The Green Optimistic

Volkswagen has made a tradition from launching new versions of their famous little sporty car. This time they want to beat Toyota’s Prius, the long-time established standard in the hybrid car industry. VW says they will make a diesel version of Golf, with a smaller and smarter engine (of only 1.2L), aided by an electric engine.

Further details are not being released at the moment, the Golf hybrid being merely a concept nowadays. Anyway, they plan to outrank the current Prius by making a fuel economy of 82 mpg (3.4L/100km), versus the Prius which gives only 55 mpg. Its CO2 emissions are also a subject of worry for Toyota, the new Golf releasing only 89g/km into the atmosphere. The all-electric mode has been provided to the user, and in my opinion chances are high that the final version will be a plug-in one (like Toyota plans to do).

Only small design modifications have been made to the old classic Golf, the main being the reduced air intake, to maximize the car’s aerodynamic shape.

Anyway, Toyota has plans for launching a 100 mpg Prius (probably a plug-in version). This competition is a good thing for both the market and the environment.

[via inhabitat,vw]