Wolfsburg, Germany - Volkswagen has announced its third plug-in hybrid model, after the limited-edtion XL1 and the recently-announced Golf GTE.
Here then, is the Passat GTE, due to debut at the Paris motor show this week.
And this is not a concept; according to VW, this is the production version, based on the eighth-generation Passat, and will be available in Europe either in sedan or station wagon format from the second half of 2015.
It has a 115kW, 1.4-litre TSI turbopetrol four mated to an 85kW electric motor and lithium-ion battery, driving the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch DSG transmission specially developed for this application.
With all hands on deck the system is claimed to be good for 160kW and 400Nm, good enough to sprint to 100km/h from rest in less than eight seconds and keep going to a 220km/h terminal velocity.
It'll also cover up to 50km in pure electric mode, albeit with full tilt boogie limited to 130km/h - but that still means that, as long as your daily commute is less than 50km and you have access to a 220V outlet where you park at work, you could go to work and back all week at your employer's expense without once firing up the TSI, and keep your petrol budget for weekend fun.
According to the not-very-real-world standard EU combined cycle, the Passat GTE should average less than two litres of petrol per 100km or 13kWh of Eskom's best per 100km.
Or, looked at another way, if you start with a fully-charged lithium ion battery and a full 50-litre fuel tank, you should be able to drive 1000km before the Passat GTE runs out of steam.
LOOKING GOOD, KID
You can tell the GTE from a standard Passat by the blue accents on the grille, its special front bumper with built-in C-shaped LED daytime running lights and special 17" Astana alloys over blue-painted brake callipers.
The 'blue is cool' theme continues inside with blue ambient lighting, a leather-rimmed flat-bottom steering wheel and gear-lever boot, each with blue contrast stitching, and special upholstery fabric in several shades of blue - as well as a special page in the infotainment system giving you the state of play in real time.