LOS ANGELES -- In creating the Golf GTE Sport concept, Volkswagen borrowed a bunch of tech from its Volkswagen Group stablemates. It took the carbon fiber shell technology from the Bugatti Veyron, a plug-in hybrid system similar to the Lamborghini Asterion and a 295 horsepower 1.6-liter turbo gasoline engine from the VW racing team.
The result is a handsome hot hatchback that, thanks to its two electric motors, produces 395 horsepower and does 0 to 62 mph in 4.3 seconds, while also achieving 118 miles per gallon equivalent (mpge). Oh, yeah, and it has gull-wing doors. So you might say it's the whole package ... But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Delightfully, the GTE Sport seems to be more than a half-assed cobbling together of other brand's technology. Instead, it seems to show a fairly plausible way for VW to move itself forward in a sporty and earth-friendly way, as its a sportier version of the Golf GTE hybrid sold in Europe.
The GTE Sport features three drive modes: "E-Mode," "GTE-Mode," or "Hybrid-Mode" -- all of which are selectable by roof-mounted switches, like that on a jet-fighter.
In E-Mode, the GTE Sport will go 31 miles on a single all-electric charge. When the battery levels are depleted and the car can no longer be driven solely on all-electric power, Hybrid-Mode kicks in. This fires up the engine, and it operates like a normal hybrid, generating energy by burning gasoline to both propel the car forward and also charge the onboard batteries.
When clicked into GTE-Mode, however, it becomes something else altogether -- something much more menacing. With the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder pumping out all 295 horsepower, coupled with the 113-hp electric motor turning the front wheels and the 113-hp electric motor driving the rear wheels, the GTE Sport becomes an all-wheel drive sports machine.
In this mode, it makes some impressive figures: 395 horsepower, 494 pound-feet of torque (more torque than a Corvette, mind you), as well as an 118-mpge efficiency rating and a top speed of 174 mph.
For as good as this all is, unfortunately, it's still just a concept. That said, with VW facing a bit of a crisis with its diesel scandal, the brand might be willing to give such an attention-grabbing vehicle a green light for production. Let's hope.
