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Volkswagen Group To Pursue PHEVs Until Battery Technology Becomes More Efficient

In March, the Volkswagen Group (VAG) announced at its annual press conference in Berlin that it will make more plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) until battery technology becomes more efficient.

For starters, Audi will offer plug-in hybrid versions of the Q7, A7 and A8, while VW will also offer plug-in versions of the Touareg and Pheaton for global markets, according to VAG CEO Martin Winterkorn. American buyers will also see the Golf GTE plug-in hybrid in the U.S. next year, said VW brand R&D boss Hans-Jakob Neusser.

In announcing more plug-in hybrids, VAG is looking to diversify its vehicle portfolio with a slew of new electrified vehicles in order to meet ever-tightening emissions regulations. Winterkorn said that the group’s adaptable platforms, like MQB and MLB, will easily allow it to fit a multitude of powertrains, including all-electric, plug-in hybrid, compressed gas and even fuel-cell, into about 40 vehicles.

“This saves a lot of money and above all means that we are extremely flexible,” said Winterkorn.

VAG will also invest $90 billion in vehicles, plants and technology through 2020. One of the things VW is currently developing is a battery technology that will allow its vehicles to achieve upwards of 300 miles on a single charge, or 30 miles more than the range of the Audi R8 e-tron.

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