It appears that one hybrid car land speed record is not enough for Volkswagen as the German company returned to Salts Flats on October 5th and broke the Southern California Timing Association's (SCTA) H/PS land speed record for production cars with engines of less than 1.5 liters that use forced induction. According to the official press release, Vw Jetta Hybrid driven by Motor Trend Associate Road Test Editor Carlos Lago averaged 186.313 mph over two runs during the SCTA's World Finals event. Lago eclipsed the previous record by 18.8 mph. Moreover, in the second run, Lago averaged 187.147 mph for the last mile, beating the magical 300 km/h mark.
For those who don’t know, the 2013 Jetta Hybrid uses a 1.4-liter turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder TSI gasoline engine, a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission but also an electric motor. The total output delivered by the engine and electric motor is 170 horsepower, along with 184 pound-feet of torque. Lago drove a Jetta Hybrid specially modified to run in the SCTA's H/PS class. As a result, the suspension was lowered, the car was fitted with special Salt Flat wheels and tires fitted and the interior was stripped and outfitted with full safety equipment, such as a rollcage, racing seat and harness, and a full fire suppression system. The total output delivered by the car is somewhere around 300 hp.
"We are really proud that our new Jetta Hybrid has taken the land speed record for its class," said Marc Trahan, Executive Vice President, Group Quality. "This was a fascinating project for our engineering team in Wolfsburg, who had to integrate the complex hybrid elements and generate a lot of additional power in a very short period of time in order to take the record. The Jetta Hybrid LSR project shows both the sporty nature of our hybrid offering and the technical excellence of our engineers in Wolfsburg and the Test Center California."
