Volkswagen aims to launch electric vehicles based on its subcompact Up! and compact Golf in Japan within three years, according to Gerry Dorizas, president and chief executive officer of VW Japan. It seems most likely that the electrified Golf will be called the Blue-e-motion, whereas the Up! will go by the name of E-Up!
In addition to launching electric vehicles in Japan, Dorizas told the Nikkei that the German automaker will debut “competitively priced” hybrid vehicles. VW unveiled the Touareg Hybrid in Japan back in January, but, with a price tag of 8.98 million yen ($110,059 U.S. at the current exchange rate), it’s easy to argue that this SUV is not priced to compete. Nonetheless, Dorizas says that VW anticipates 14 percent of its passenger vehicle sales in Japan to be hybrids this year.
[Source: Nikkei (sub. req.) via Green Car Congress]
