A missed opportunity. The Golf platform gave it a case of
Prognathism
https://ranwhenparked.net/2014/12/11...the-concept-1/
Quote:
The Beetle’s air-cooled engine was innovative in the middle of the 20th century. The new model was equally ingenious because it was designed to use one of three power sources that accurately previewed the auto industry’s shift towards cleaner cars. Volkswagen warned that the drivetrains were still at the development stage so it couldn’t provide precise technical or performance specifications.
The first drivetrain paired a four-cylinder TDI turbodiesel engine with what Volkswagen called an Ecomatic transmission....
The second drivetrain was a diesel-electric hybrid consisting of a 68-horsepower three-cylinder diesel engine and a small electric motor....
The third and final drivetrain was an all-electric one centered around a Siemens AC induction motor rated at about 50 horsepower.
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