Back in the 1980s, Volkswagen worked on producing both fully-electric and plug-in hybrid versions of its Mk II Rabbit -- also known as the Mk II VW Golf.
It’s been no secret that Volkswagen has been working on resurrecting an all-electric Golf in the form of its 2013 VW Blue E-Motion, but now VW has confirmed that it will be unveiling a plug-in hybrid Golf at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.
Combining a 1.4 liter Twincharger Stratification Injection (TSI) engine with an 80 kilowatt electric motor, the VW Golf Plug-in Hybrid will be built upon the MQB platform which VW unveiled earlier this month.
Designed to accommodate both a large battery pack and an electric motor without compromising in-car space, the new platform will form the basis of plug-in and non-plugin VW Golf VII models and associated cars like the Audi A3.
According to Autoexpress, the plug-in hybrid should manage a range of up to 30 miles in all-electric mode, while mixed-mode driving should yield a gas mileage of around 141 miles per imperial gallon (117 MPG U.S.).
Volkswagen's MQB Platform
Part of the key to its impressive fuel economy lies in the TSI engine, which can run on just one or two cylinders when power demands are low, allowing the VW Golf Plug-in Hybrid to run in a low-power mode if most of the power needs are met by its electric motor.
VW also promises the new plug-in hybrid -- which will also have a non plug-in sibling -- will come laden with technology.
At the heart of this will be an eight-inch touch screen display which VW have likened to Apple’s iPad. From VW’s description, it seems a little like the touchscreen display we’ve previously seen in VW concept vehicles like the all-electric Bulli concept it displayed last year at the Geneva Auto Show.
As for cost?
According to VW, it expects the 2015 Golf VII Plug-in Hybrid to cost around the same as the new VW Golf GTi.
Source: Green Car Reports
