A “paradigm shift” toward sustainable mobility has begun, according to Volkswagen, and its new e-up! and e-Golf “have the potential to irreversibly charge up the electric car segment.” VW will present two new four-door EVs at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, which takes place September 10-22.

The five-seat front-wheel drive e-Golf features an 85 kW electric motor with 270 N-m of torque and efficiency of 12.7 kWh per 100 km. The 24.2 kWh battery enables a range of 190 km. Top speed is electronically limited to 140 km/h.

The four-seat e-up! is also front-wheel drive, and sports a 60 kW motor that transmits 210 N-m of torque, and consumes just 11.7 kWh of electricity per 100 km, making it the new world champion in efficiency, according to VW. It has an 18.7 kWh battery, a range of 160 km, and top speed of 130 km/h.

Both models offer two driver-selectable driving modes and four regenerative braking modes, as well as CCS-compatible fast charging.

The motors, gearboxes and lithium-ion batteries were developed in-house by VW, and are manufactured in Germany.

European automakers are lagging far behind their US and Japanese counterparts on electrification. VW is by far the Continent’s dominant brand, with a whopping 25% of the European market, and the Golf family is one of the best-selling nameplates in history, with over 30,000,000 sold. If VW actually produces and sells an electric version in substantial numbers, that will be a paradigm shift indeed.

Source: Volkswagen