Volkswagen brand CEO Herbert Diess has confirmed that the German automaker does not plan to develop a hybrid or electric version of the new sixth-generation Polo.
“It isn’t so critical at this end of the market,” Diess said, according to motoring.com.au.
“Nobody is doing this and there is no market for it. Another thing we had to look at is that the electrification is very expensive and these are not expensive cars, so it’s almost not possible to recover the cost,” he added.
The new Polo, which was revealed last week at a special event in Berlin, will be available in Europe with a range of petrol (including a 2,0-litre turbo-four in the new GTI) and diesel engines, as well as a natural gas unit. Engine options for South Africa (expect a local launch in early 2018) have yet to be confirmed.
“Also, cars in this segment are the smallest, the lightest in the car industry. Their emissions are also the lowest because of that,” Diess explained.
Diess went on to confirmed that the upcoming eighth-generation Golf would introduce 48-volt electrification “to the masses”.
“You will see the real-world benefits of hybrids with the Golf 8,” Diess told the Australian publication.
“This car will introduce 48-volt technologies to the masses and that means fast harvesting and fast discharging, so it will really work well and improve performance and reduce emissions at the same time,” he said.
