VW Will Intro Three New Hybrids In 2010

Volkswagen announced yesterday that it will join the parade of automakers that will offer additional hybrid vehicles in 2010. Three new models will sport hybrid-electric drives, and the company plans to produce an all-electric vehicle to boot. VW also rolled out a clean diesel version of the Jetta yesterday. The Jetta TDI offers 29 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. VW is one of the few manufacturers to offer diesel engine options, although analysts predict that as much as 30 percent of new cars sold in the US in the next ten years will be outfitted with diesel engines.

VW says it will deliver hybrid models of the Golf/Rabbit, the Touareg and the Jetta, with the latter being of the plug-in hybrid electric variety. The Golf/Rabbit and Touareg hybrids will feature conventional gas-electric drive trains, and the Golf/Rabbit will also feature stop-start technology.

Earlier this year, VW put the skids on production plans for the Golf TDI Hybrid, shown at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. That concept was a diesel-electric hybrid and VW said at the time that the program would be modified by a gas-electric drive train to reduce production and sales costs. In its announcement, VW committed to selling the Rabbit hybrid in the US, despite the falling dollar.

VW's all-electric vehicle will be a "family car" and is likely to be based on the space up! microvan four-seater concept introduced at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show.