The plug-in party is in full swing in China, as the government pushes “new energy vehicles” as a solution to choking air pollution. The Volkswagen Group plans to be a major player, launching more than 20 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in China by the end of 2018.

By 2020 there could be “some hundred thousand” VW plug-ins in China, Jochem Heizmann, head of Volkswagen Group China, told reporters in Shanghai this week. “In the near future, Volkswagen will be offering Chinese drivers over 20 new energy vehicles, from small cars to large-sized SUVs, from plug-in hybrids to pure electric cars.”

RELATED: BYD chief: Electric buses and PHEV consumer cars will lead the Chinese boom

Volkswagen will launch the tiny e-up! in China this year, and plans to follow up next year with the e-Golf and Golf GTE plug-in hybrid. Electrification will gradually be extended to other models such as the midsize Passat, and could eventually include almost every product segment, Heizmann said, thanks to the company’s modular manufacturing technology.

“With this modular strategy, we don’t need a different car factory. The e-Golf can be produced in the same body shop and assembly line as a normal Golf,” he said.

Source: Automotive News