Volkswagen Chairman Dr. Martin Winterkorn toured the Electronic Research Laboratory (ERL) in Palo Alto, California last week. Winterkorn also answered questions about the automaker’s upcoming releases of e-mobility vehicles. The ERL was an ideal location for a discussion of green vehicles with its focus on the next generation of VW drive systems. Volkswagen is spending $6.4 billion a year and devoting nearly 23,000 employees to lead the brand’s evolution to fuel-efficient models. Winterkorn annunciated VW’s oft-stated goal of being the global leader in electric mobility by 2018.
The first step in VW’s e-mobility rollout is the delivery of the Touareg Hybrid to customers starting this winter. The Touareg Hybrid combines a popular vehicle design with an efficient drive train developed in part by the ERL. The next phase of this rollout is the release of the Jetta Hybrid to European and American consumers in 2012. Given the Jetta’s popularity among younger drivers, VW is making the shrewd business decision to appeal to established customers. The automaker’s first electric vehicle will be released in 2013 though the model is still up in the air. Winterkorn stated that it would either be the E-Up! or the Golf blue-e-motion.
Each phase of the e-mobility process will be aided by staff members at the ERL. The ERL coordinates with the Technical Representative Tokyo and the VW Research Lab China to develop green vehicles. In addition to hybrid drive systems, the ERL team is also working on features to improve the driver experience. VW wants to incorporate online navigation features and social networking connectivity into the next generation of vehicles. The ERL is also developing a driver assistance program that may resemble the services offered by OnStar.
The approach taken by VW toward hybrid and electric vehicles may be a double-edged sword. It is certainly a good idea to use existing models as Trojan horses for green drive systems. VW has to be carefully that it does not get too complacent and rely heavily on popular models as templates for green vehicles. The automaker may also struggle in the Asian and North American markets as competing brands are racing to get hybrids to the market. The European market is conquerable by VW given the slow but steady evolution of green vehicles by continental brands. On the whole, however, VW may be too ambitious in trying to be the leader in electric mobility by 2018.
