2013 Frankfurt: Volkswagen goes electric

Story and photos by John LeBlanc FRANKFURT - In what will eventually become a fleet of as many as 40 electric or hybrid vehicles, Germany’s Volkswagen is making a big bet on the electrification of the automobile. With 14 vehicles available with alternative drivetrains by next year, CEO Martin Winterkorn said, "The electric car cannot be a compromise on wheels,” backing that up by introducing pure-electric versions of its compact Golf hatchback and Up! city car. With only minor exterior styling differences compared to any other seventh-generation Golf, the new, five-passenger, front-wheel-drive e-Golf gets a 113-horsepower and 199-pound-feet-of-torque electric motor, powered by a 24.2 kWh battery. Volkswagen claims it can be driven up to 190 kilometres between charges. The smaller, five-passenger, front-wheel-drive e-Up! comes with an 81-hp and 155-lb-ft e-motor and an 18.7-kWh battery. The small hatch can only be driven 160 km before needing to be plugged in. But Volkswagen says the e-Up! beats its e-Golf big brother by using just 11.7 kWh per 100 km, making it the "efficiency world champion." Although the smaller e-Up! goes on sale this fall in Europe, it has little chance of coming to North America. However, the larger e-Golf will more than likely be sold in California by 2015. While the e-Volkswagens garnered plenty of attention, the German automaker also debuted its Golf Sportsvan Concept, a more commodious version of the Golf hatchback replacing the former Golf Plus in Europe. Longer than the outgoing Golf Plus and the four-door Golf hatch on which it is based, the Sportsvan also gains a longer wheelbase than the Golf, and is taller and wider to create more passenger and cargo room. As a more practical and flexible alternative to a Volkswagen Tiguan crossover, the Sportsvan retains  the Golf Plus’ “command” (taller) seating. The front passenger seat can fold forward and flat to store longer objects.  Rear cargo space goes up 74 litres over the old Golf Plus’s 498 litres rating. Plus, the rear seats split and fold 60/40 and can slide back and forth by as much as 180 mm generating 87 litres more room. While Canadians can expect to see a full range of the new, seventh-generation Golf hatchback and wagon models (including the sporty GTI and frugal GTD diesel) arrive next year, the Sportsvan will remain a European-only proposition. And just in case you forgot that Volkswagens can also be a bit wild to drive, the new generation Golf R also made its debut here. As before, Volkswagen R GmbH (think BMW M, or Mercedes-Benz AMG) has designed the new Golf R. A turbocharged, 2.0-litre four-cylinder gas engine returns. But with 296 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, the hottest Golf ever is substantially more powerful than the 256 hp and 243 lb-ft third-gen model that came to Canada, Combined with a standard Haldex all-drive system and a dual-clutch autobox (a six-speed manual is also available), Volkswagen says the new Golf R can scoot from zero to 96 km/h in just 4.9 seconds. This article was originally published by National Post Driving.

Comments