VW Jetta unveiled at Detroit show

[jnrdavo]

Volkswagen is planning to unveil an electric car at the Detroit auto show next month, as the German automaker moves to establish itself among the environmental crowd that automakers see as growing in importance.

The electric isn't based on any current production car. It is what VW calls "pure concept" and it might not go into production. It's expected to have some VW Beetle-esque styling cues to give it a friendly, familiar feel, but isn't an electric Beetle.



VW plans to unveil a gas-electric hybrid version of its popular Jetta compact at the Detroit auto show in January. The hybrid's due in showrooms next November. VW also plans an electric concept vehicle -- not based on Jetta -- for the show.


VW previously has exhibited an electric small car called E-Up as a concept car, beginning at the Frankfurt show in 2009. The Detroit show car is a different vehicle, but VW wouldn't discuss the Detroit electric, so it's unclear how it will differ from E-Up.

Nissan's Leaf and Mitsubishi's i are the only pure battery-power electric cars sold by mainstream automakers in the U.S. Others say they might sell electrics eventually to meet ever-tightening government fuel-economy standards.

The VW electric is in addition to a gas-electric hybrid version of the popular Jetta compact sedan:

VW also plans to unveil the Jetta hybrid in Detroit as well. VW says the Jetta hybrid is meant to directly challenge the Toyota Prius' dominance of the U.S. hybrid market.

The Jetta hybrid will be powered by an electric motor coupled to a 1.4-liter, turbocharged gasoline engine. It won't use the European version of the 1.4 gas engine that is fitted with both a turbo and a supercharger, VW says.

The Jetta hybrid is not due in showrooms until November, but it is being shown well in advance to demonstrate the automaker's emphasis on what car companies now are calling "sustainability" -- meaning offering more cars that use less petroleum.



[source: freep.com]