Volkswagen Says Plug-In Hybrid Version Of The Passat Coming Soon
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A plug-in hybrid version of the popular Volkswagen Passat is coming soon, based on recent comments made by the Volkswagen Group Chairman of the Board of Management Dr Winterkorn at the opening of the recent Geneva Motora Show.
The Passat isn’t the only Volkswagen model getting a redesign as a PHEV — the move is part of a broader push from the company. Dr Winterkorn noted that the company is currently working to expand its sustainability program — with an emphasis on the production of more in-depth life cycle assessments, with the life cycle engineering approach in mind.
Speaking on that subject, Dr Winterkorn stated: “We are not satisfied with just making eco-friendly cars at eco-friendly plants. We conceive and shape mobility in holistic terms. From power generation, through development, production, sale and operation to the recycling stage. With an environmental strategy that is firmly anchored and measurable with respect to all the brands and regions of the Volkswagen Group.”
Among his other comments, an interesting one was that the company’s research and development expenditure rose substantially last year (15%, up to $14 billion), with the majority of it going towards ‘green’ technologies. That’s a substantial chunk of change there. The aim of that increased R&D is apparently the company’s goal to “become the world’s leading automaker, also in ecological terms, by 2018.”
Green Car Congress provides more information from the speech:
He said that the plug-in hybrids Golf GTE (1.5 l/100 km) and Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (1.5 l/100 km) were now being added to the range of electric vehicles from the e-up! (11.7 kWh/100 km) to the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid (3.1 l/100km).
The Group’s modular strategy in production—i.e., the use of the modular Baukästen (assembly kits such as the MQB, MLB or MSB, earlier post)—means that it will be possible to electrify more than 40 models over the next few years, Winterkorn said.
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