Volkswagen is the first automaker worldwide to offer a model line with a full range of conventional and alternative powertrains. The new Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid, which will be presented at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show is the fifth powertrain to be offered in the Golf, adding to gasoline, diesel, CNG and full electric versions.
The Golf GTE name is in line with the GTI and GTD abbreviations—two sporty icons of the Golf range. The first GTI in 1976 invented the term “hot hatch” and is currently the most successful compact sports car in the world. The “I” in the name stands for electronic fuel injection while the “D” in GTD, introduced for the first time in 1982, stands for diesel fuel injection. The latest versions of these two best-selling Golf sports cars were introduced in 2013. Now Volkswagen has transferred its sporty compact car philosophy to a third model—the Golf GTE.
