Volkswagen Readies an Actual 'Clean' Vehicle, Claims EV Will Boast Huge Range
Volkswagen is two weeks away from unveiling the future of its company, with high hopes that it will scrub away some of the stigma left by the diesel emissions scandal.
The automaker plans to pivot from oil to electrons with a heavily electrified vehicle lineup, and a showpiece concept heading to the Paris Motor Show precedes an actual EV with up to 373 miles of range, Autoblog reports.
According to the publication, which sourced the information from Christian Senger, Volkswagen’s head of battery electric vehicle operations, the concept vehicle will be accompanied by a new corporate slogan (based on an older ad campaign): “Think New.”
That’s in keeping with Volkswagen’s aching desire to erase its recent past, which included the infamous term “clean diesel.”
Senger claims the company plans to introduce an EV built on its modular MED platform that offers a minimum of 250 miles of range. The platform, designed solely for the planned crop of EVs, can be scaled up for a 373-mile (600 kilometer) vehicle, he added.
Expect the concept car to feature a long wheelbase and short overhangs — signature elements of a platform designed to maximize battery and passenger space. The production vehicle won’t appear for another few years, however. By that point, the market could have up to half a dozen lower-priced 200-plus mile EVs.
So far, Volkswagen’s foray into the electrified field hasn’t yielded much interest. The short-lived Jetta Hybrid bit the dust earlier this year, while the low-volume eGolf is saddled with a paltry range (83 miles).
Just wait, claims Volkswagen. The company’s long-term plan calls for sales of two-to-three million EVs by 2025. Before the first MEB platform electrics hits U.S. shores, consumers can expect a longer-ranged eGolf. European specs for the model (which starts production in December) call for a 186-mile range, though its EPA-estimated range won’t hit that mark.
That range would be impressive for a non-luxury EV, were it not for the 238-mile Chevrolet Bolt due out in a few months and the 215-mile Tesla Model 3 coming next year. It can be forgiven, given that its platform was designed around fossil fuel powerplants.
The Paris Motor Show kicks off on October 1.
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WOLFSBURG, GERMANY (LMAO News) - Volkswagen announced today that it will be launching a breakthrough electric car that offers 500 miles of range and a short five-minute recharge time. The new Volkswagen Verrückt features VW's new Electric Blue motor, which boasts an electric motor that is powered by a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine that has been specially designed to operate without the use of catalytic converters. "The Verrückt's electric motor produces no tailpipe emissions and can be recharged at virtually any gas station by means of a common recharge nozzle system," an anonymous Volkswagen spokesman said during a press conference. When asked whether use of the diesel motor posed any compliance issues, the company spokesman began mumbling in German and was otherwise not available for comment.
In the Fed sponsored money-for-nothing-for-nonsense era, production of actual cars, now takes a very distant second spot to producing endless reams of "what great things we are going to do years from now" elevator pitches. Selling products to debased, destitute debt slaves, is no longer nearly as profitable, as selling pitches to those with preferential access to fresh print right off of Yellen's and Draghis' inkjets.