Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Hybrid , Sedan , Volkswagen The lithium-ion battery in the new Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid may be small (just 1.1 kWh), but it can pack a punch big enough to move the gas-electric to speeds up to 44 miles per hour using nothing but electrons. Throw in a combined estimated fuel efficiency rating of 45 miles per gallon and a class-leading 0-60 time of 9.0 seconds, and you’ve got a green Jetta that should prove to be fun out on the highway. Of course, with only a kilowatt hour in the battery pack, you won’t get very far on battery power (just 1.2 miles, VW says) and all of those electrons will come from energy that was originally gasoline (there is no plug involved here), but it’s still enough of an electric powertrain for VW to call the Jetta Hybrid the “most fuel-efficient Jetta in the lineup.” And it is quite a line-up, since there are now a total of five powertrains available for the Jetta, offering “a German engineered compact sedan for everyone.” The Hybrid pairs up a four-cylinder, 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with a 20-kW (27 hp) electric motor. The gas engine produces 150 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque between 1400 rpm and 3500 rpm.

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Detroit: 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid debuts with projected 45 mpg combined rating