Volkswagen might be in turbulent times right now, but innovation seems to be full steam ahead!
There are quite a few things happening with the brand. The job cuts, their sub-brand Porsche selling away its stake in Bugatti, and even talks of Volkswagen potentially parting with the iconic Ducati brand.
But amidst all this negativity, they seem to still be innovating at the highest level.
Volkswagen recently showcased their most efficient electric car, Mission Efficiency. Look at these figures for a second:
0.158 Cd. VW says its a record for a road-going vehicle.
6.48 kWh/100kms on an ideal test setup.
6.89 kWh/100kms officially documented.
They did an actual road test from Wolfsburg all the way to Vienna, covering over 1278.36 kms AND still had 164kms remaining range. All of this with an average speed of 67.72 km/h and a max speed of 138 km/h.
This example took me back a decade ago when VW did this with the XL1! This was, back in the day, THE MOST efficient diesel (plug-in hybrid) car ever produced with just 0.9 litres of diesel used for 100 kms.
Sure, the brand right now is going through some trying times, but their innovation is to be commended. It is unfortunate that there is little to no visibility about this at all.
Well, as a proud owner of a VW myself, I thought I should bring it up.