Volkswagen is placing a bespoke rival for the Toyota Prius – revealed in our exclusive images – at the heart of radical plans to increase the amount of electrified vehicles in its line-up by 2020. The car could take the Volkswagen XL3 name.

As it continues to suffer from ongoing criticism over its handling of the Dieselgate scandal, the manufacturer has decided to accelerate its investment in a set of all-electric and hybrid components. As part of this, it will extend its EV line-up to include a new standalone model to sit alongside the likes of the GTE-badged plug-in hybrid Passat and Golf and the all-electric Golf and up! in the range.

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Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, VW’s new brand boss Dr Herbert Diess admitted that while the company remains committed to electric cars and hybrids built on its regular MQB chassis – the same underpinnings as the conventional Golf and Passat – he can already see the benefit of switching to a platform designed specifically for electrification.

“If you look further, then it’s probably worthwhile thinking of an entirely new architecture because then you can let go of the technical components you put in the car because of the combustion engine,” said Diess. “You gain a lot of space in the interior, for instance.