What does a company do when its powerful hatch is slapped with a hybrid option? Advertise the product and convince the customers to go for it? Not in the case of Volkswagen, at least. The second-largest car manufacturer in the world has stopped taking orders for the new Golf GTE due to high demands! How crazy is that?

Is this for real?

Recently, Volkswagen stopped taking orders for its Golf GTE hybrid hatchback citing "unprecedented demand.” A spokesperson from Volkswagen said, "We have temporarily stopped taking orders for the Golf GTE. We had a high number of orders last year and into this year, which was partly driven by the successful “Push the Button” marketing campaign. The pace of the new orders arriving meant we filled the maximum production capacity of our factories and so the build time for new orders ran into a significant number of months.”

The reason for all the buzz

The Golf GTE is the plug-in hybrid equivalent of the Golf GTI. It comes with a turbocharged 1.4-liter, four-cylinder mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. A synchronous electric motor is mounted within the forward section of the gearbox. The petrol engine delivers 148 horsepower, and 184 pound-feet of torque and the electric motor provides an additional 53 horses and 74 pound-feet of torque. This makes for a combined output of 204 horses and 258 pound-feet. For people who prefer going all-electric, Volkswagen is offering the all-electric e-Golf which has a range of 186 miles, as well as the e-up! electric city car.

Our Take

When Volkswagen stops taking orders for a car, you'd expect it to be because of another emission scandal. Ironically, this time it's for an eco-friendly car! The Golf GTE has been termed as a bargain for what it offers, since it competes with the likes of the fully-electric BMW i3, the hybrid Toyota Prius, etc. For a model that offers the same bells and whistles as the Golf GTI, it's no surprise the GTE received such a tremendous response. Will this initial success motivate Volkswagen to ramp-up the production, or will they deliver the existing orders and wait for the long-term reviews to pour in? Let us know what you think of this situation in the comments section below.

References

Read our full review on the 2017 Volkswagen Golf GTE.

Read more Volkswagen news.