Report: VW’s First Petrol-Electric Hybrid Will Be a Jetta in 2009

Volkswagen has told a UK publication that its first petrol-electric hybrid will be a Jetta in 2009. The petrol-electric Jetta hybrid will achieve greater efficiency than a normal TDI Volkswagen model. Volkswagen has seen hybrids in the US as a bandwagon product and has decided to stick to improving their diesel platforms. Nonetheless, Volkswagen will be jumping on the bandwagon in 2009. The current Volkswagen Jetta TDI does 35/42 mpg.
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jon21 - 12/13/2006 2:27:41 PM

+3 Boost

Interesting.

monkeyrun - 12/13/2006 3:39:30 PM

-1 Boost

Wouldn't that be a Bora instead of Jetta ? :P

izfuney - 12/13/2006 4:51:34 PM

+2 Boost

XeroKool -- LOL ! that remark probably said it all.
The "german car fans" / aka diesel proponents will go home with some "crow wurst" for dinner today.

IMHO the whole diesel approach is to ensure that Toyota which pretty much owns all the IP in Hybrid technology dosent eat its cake..

mkt1982 - 12/13/2006 7:05:12 PM

+2 Boost

They pursue TOYOTA.

Bill - 12/13/2006 8:31:39 PM

0 Boost

No, Toyota has pursued German First World War submarine technology...

Stop these idiotic "they copied bla bla" comments, please.

DieselRules - 12/13/2006 11:38:27 PM

-1 Boost

Article sounds like BS to me.
VW TDIs get much better mileage in the "real world", and Prius owners continue to howl that they got ripped-off with typical mileage in the low 30 MPG range.

VW has the world's best small diesel engines, and is working on diesel-hybrids (the only kind of hybrids that make sense). Why would they burn R&D money on an inferior product (gas-hybrid) in parallel?

They may make some dumb moves, but jumping on the dead-end, gas-hybrid band-wagon (which Toyota is abandoning, and only got on because they were missing the diesel technology) is not something that they would do.

Can anyone find anything corroborating this one-off remark by an un-identified VW spokesperson?

2JZSoarer - 12/14/2006 12:15:38 AM

+1 Boost

What happend!! All you german fanboys were against hybrids before,but now that VW is going ahead with hybrids you guys are praising it,how much more hypocritical can you German fanboys be!!!

speedracer54 - 12/14/2006 7:48:27 PM

+1 Boost

DIESEL HYBRID PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!

DieselRules - 12/15/2006 12:03:43 AM

-1 Boost

XeroKOOL:
Once you switch to a diesel engine, you have already made a huge improvement in efficiency.
Yes, you can get even better with a diesel hybrid, but does the extra cost justify the benefits?
When you factor in the environmental damage from the mining, smeltering, and purification of the rare-earth metals for the motors and the batteries, hybrids are really not good for our planet!