VW To Make Twin Drive Golf

Volkswagen has announced its Twin Drive diesel-electric hybrid Golf, which features both a 122-hp diesel engine and an 82-hp electric motor, and will offer an all-electric drive range of about 30 miles. The twist on this particular model is that the electric motor is the primary drive system, and the diesel engine is meant to supplement the electric motor, not unlike the Chevy Volt, which GM will market as an extended-range electric vehicle. VW might make a gasoline engine for the US market if things go well with its Twin Drive test fleet, and if so, would presumably market that vehicle under the Rabbit nameplate.

The VW Twin Drive Golf is expected to hit the market in 2010, but whether the vehicle ever competes directly with the Chevy Volt or any other hybrid vehicle remains to be seen. The company has pledged to build a fleet of twenty Twin Drive Golf vehicles but has not yet committed to mass production for this particular model. VW will partner with Sanyo to create the Li-ion batteries needed for the vehicle. The development of the Twin Drive Golf is being backed in a small way by a $23.5 million investment by the German government, which is eager to get lower-emission vehicles on its roadways. VW says the overall cost of development for the vehicle will reach nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars.

Source: Wired