VW unveils new Twin Drive diesel-electric plug-in hybirds

source: http://www.greendaily.com/2008/06/26/vw-unveils-new-twin-drive-diesel-electric-plug-in-hybrids/

It won't be long before college kids and other "indie" types will have a new VW to covet -- only now they'll be lusting after a significantly more eco-friendly ride. The new Golf Twin Drive, a plug-in diesel electric hybrid, aims to be on the streets by 2010 -- and with a little help (read: $23.5 million), it just might happen.

Gallery: Check out the VW Twin Drive

Granted there will only be 20 of these bad boys in circulation by the target release date, but it won't be long before the adorable new autos are in full production. Here's some specs:

• 122-horsepower diesel engine
• 82-horsepower electric motor
• all-electric range of 31 miles
  

This is part of a larger initiative by the German government to dramatically increase the number of hybrids on the roads. It's shooting for 1 million hybrids by 2010, and 10 million by 2020. When you consider the country's entire population is just over 82 million, those numbers start to look very impressive.