We reported more than a year ago that the electric Volkswagen Golf would go on sale in the U.S. in 2014, but a few new details have come to light since then. First, we now know that the battery-powered Golf will first go on sale in Europe in 2013 as a 2014 model; the car’s rollout in the U.S. is still being sorted, but it is slated to come here sometime in 2014. The car’s delayed U.S. timetable is due to the fact that it will be based on the seventh-generation Golf, the standard versions of which will debut later this year in Europe before hitting the U.S. market next year.
Given that the next Golf will utilize VW’s latest MQB modular architecture, which is designed to accommodate plug-in hybrid gear in addition to a full-electric drivetrain, a plug-in hybrid Golf is also a possibility. Volkswagen representatives wouldn’t say whether such a model was or wasn’t on the way, but did offer that the company is open to looking into all of the possibilities afforded by MQB. The 2013 Jetta hybrid, which goes on sale later this year, likely will gain a plug-in hybrid variant sometime soon, but that car doesn’t use MQB architecture. Thus, if the next Golf does get a plug-in hybrid option, don’t expect it right away.
As for the electric Golf’s name, we’re told it’s currently being referred to as the “E-Golf” both inside of Volkswagen and out. Although it could still change, we like this name better than the car’s initial moniker, “Golf blue-e-motion.” (For more details on the blue-e-motion, you can read our mini test of the prototype car.) The “E-” prefix aligns VW’s electric offerings better by matching the electric Golf with the E-Up!, which goes on sale in Europe by 2013. To reiterate what we’ve been told repeatedly by VW, the E-Up! and the rest of the Up! lineup aren’t destined for the U.S. market.
Source : Google Reader
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