirms it means business. Zero to 62 mph takes just 6.5 seconds (6.4 with DSG semi-auto), and we love those 18-inch wheels.

That's all very well, of course, but as far as the general public and the planet are concerned, maybe Volkswagen's new BlueMotion models are more relevant. And there's no doubting the significance of the Polo variant. Powered by an all-new 1.2 turbodiesel 3-pot, this emits just 87g/km of CO2. That's 2g/km less than the latest Toyota Prius. Combined fuel economy is a staggering 85.6 mpg, and yet the common rail engine still produces a respectable 75 horsepower. We're seriously impressed. Aero tweaks, a bespoke gear set, stop-start technology, brake energy recuperation and low-rolling-resistance tires all help.

Those features also help the latest Golf and Passat BlueMotion models. These both make use of a new 105-horse 1.6-liter common rail turbodiesel. The Golf is every bit as impressive as the Polo, really, since it now emits just 99g/km of CO2, while 74.3 mpg means a theoretical 899-mile range from every tank.

The new Passat emits just 114g/km of CO2 - again, a worthy improvement over the previous 2.0-liter TDI version's 128g/km. The official EPA fuel-economy rating is 64.2 mpg.

If you care to look hard among all of VW's Bluemotion and "greener than thou" cars, you'll find the world premier of the Golf R. Not quite the Focus RS rival you might have hoped, the 2-liter turbo produces 270 horses and starts at around $60,000, a tad more than the Ford. But the Golf has 4Motion four-wheel drive and rather more subtle looks that some buyers may prefer. The VW reaches 62 mph in 5.5 seconds, 0.4 quicker than the Focus.