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Virginia Beach Volkswagen dealer, Checkered Flag Volkswagen, has some exciting news for Virginia Volkswagen shoppers wondering where the VW electric cars are. Volkswagen AG unveiled plans for a range of hybrid and electric vehicles that Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn says will account for 3 percent of the German carmaker’s global sales by 2018.

VW will introduce either the Up! city-car or the Golf compact, its best-selling model, as an all-electric vehicle in the U.S. by 2013. Before that, the automaker plans to sell a gas-electric hybrid version of the Touareg sport-utility vehicle later this year, followed by a Jetta hybrid in 2011.

Europe’s largest carmaker spends more than 5 billion euros ($6.5 billion) a year on vehicle research and development. Winterkorn, who will test drive a revamped Jetta compact sedan near San Francisco today, reiterated his goal of surpassing Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s largest auto manufacturer, in profitability and deliveries by 2018.

“VW is trying to prove that being a latecomer isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” said Christian Aust, an analyst at UniCredit in Munich who rates the stock “buy.” “They’ve rarely been the first mover, but have often entered the market with mature products. They’ve got a strong development department and their comfortable market position in Europe helps.”

“Our goal is clear and ambitious,” Winterkorn said yesterday at VW’s research laboratory in Palo Alto, California. “Volkswagen will be the automaker to mass produce the electric car for everyone.”

An electric version of the Lavida model will also be tested in China as preparation for a broader launch, VW said.

Volkswagen will test the second generation of the Golf TwinDrive, a plug-in hybrid that can run about 50 kilometers on electric drive, in Berlin later this year, Winterkorn said.

The U.S. will be an “important” market for electric vehicle for Wolfsburg, Germany-based VW, which will make research on electric cars a “top priority,” Winterkorn said.

Checkered Flag VW in Virginia is certainly excited for the future of Volkswagen. In the meantime Checkered Flag Volkswagen will continue to sell the highest quality new and used Volkswagens in Virginia. While Checkered Flag looks forward to Volkswagen new line of electric cars, VW hybrids are coming out this year! If you have any questions about  present or future Volkswagen vehicles, please contact a Virginia Beach VW advisor at 866-969-5878.

View Virginia Beach Volkswagen cars online at www.vw.checkeredflag.com