Volkswagen has become the latest automaker to join the electric vehicle race, announcing a production version of the E-Up concept EV will hit the U.S. market sometime next decade. The E-Up concept made its world debut earlier this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Although the E-Up will also be sold in other world markets, VW board member Ulrich Hackenberg revealed that VW’s EV efforts are being aimed at the U.S. market. “The reason we are working on an electric vehicle is the American market,” he told Automotive News.
VW’s first production vehicle will be largely based on the E-Up concept and is slated to hit the European market in 2013. Hackenberg failed to give a launch date for the U.S. market, but said it would hit U.S. VW dealers after the car’s European roll out.
Although the European and U.S. versions of the E-Up will be closely tied, the U.S.-spec car will have a few variations. The biggest change will be a larger footprint, with the U.S. model expected to gain nearly two feet in length.
In production form, the E-Up is expected to have a range of about 80 miles.
