Volkswagen's Chairman, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, recently used the Vienna Motor Symposium to elaborate on his company's drive system plans for the future.
While there is a lot to look forward to in terms of alternative drive systems, the company is also working on some exciting new developments within today's paradigm.
HOT DIESEL
Diesel-heads can look forward to a high-performance turbodiesel that will put out 100kW per litre of cubic capacity, although that's as much as they're prepared to reveal for now.
On the gearbox front, Winterkorn announced that VW is working on a new 10-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox that will reduce the fuel consumption of the engines it's mated to.
The Chairman also pointed out that despite the increased focus on hybrids and electric vehicles, there is still plenty of life in the current internal combustion engine:
"Since the year 2000, we've reduced the fuel consumption of our TDI and TSI engines by more than 30 per cent. I'm convinced that by 2020 we can achieve further increases in efficiency of around 15 per cent."
MANY OPTIONS
He also said and that in the medium and long-term, different drive systems would exists side by side.
These would range from highly efficient internal combustion engines and natural gas systems all the way to hybrids and electric vehicles.
To that end, the group is working towards its declared objective of lowering the European new car fleet's CO2 emission level to 95g/km of CO2 by 2020.
Volkswagen sees big potential for natural gas drive systems too: "The gas engine is environmentally friendly, economical and suitable for everyday use. The technology is fully developed and the vehicles are already on the market."
NEXT BIG THING?
However, in the medium term the first choice in terms of alternative drive systems is plug-in hybrid technology. This enables a purely electric range of up to 50km, a high level of suitability for everyday use by virtue of recharging from a socket at home and also complete flexibility for long journeys thanks to an efficient internal combustion engine.
The VW Group's first plug-in hybrids, the Porsche Panamera and Audi A3 e-tron, will shortly be going into full production. They will be followed by the Golf and many other models, such as the Passat, Audi A6 and Porsche Cayenne.