- VW has recruited Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard to help with battery development.
- VW will launch the Touareg Hybrid later this year, followed by the Jetta Hybrid in 2012.
- In 2013, VW plans to introduce its first full battery-electric car in the U.S.
PALO ALTO, California — Volkswagen plans to begin selling its first battery-electric vehicles in 2013 and will market a hybrid edition of its new Jetta in 2012.
The news was revealed by VW CEO Martin Winterkorn at a press conference here at the company's Electronic Research Laboratory.
VW also has recruited Martin Eberhard, co-founder of electric-car maker Tesla Motors, to help with its battery development efforts, according to Reuters.
Winterkorn said VW will launch the Touareg Hybrid later this year, followed by the Jetta Hybrid in 2012. The following year, VW will introduce its first full battery-electric car in the U.S. — either the E-Up or the Golf blue-e-motion. It is also developing an e-Jetta. Golf and Passat hybrids also are planned.
VW's premium Audi brand will launch its Q5 Hybrid by the end of this year, followed by the A8 Hybrid. It also plans to build a limited run of its E-tron sports cars.
By 2018, Winterkorn expects that 3 percent of VW's global sales will be electric and hybrid vehicles, while "in urban centers, this share could be a lot higher."
Inside Line says: According to Winterkorn, "e-mobility is a key function for the automobile of tomorrow." — Paul Lienert, Correspondent and Dan Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
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dragonisch says:
11:04 AM, 08/11/2010
That is fantastic! I will be waiting for 2013 to roll around now. Hoping I can afford a new car by then. I am also happy to see that other small cars besides the Jetta (least favorite car) are being considered. Although, I am sad to note no mention of the Beetle. It is hoped that as much care goes into the electric and hybrid versions. Although with a Tesla co-founder on board, this may be a moot point. Tesla has done a fantastic job designing their cars.
And although I am not as familiar with engines as jm1212 appears to be, I do hope that it has enough power. I have a turbo, not only because of the cool factor, but also because small cars need to be able to get out of the way quickly. And a regular small engine just doesn't have the oomph.
I also look forward to seeing if the new VWs will have the range of the Tesla or go with the range of current US eCars. I will not buy a car with a range less than 250-300 miles. I commute 38 miles one way as it is. I would need the range just to be able to do anything other than a strict round trip. What would be nice is a range as large as possible so cross country trips wouldn't be so burdensome.
jm1212 says:
02:29 PM, 07/20/2010
The current system in the Touareg is powerful and efficient, and is very well equipped to handle such a large load. therefore, i would expect to see a very similar system in the A8. if Volkswagen really wants to be ambitious, this powertrain will also find its way into the next Q7 and A6, and possibly even the A7. it has more than enough power for all three of those applications, and currently more than the both engines in the Q7 and the lower two engines in the A6.
the system in the Jetta will easily be moved to the Golf and A3, both of which it already shares a 2.0T engine and 2.0 TDI engine with. i would expect to see that system use either the 2.0T engine or the 1.4 TFSI. the 2.0T would obviously give more power and is much more familiar for US buyers, but the 1.4T would probably give much better fuel economy while still giving similar power to the already fine 2.5L 5.