Volkswagen Polo GTE plug-in hybrid on the way

A plug-in hybrid Volkswagen Polo is being planned, which could be badged as GTE in late 2015. A TGI natural gas-powered model is also on the cards but not for the UK market.

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The Volkswagen Group is planning a range of plug-in hybrid models over the next couple of years, kicking off with the Audi A3 e-tron in a few months, with a Golf GTE plug-in hybrid following that.

One thing all these models will share is the new MQB platform and we were expecting VW to wait until the next-generation MQB-based Polo arrived before introducing plug-in hybrid tech but VW insiders have suggested otherwise.

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Since the Polo sits on an old PQ25 platform, Volkswagen engineers told us that we shouldn’t expect to see the same modular hybrid architecture used in the Golf GTE and Audi A3 e-tron. Those cars use a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine and electric motor. VW wouldn’t tell us exactly what the powertrain will be but there are plenty of options, including the two-cylinder diesel engine plus electric motor setup from the XL1 and TwinUp!.

Based on the performance of Volkswagen’s other plug-in hybrid vehicles, we can expect an official fuel economy figure of almost 200mpg, with CO2 emissions of around 30g/km.

Further details on the plug-in hybrid Polo are expected towards the end of 2015, but it’ll definitely be priced at the top-end of the Polo range. With the £5,000 government grant for low-emissions vehicles included, expect it to cost around £20,000.

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