TECHNOLOGY
Hybrid power to drive performance changes of next-generation models
Hybrid-electric boosting confirmed for Golf Mark 8 in 2020 writes Michael Taylor
Electrically boosted extra performance will be a feature of the next generations of both the 2019 Golf Mark 8 and the next generation Polo, Volkswagen has revealed. The German company’s head of technical development, Frank Welsch, confirmed at the Golf Mk 7.5 launch that mild-hybrid power would both add speed at the top end of Volkswagen’s small and medium-sized models as well as improve economy in the middle. Emissions laws With the looming death of its small diesels, VW needed something to lower CO2 emissions to meet upcoming 2020 EU emissions laws (96g/km for Volkswagen). With minor modifications, that same technology could be used to make the Polo and Mark 8 Golf GTi versions faster, too. "We will have mild hybrids across the range," Welsch said. "I think in most cases we will have 48 volt (and 12V) power, even for the Polo. Otherwise you can’t take full advantage of this technology. With 12V the recuperation is smaller. With 48 instead of 12 you get four times as much energy re...
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