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1,248 views May 20, 2009

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VW is actively developing its electric car technology but doesn’t expect to mass produce such vehicles until about 2015

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Following in the footsteps of last year’s Golf TwinDrive and Space up! Blue concept vehicles, Volkswagen will reinforce its electric car image with the unveiling of a brand new concept car at this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The latest concept is described as a rival to General Motors’ Volt plug-in hybrid, though VW in the past has revealed that it doesn’t expect to have mass produced electric cars on sale until the middle of the next decade.

The information was confirmed by VW’s communications chief Peter Thul, who revealed to AutoExpress that the carmaker will have a “host of concept cars” on show in Frankfurt. Thul wasn’t willing to reveal any details but explained that it won’t be based on a sports car platform as speculated by some recent reports.

“We will not launch a niche market car just to show our electric technology,” he continued. “We would only launch a car that people could actually buy at a reasonable price. It would need to have a range of 200km, be safe, reliable and able to be used every day,” he explained.

VW recently partnered with Sanyo to help develop new lithium-ion battery technologies and in the past 12 months has unveiled several electric and hybrid concepts. However, as previously mentioned, VW does not intend to mass market such vehicles until around 2015. In the meantime, the company will continue to focus on improving the efficiency of its petrol and diesel engines. There will be some mild hybrid models in the interim, however, as VW sees these as a stepping stone to an all-electric future for the auto industry.

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Volkswagen Golf Mark VI TwinDrive

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