VW is showing their TwinDrive hybrid concept again. This time it is installed in a Mark VI Golf chassis and they claim 94 mpg US. (2.5 L / 100 km) They also claim 50 km of EV range. Volkswagen shows off new Mark VI Golf 'TwinDrive' - MotorAuthority - Car news, reviews, spy shots
The TwinDrive is plug-in hybrid. The 94mpg is including some battery usage same as 100+ mpg claimed by Hymotion. Ken@Japan
"VW will trial a fleet of 20 TwinDrive Golfs early next year" Why wait until next year? They should start tomorrow. "While a typical hybrid vehicle uses an electric motor to supplement its internal combustion engine, "the exact opposite is true on the TwinDrive: here the diesel or gasoline engine supplements the E-motor," explained VW CEO Martin Winterkorn." Excellent idea. It should be interesting to see which emerges as more fuel efficient, gas supplemented by electric, or electric supplemented by gas. .
It won't be a mass-production stage until 2015. VW Twin Drive plug-in hybrids not due until 2015 - MotorAuthority - Car news, reviews, spy shots Ken@Japan
so with this prototype unlike the toyota prototype you have to get down on your nees to plug it in? i see a plug in the lower part of the front grill.
I wonder if will come this that legendary VW reliability? They are about the worst of the major manufacturers in conventional vehicles. A brand new, high tech unit like this should be a real adventure for those braves souls that buy one.
You have to be kidding me... again??? Are you falling for it again??? For those who don't remember, VW pulled this trick very recently on the Geneva motor show... see here: Geneva 2008: Volkswagen Golf TDI Hybrid Concept - Autoblog A few weeks later, after all the forums, magazines, and all media had covered the event and the car extensively, VW killed the project, taking back all the promises made just a few weeks earlier: Volkswagen Golf Turbo-Diesel Hybrid Too Expensive for Production : TreeHugger So now they re-badged it, call it "Twin Drive" and all the media and all VW freaks go wild again... what a piece of #$%"#! How can you fall for the same trick twice in a row in only a couple of months???? Get real people. Car manufacturers that really DO things don't get this much attention. They just BUILD the cars and SELL them on the dealers. This is just another trick to get Angela Merkel euros don't expect to see anything coming from VW any time soon. They'll pull the plug as soon as they get the money. Is anyone counting the number of promised hybrids in every motor show in the last couple of years? How many have you seen on the road? Look at Peugeot/Citroën (PSA) for example... a very good example of how full of crap these guys are: back in 2002 they already promised to have AT LEAST 3 diesel hybrids on sale on 2007... HYBRID VEHICLES: PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN PLANNING TO LAUNCH THREE MODELS IN 2003-07. | Article from Europe Environment | HighBeam Research How many hybrids do you see from PSA today almost on 2009??? NOT ONE! Even so, motor show after motor show, they always show the prototype, always claim "we're almost there... just give us another 2 years"... yeah... right...
jprates, please be aware that 10 years ago VW/Audi had a diesel plug-in hybrid on sale on European roads. It was called the Audi Duo (you can read about it here). Also, Renault had the 60-mile EV range PHEV Elect'road for sale about 5 years ago here in Europe. Neither were commercial successes because oil was too cheap and the batteries weren't quite there yet. So before you go on another evangelical rant about how the European manufacturers have no interest in making hybrids or PHEVs and never have, please check your facts.
Errr... who said they didn't??? Can you please explain to me where is this coming from??? Are you insane? Are you guessing things??? I did tell about how VW is playing with the press and with general public going back and forward with their concept cars and projects. It's on the news, it's on VW public relations press releases. IT'S A FACT! Ohhhh... now I get it... you ARE insane! You are attacking me for a post I did NOT DO yet!!! Good one!!! Don't you have a life??? Why is it that this forum, which is a Prius forum after all, is infested with these trolls who add nothing to the discussion and only serve to make rants on others who actually own and drive Prius???
and BMW/GM/Toyota have had hydrogen vehicles for a decade now, so what? Quite an difference if you sell 500,000 hybrids per year, or lease 60 to fleet/goverment customers.
