Volkswagen Considering PHEVs in its Electrification Quest

• Volkswagen currently offers only ICEs and EVs.

• The German automaker still plans to go all electric by the mid 2030s.

Electric vehicle mass adoption is still a long way off. For reasons varying from pricing to the charging infrastructure, the majority of consumers is still uncertain about going fully electric. This is where a plug-in hybrid vehicle could help, according to Volkswagen.

To help ease new Volkswagen buyers into the idea that only EVs will be available in barely more than a decade, the new CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, Pablo Di Si, told Automotive News the automaker is seriously considering the introduction of a PHEV in the very near future.

“It takes you a long time to develop a technology. If I wouldn’t have any plug-in hybrid in the group, it wouldn’t be an idea” worth pursuing. But because of Audi, it’s a possibility. “When you’re talking Volkswagen Group in North America, we do have a plug-in hybrid: The [Audi] Q5 e, in Mexico, is a plug-in hybrid. I drove the car in Mexico; it’s beautiful, and the [plug-in hybrid] system works very well,” Di Si said. “So we do have plug-in hybrids in the group. We have the technology.”

The 2023 Audi Q5 TFSI e, offers up to 37 km of EV range when its 17.9-kilowatt-hour battery is fully charged. It’s not slouch either as the combined turbocharged 2.0L engine and electric motor produce 362 hp and 369 pound-feet of torque.

As to which Volkswagen vehicle would get the PHEV powertrain, no confirmations have been made however the Tiguan seems the most likely as it will be due for a redesign in 2025.