Volkswagen will start selling a plug-in hybrid-electric (PHEV) version of the Golf in 2015 and has estimated that the car will be able to go as far as 30 miles in electric-only mode, AutoExpress is reporting.
The Golf PHEV will likely pair a 1.4-liter turbocharged gas engine with a 107-horsepower electric motor. The German automaker will show off a Golf PHEV concept vehicle at the Paris Motor Show this September, the website reported. PlugInCars cites a review on the UK-based AutoExpress website saying that the prototype was "very impressive" in a test drive.
VW last July unveiled a station-wagon prototype of the Golf "Twin Drive" PHEV. That car paired a 1.4-liter gas engine with an electric motor that provided 161 horsepower as well as 35 miles of electric-only range and more than 550 miles of range on a full tank. VW, which estimated the prototype's fuel economy at 112 miles per gallon-equivalent, planned at the time to build 20 Golf Twin Drive vehicles for testing.
Last summer, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn said in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport that he thought plug-in hybrids would be embraced by consumers at a far faster rate than battery-electric vehicles that don't provide a gasoline-powered option.
Source: Autoblog Green
