VW announces new hybrid and electric models

Plug-in hybrids and electric cars are just around the corner, with 2010 set to be a banner year for the industry. Volkswagen's latest news adds to the anticipation with the announcement of hybrid drive to be extended to three models and a new electric car.

The three hybrids will be the Golf (Rabbit in the U.S.), the Touareg and the Jetta. The Jetta hybrid will be of the plug-in variety, while the Golf and Touareg will be standard hybrids, reports Auto Motor und Sport. The Golf will also get stop-start technology.

The renewal of the Golf hybrid comes as a welcome sign after the well-received Golf TDI Hybrid shown at Geneva in March was put on the back burner for production. Though the new hybrid isn't expected to be a diesel, the introduction of a hybrid to the Golf lineup makes it a possibility for the future. Yesterday's statement by VW spokesman Steve Keyes reassuring the U.S. market that it would get the next-generation Mark VI Golf despite the falling dollar adds to the anticipation of the hybrid variant, though the time frame for its production is yet unknown.

An all-electric vehicle will come in limited quantities in 2010 in the form of a family car based on the up! concept first shown in Frankfurt last year. The Space up!, a micro-van that seats four that has already spawned a plug-in hybrid variant (pictured above), is a likely basis for the new EV.

VW Golf TDI Hybrid Concept

VW space up! blue Concept