Volkswagen is consistently concentrating on expanding e-mobility and significantly expanding its range of fully electric models and hybrids. Even before the market launch of the new ID.3 this summer, it can be seen that the demand for e-mobility in Germany has increased significantly: the up! Every second order already applies to the fully electric version, around 20,000 orders have been placed. And the GTE versions of the current Passat generation are also increasing in favor with buyers: in the meantime, every seventh customer has chosen the plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
The 61 kW (83 hp) e-up !, which has only been on the market since November 2019, is the new entry-level model in the electric Volkswagen world. It offers significantly more range than its predecessor (up to 260 km in the WLTP cycle). Around 20,000 vehicles were ordered in the first three months of this year. The decisive purchase argument is the low maintenance costs: its purchase price (21,975 euros) is reduced by the environmental bonus (6570 euros, both gross) and the insurance classifications are cheap (liability class: 12, comprehensive insurance: 16). You can check the vehicle tax and the cost of changing the engine oil with the e-up! save completely.
Hybridization is another core element of the drive strategy on the way to the emission-free age. That is why the Volkswagen Group is introducing plug-in hybrid technology in many important volume segments. It all started in 2014 with the GTE models, the electric range of which was increased in the second model generation by a larger battery capacity. The new Passat Variant GTE develops 160 kW (218 hp) and drives up to 56 kilometers purely electrically in the WLTP cycle. It thus covers far more than the daily workload of an average Volkswagen customer, which is 42 kilometers. In the Passat segment, in which mainly diesel engines are ordered, the petrol engine with plug-in hybrid technology now accounts for 15 percent of orders, the number has increased fivefold compared to the previous GTE model.
After the debut in the Passat and Passat Variant, Volkswagen will be presenting a whole series of new plug-in hybrid models in 2020: The new eighth generation Golf will again be offered as the GTE , and a plug-in hybrid version will also be available for the normal Golf for the first time be available. Then the technology starts in the Arteon and in the compact SUV Tiguan. And at the beginning of March, the new top model of the brand had its premiere: The new Touareg R is also a powerful PHEV, whose hybrid system performance from combustion and electric drive is 340 kW (462 hp).
