Inhabitat » Volkswagen’s TDI Hybrid- The Prius Killer?

March 18, 2008

Volkswagen’s TDI Hybrid- The Prius Killer?

by Jorge Chapa

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Some car manufacturers, like Toyota and their uber-trendy Prius, are cranking out new models that represent the hybrid car of the future. Others, like Volkswagen, are working with what they’ve got, making their existing cars cleaner and greener. Volkswagen has just recently unveiled a TDI hybrid version of their cute and sporty Golf model that can achieve 83mpg. Will this be the one to de-throne the Prius?

While at the moment, this is a concept, the Golf TDI Hybrid is a 1.2 liter, 3 cylinder advanced diesel engine with an electric motor that produces no more than 89g/km of CO2. Like other hybrids, as soon as the vehicle drops below a certain speed, it switches to its electric motor, essentially turning into an almost emission free vehicle.

The zippy little car comes with a recovery system to recharge the battery using the cars braking system. The car’s design is slightly different from the standard Golf model, with a slightly different grill design and small air intakes to improve the aerodynamic qualities of the car.

So how does it compare to the Prius? According to VW, this vehicle is capable of achieving 82mpg while the Toyota Prius only reaches 55mpg. That’s a pretty impressive difference. But now rumors are flying around of a 100mpg plus Prius model. Needless to say, this is a competition that we are happy too see.

+ VW in Geneva

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15 Responses to “Volkswagen’s TDI Hybrid- The Prius Killer?”

hugo Says:

March 18th, 2008 at 6:16 am

Wow, not so fast. Allthough these cars look very green on first sight, however, the Prius is prooven to be as or even less efficient as a hummer (I’ve mentioned this before)! Regarding the complete life cycle of a Prius, it is quite poluting. Fabrication and decommission of a Prius are very inefficient poluting shares of it’s life cycle. The Prius’ MPG figure doesn’t compensate for that (the MPG isn’t that good and is very hard to actually achieve).

But, I bet our German neighbours will solve this for us. Now, make it an affordable ride, make it available for the masses for the real difference to be made.

Brian Lang Says:

March 18th, 2008 at 12:26 pm

I want this car. Now. When will it come to Canada?

phrancis Says:

March 18th, 2008 at 3:40 pm

Wow, not so fast Hugo. Are you refering to that famous article comparing the Prius life cycle to the Hummer? If so, you should note that there is some big holes in their logic. The biggest being that the Prius only last for 100k miles, while the hummer goes for like 300k. Yeah, right.

GreenBuilder Says:

March 18th, 2008 at 3:55 pm

One big appeal behind Prius and their success is their correct positioning in the marketplace. They came out with a product that actually ‘looks’ green. Perception is reality and that’s where VW might have a hard time convincing people that the same looking car can be something other than regular car we all know.

dave Says:

March 18th, 2008 at 4:27 pm

What about electric? I read about some companies coming out with electric cars at sattler.
http://sattlerclothing.com/blog/2008/02/25/88/
They seem like a better option.

john123 Says:

March 18th, 2008 at 5:32 pm

Hi, Hugo. You\’re never going to get any credibility as a knowledgeable person about pollution until you at least learn to spell \”pollution\” correctly. Can you imagine a Science expert that didn\’t know how to spell \”science?\” It\’s not a typo because you misspelled it multiple times. Another thing you could do to make yourself more credible would to not be so wrong. Nice post though. Very interesting. Can you post the scientific source explaining how a Hummer is more environmentally conscience for all of us idiots out there who stupidly decided against the Hummer in favor of a more fuel efficient car?

VW’s TDI Hydbrid - AKA Prius Killer! | An Inconvenient Blog Says:

March 19th, 2008 at 7:55 am

[…] […]

DailyCaveat Says:

March 19th, 2008 at 1:46 pm

Well, if this VW runs on diesel it has no chance of catching the Prius in the U.S., that\’s for sure. And as others have pointed out, the source for Hugo\’s claims about Hummers being less polluting that a Prius has been pretty widely debunked. Lets not even get into the broader social implications of how the Prius by its very existence promotes an ethic of sustainability while the Hummer is about conspicuous domination of your environment. Even if the myth were true, the Prius based on its perceived virtues would still be doing more to promote green ideals than the Hummer. Or at least you could make a pretty good case that it does.

tomterm7 Says:

March 19th, 2008 at 5:58 pm

These cars are almost as versatile as real petrol guzzlers! I wonder when they will get the hybrid bio-diesel cars out, though!

hugo Says:

March 20th, 2008 at 4:44 am

@ john 123:

Please react on the content, not the spelling and grammar. I would love to see you write in Dutch! I guess you’re never going to be a “knowledgeable” person here in the Netherlands… Sorry dude!

@ Phrancis:

Ok, there are some big holes, but these are very easy solved when one compares a prius to a more standard, let’s say, Volkswagen Golf? Which is definately more efficient then a Hummer. The point I wanted to make is that people wash unjustly their guild away when they buy a Prius.

Volkswagen Reworks the Golf to be Hybrid Friendly | NCGoGreen.com Says:

March 20th, 2008 at 11:06 am

[…] Inhabitat.com has an interesting story on Volkswagen’s strategy for green-ing their line of automobiles. Some car manufacturers, like Toyota and their uber-trendy Prius, are cranking out new models that represent the hybrid car of the future. Others, like Volkswagen, are working with what they’ve got, making their existing cars cleaner and greener. […]

ding Says:

March 21st, 2008 at 1:28 am

Given VW’s growing infamy with the electronics in their regular cars, not too keen on buying one of their gas/electrics.

Energy47 Says:

March 21st, 2008 at 1:18 pm

I have to agree wioth ding. If only VW had the reliability of Toyota, it might be worth considering. Until they do I’ll stay with a Prius.

billjenkins Says:

April 8th, 2008 at 4:33 pm

The Toyota Prius is a car marketed to trick people into believing they are helping the environment but it isn’t.

I believe the item that “Hugo” is trying to discuss is the one that takes into account the environmental impact of the products put into their production. The nickel that goes in the batteries requires a process that has a huge negative impact on the environment. I don’t think that is a justification for buying a Hummer, but definately something to think about before you assume you are driving around in the cleanest thing on earth which it isn’t.

The Prius is a marketing scam that is neither environmentally smart or financially intelligent since you can buy a Toyota Yaris and have 10 grand to spend on gasoline which will drive miles before you meet the Prius price.

People who have cars that run on Veggie oil and bio-diesel often mock Prius owners and rightfully so. The fact is that their cars are way better. People who ride bicycles regularly are actually doing something as well and, of course, that can’t happen in some instances. Sure people can ride 20 miles a day if they want but try that in Chicago traffic. Safety isn’t on the side of those guys.

So keep driving that car and fooling yourself because it isn’t fooling me.

Until the Prius can get 100MPG, plug in while at home to extend your miles, and run off the next generation of fuel… most likely biodiesel if we are smart …Biodiesel that doesn’t compete with food, that is…. The Prius will continue to be a car about image.

I have a Chevrolet Metro that routinely gets 45MPG and outdoes the Prius in most normal driving situations.