Apparently VW was pooh-poohing hybrids until a few more details came to light, and now they've come up with a Golf concept car:

The diesel-HEV could potentially deliver up to 10 to 15 percent better fuel economy than a comparable gasoline-electric powertrain, stated Matthias Rabe, director of research for the VW Group. And what about performance? Zero to 100 km/h (0-62.5 mph) needs a mere 11.0 seconds while a top speed of approximately 196 km/h (122 mph) is attainable. The Golf ECO.Power is equipped with a stop-start function, similar to all current production hybrids, and achieves a thrifty 3.8 liter per 100 km fuel economy average.

[ Canadian automotive network ]

Sounds like the exact car that I want...