Thanks to several hundred pounds of additional weight from a battery pack, pure electric and plug-in hybrids often weigh more than their gasoline counterparts.
But according to AutoCar, Volkswagen’s upcoming all-electric and hybrid variants of the seventh-generation Golf hatchback will allegedly help compensate for the extra weight of lithium-ion batteries by shedding weight elsewhere.
That means sharing the same lightweight aluminum and carbonfiber construction Volkswagen is planning to use for a special, lightweight, limited-production edition of its popular GTi, the Golf Carbon GTi.
Saving an estimated 200kg, or 440 pounds in weight, the 2014 Golf Carbon GTi's frame is constructed from lightweight aluminum panels, while its hood, roof and floor panels will be constructed from carbonfiber.
2014 Volkswagen Golf
That weight saving, combined with a 222horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, will give the 2014 Golf Carbon GTi an impressive power to weight ratio, and likely improve on the 0-62 mph of the current 2013 Golf GTi
It will also help Volkswagen’s greener 2014 Golfs in the quest to lead on all-electric range and high hybrid gas mileage.
As AutoCar explains, sharing the same construction as the Carbon GTi not only makes the 2014 Golf Electric a lighter car, meaning more range per charge, but it also spreads the cost of developing a lightweight frame across multiple models.
With 440 pounds of saved weight, the expected 2014 Golf Electric and 2014 Golf Hybrid should improve on the existing performance of Volkswagen’s existing plug-in prototypes, although we’re not sure by how much.
With the 2012 Paris AutoShow just weeks away, we’re expecting to hear more about the new 2014 Golf, and its green variants.
If the recent prototype we drove is anything to go by, we’ll be in for a treat.
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