 250px|thumb|right|the 1973 facelift involved replacing the rectangular headlights: this distanced the car a little from its nsu origins. the volkswagen k70 is a sedan developed by nsu. in 1969, volkswagen absorbed nsu and marketed the k70 from 1970 until february 1975. the k70 was notable in that it was the first volkswagen with a front-mounted engine, the first with water cooling and the first with front wheel drive. the name "k70" used nsu's naming convention. as with its other model, the ro80, which derived its name from an engine output of  and "ro" denoting the ro 80's rotary engine, the nameplate k70 designated an engine power output of , with "k" denoting the german word "kolben", or piston. ==development== designed by claus luthe, the k70 was originally developed by nsu as a smaller brother to the ro 80, distinguished by its conventional piston engine rather than the ro80's wankel rotary engine. ==postponed launch as a volkswagen==  nsu scheduled the car's press launch for march 1969, intending to present it to the wider public at the geneva motor show of that year. however, just prior to launch, well founded rumors arose that volkswagen would soon absorb cash strapped nsu. even before the take over had been made public, the k70's future was threatened by management concerns that the k70 was too close in size and price to the recently launched audi 100. plans for the k70 launch were at the last minute deferred, with rumors that volkswagen personnel removed the k70 from nsu's show stand on the eve of the show. rumours of the 'merger' reflected a reality endors
1970s_automobiles Front-wheel-drive_vehicles Sedans Vehicles_introduced_in_1969 Volkswagen_vehicles