Volkswagen will bring a plug-in hybrid Up! to the Geneva Motor Show

There’s just over a week left until a new edition of the Geneva Motor Show kicks off. Plenty of brands will be bringing their new models there, as well as new concepts; brands such as Volkswagen, which will display on its stand cars like the e-Golf, the XL1 and a plug-in hybrid Up!, a real novelty.

Volkswagen’s idea is entirely rational; it’s not some kind of whim from the German brand. As you know, the Up! was conceived as a purely urban car, designed mainly for everyday use in any city. To go further, Volkswagen will present in Geneva a new Up!: a plug-in hybrid.

Taking advantage of the entire system seen in the new XL1, the German brand will create a car that comes close to perfection when it comes to urban driving: a 5.5 kWh battery will provide a range of 50 kilometres –enough to get to and from work– in electric-only mode. Combining this motor with the small two-cylinder TDI will achieve a consumption of just one litre per hundred kilometres. On paper, these are the characteristics of the XL1; now we’ll have to subtract figures, since the Up! will weigh much less –under 1,000 kg–.

It will also be more practical than the XL1, as it will have four seats. Furthermore, the fact that it will be manufactured in series and in mass –unlike the XL1, which is built by hand– will make it much cheaper, thus reaching many more customers. We don’t know its selling price yet. It will go on sale around mid-2014.

Source | Autoblog