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Volkswagen has in recent years seen hybrids and plug-in hybrids slow the US shift to EVs. But that may no longer be the case.
At the 2023 Chicago Auto Show, Volkswagen Group of America President and CEO Pablo Di Si told Green Car Reports a plug-in hybrid was again being considered for the US.
Di Si says the more options on the table the better because “we take CO2 and emissions seriously, and this is another solution.”
During the media roundtable, Volkswagen of America Senior Vice President of Sales Hein Schafer showed presentation slides with two columns: one with ICE vehicles and one with BEVs. The executive noted today’s automakers need both types of vehicles to compete in the market.
Such an option to switch internal combustion products to a hybrid or plug-in hybrid flew in the face of VW’s message since around 2017, when it started pushing the launch of the ID.4 and its MEB platform. In 2019, both GM and VW stand out for their position against other forms of hybrid technology, as doing so only slows progress toward full adoption of EVs.
Prior to its recent focus on EVs, VW has been fond of the idea of hybridization, calling plug-in hybrids a “bridge” to pure EVs since 2014—a year before the Dieselgate emissions scandal hit. In that era, Volkswagen was one of the few automakers to go so far as to plan a plug-in with CCS fast charging.
Hands-on photo of the Volkswagen Cross Coupe GTE Concept, 2015 Detroit Auto Show
Currently, the US VW team faces several decisions. It plans to submit a proposal for an electric pickup truck made in America to VW’s board in Germany during the third quarter of this year, according to Di Si. While executives wouldn’t confirm which platforms the truck will run on, the only vehicle large enough to support such a model while it’s still being built in the US is the Atlas.
Moments before talking about the possibility, Volkswagen North America Head of Sales and Marketing Andrew Savvas had confirmed the next generation of three-row people moving would be electrified. Meanwhile, VW refreshed its Atlas lineup, still non-electrified, at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show.
In the same briefing Savvas confirmed that the next generation Atlas will be electrified. Di Si noted electrification could be in the form of a hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain. Executives acknowledged the former would be more cost effective but the latter would be more impactful.
“It’s not strategically wise to go in multiple directions for hybrids,” said Di Si.
When asked later why VW appears to have shifted its position on the US plug-in hybrid (and possibly hybrids) again, Di Si said “things are changing”, noting “the world is moving at a different pace.”
Plug Volkswagen Coming
“We need a worldwide solution,” said Di Si while noting the already confirmed Volkswagen PHEV for the European market.
The executive said Volkswagen needed to bridge the gap between EV and ICE—perhaps by deliberately revisiting the language VW used long before fully electric became a big part of its future.
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