Hot on the heels of the official launch of the Volkswagen e-Up! and Volkswagen e-Golf electric vehicles, the Germany automaker has announced its intentions to offer up to 40 alt-fuel models in coming years. 14 of those alternatively-powered vehicles will hit the market in the next year.
While details of the e-Up! and e-Golf have already been released, Volkswagen is hot-to-trot on electric and hybrid vehicles all of the sudden. Perhaps it has sensed the shift in public opinion as electric cars are suddenly driving farther and costing less than the initial wave of EVs. Volkswagen CEO Martin Wintercorn said that the plug-in hybrids have the “greatest market potential” of alt-fuel vehicles, which could be a hint at the direction Vdub intends to go.
But Volkswagen isn’t focusing solely on EVs. Of those 14 alt-fuel models hitting showrooms next year, some will no doubt be gasoline or diesel-electric hybrids, while others could run on CNG, LPG, or even the “carbon neutral” eGas being developed by Audi. Also don’t forget the 261 mpg Volkswagen XL1 superhybrid, which though limited in scope could be an important car altogether. But Volkswagen is also demonstrating a keen interest in the pursuit of EVs, and should market demand increase, Vdub could find itself well-positioned to roll out more pure-electric models if consumers respond well. The 7th generation Golf could be an especially important player going forward, with EV sales catching on in places like Norway.
Nissan has already committed big time to electric cars, but other automakers have been wary of taking the plunge. Could Volkswagen take the lead among European automakers with a new wave of locally-made electric cars?
Source: Automotive News
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment