Volkswagen's media center has been slacking off this week, as we had to dig deep for the Phideon's debut at the Shanghai Auto Show. More specifically, this is the unveiling of the Phideon GTE, a plug-in hybrid version of the sedan.
The decision to launch a plug-in hybrid is like a foregone conclusion, given the demands of the market. Here are the specs!
With a hybrid system power of 180 kW (245 PS) and 500 Nm, the Phideon GTE is a perfect match to the Audi A6L, which is what everybody expected. It also makes this the most powerful production car to wear the GTE badge, packing a couple of dozen extra horses over the European Passat GTE.
The extra grunt is down to the much bigger 2.0-liter turbo engine, compared to the 1.4 TSI used by the Passat. As for the electric motor, this delivers 91 kW of solo output and draws power from a 14.1 kWh battery located under the trunk for up to 50 kilometers of range. On both a full tank and battery, the car is said to go for up to 846 kilometers.
As Volkswagen's first locally produced premium plug-in sedan, the Phideon is the flag bearer. The German brand also unveiled the I.D. CROZZ concept at the Shanghai Auto Show this week, and its appearance is decades into the future compared to the Phideon.
But the Chinese consumers are sure to love the legroom and luxurious, feature-rich interior of the Phideon PHEV.
Besides the front bumper and some badges, everything else stays the same. The Phideon's total length of 5.05 meters is impressive - just 10mm shorter than the Phaeton. Based on the Modular Longitudinal Matrix platform, it measures 1.87 meters in width and 1.48 meters tall.
Two other powertrains are available. Namely, a 2.0 base TSI with front-wheel drive or a 3.0 TSI V6 rated at 300 PS, and 440 Nm of torque delivered through standard AWD.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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