The race is on to be the world’s number one in environmental vehicles. Companies such as Toyota, Honda and Renault have staked their claim and Volkswagen said at the Geneva show on Tuesday it aims to be number one in hybrid and electric cars before the end of this decade.
Chief executive officer Martin Winterkorn said VW’s goal is “to become the market leader in E-mobility by the year 2018.”
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He added: “We want to attain an electric vehicle market share of 3% within our entire range of products.”
VW’s masterplan as it chases down Toyota to become the biggest carmaker in the world is to sell more than 10m cars globally across all its brands, including Audi, Bentley, Seat and Skoda by 2018.
Winterkorn added: “We will take the hybrid out of its niche status with our high-volume models. In the future, the heart of the brand will also beat with electricity.”
VW will launch a full-electric version of its Up minicar, the E-UP, the E-Golf and the E-Jetta in 2013. In preparation for this a test fleet of 500 electric Golfs will take to the road next year.
VW is launching its Touareg petrol-electric hybrid SUV at Geneva and added that a Jetta Hybrid will debut in 2012, followed a year later by Passat and Golf Hybrids.
