The new Volkswagen Passat GTE has gone on sale starting from €42,495 for private customers, writes Trish Whelan.
Volkswagen say it ‘merges the benefits of electric mobility with the qualities of a long-distance vehicle'.
The car uses a combination of a 156hp 1.4 TSI petrol engine with a 115hp electric motor to offer a combined 218hp and 440 Nm of torque with combined C02 emissions of 29g/km.
The car’s 13kW battery now has 31pc more capacity than the previous model allowing a fully electric, emission-free range of up to 56km (measured under WLTP) when driving in electric mode and offers the long-range benefits of a plug-in hybrid.
Private customers can avail of Government incentives of €7,500 (€5,000 SEAI grant and €2,500 VRT rebate), which brings the price of this saloon to €42,495 and the estate model to €44,595.
Volkswagen’s Head of Marketing Mark McGrath said 'the price is comparable to a 2.0 TDI DSG diesel Passat making it a viable alternative to anyone wanting to move to an electrified vehicle in 2020'.
