With the help of the German government, Volkswagen plans to debut a plug-in diesel-electric version of the Golf by 2010.

VW's new Twin Drive hybrid drivetrain -- which combines a 122-hp diesel engine with an electric motor -- will make it possible. Wired quotes VW CEO Martin Winterkorn explaining what makes this drive train so unique: "While the e-motor on a typical hybrid model just supplements the combustion engine, the exact opposite is true on Twin Drive." He continues, "Here the diesel or gasoline engine supplements the e-motor."

Despite the stigma, this plug-in car isn't weak. "The Golf TwinDrive test vehicle delivers a combined 174 horsepower and can run up to 30 miles on pure electric power," reports Edmunds Inside Line. "Over a typical 62-mile route, the vehicle returns more than 90 mpg, VW said." Car Central adds: "[T]he car also features engine stop-start technology and regenerative brakes, which maximize fuel efficiency and recapture energy that would otherwise be lost as heat generated by the friction of the brakes."

Not "green" enough for ya? VW says that the electric motor will be charged with power derived from clean natural sources -- like wind and solar energy.

VW plans to have a test fleet ready by 2010, and Germany's Interior Ministry has pledged $23.5 million to ensure that happens. For pictures of the Twin Drive Golf, see Jalopnik.

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