Volkswagen twin up! hybrid announced
Skoda and SEAT could get versions of VW twin up! 256.8mpg diesel-electric hybrid
Volkswagen has given its groundbreaking twin up! eco car a world debut at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Auto Express has already driven the VW twin up! but this is the first time the public have been able to see the model.
The twin up! is a plug-in hybrid that uses technology showcased by the 313mpg XL1. It has the same 47bhp 0.8-litre two-cylinder diesel engine and an electric motor that also generates 47bhp.
VW says the car has the potential for 256.8mpg , and delivers 0-62mph in 15.7 seconds. A more important figure, though, is the electric-only range of 31 miles before a three-hour charge from an electric socket is needed.
Overall range is said to be more than 600 miles, in spite of the 33-litre fuel tank.
And the car could be on sale within two years. Brand development chief Dr Heinz-Jakob Neusser told Auto Express: “We need to see reaction to the [electric] e-up! first. We don’t know what the response of the people will be.
“But if we have a good response, and we think we will, then yes.”
Neusser hinted that the twin up! would be priced similarly to the e-up – in the region of 26,000 Euros – which would mean the twin up! would come in at around £17,000 with the Government’s £5,000 electric car discount.
And when asked if Skoda and SEAT would follow suit with Citigo and Mii versions, Neusser said: “Clearly it’s possible. Everything fits. We are able to produce them.”
The Czech and Spanish companies will be left to decide if a plug-in hybrid fits with their brand strategy and can be priced appropriately.
