RTEV Inc.’s Wheego Electric Cars unit says it’s on track to launch an on-highway version of its Whip LSV two-seater later this year. It has sold 200 of the low-speed neighborhood electric vehicles, which are limited to roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph, since launching it last October.

Wheego Whip LiFe EV

A prototype of the upcoming Whip LiFe was shown at this week’s Washington, D.C., auto show. The chassis is built by China’s Shuanghuan Automobile Co., which markets its own version.

Wheego hopes to sell 1,000 of the full-speed EVs in the 2011 model year. It also plans to launch a four-seat variant next year. The base price of the two-seat car will be under $35,000, although the company says the car will qualify for a $7,500 federal tax break.

Wheego is headed by Mike McQuary, the former president of Internet service provider EarthLink. Wheego’s other division, Ruff & Tuff, has been selling all-electric utility vehicles for about five years.

California electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors Ltd. is developing a new BMW 3 Series-size car it hopes to launch by 2015, Autocar reports. With a starting price targeted at about $30,000 and annual sales volumes of more than 150,000 units, the new model would be much more mainstream than Tesla’s first two cars.

The upstart company began selling its $110,000 Lotus-based Roadster two years ago and produced its 1,000th vehicle earlier this month.

Tesla plans to introduce the $50,000 Model S sedan in 2012 and aims to sell 30,000 to 50,000 of the vehicles per year, including coupe and crossover derivatives. The company is still tweaking the design of the sedan and is trying to increase headroom and trunk space, CEO Elon Musk tells Autocar. Even so, he says, about 2,000 prospective buyers already have plunked down $5,000 deposits for the vehicle.

The addition of the third model, which also is expected to include several variants, could swell Tesla’s overall sales volume to some 200,000 units per year.

Both the Model S and yet-to-be-named third car will feature a monocoque aluminum structure from Tesla’s own stampings, Autocar says. The vehicles will be built at a new plant Tesla plans to open in California. Lotus currently builds the Roadster chassis in the U.K., then Tesla adds the electronic drivetrain in California.

Previous reports have said Tesla will replace the Roadster in 2013 with a larger model with an occasional-use back seat to better compete against the current Porsche Turbo Carrera. Tesla also is developing two EVs in partnership with Daimler AG, which acquired a 10% stake in the California firm last year.

Volkswagen AG plans to launch a new performance division to compete against BMW’s M, Mercedes AMG and sister company Audi’s Quattro sub-brands. An official announcement will be made in March at the Geneva auto show, company officials tell Edmunds.com.

The new R GmbH division essentially will be an expanded version of the current VW Individual program in Europe that offers an array of customized tuner features under the R-Line badge, Edmunds.com notes. The new division will take this a step further, crafting all-new performance variants of new cars.

Upcoming offerings will include the 266-hp Golf R and 261-hp Scirocco R. The former is expected to bow in North America early next year. VW also showed the CC R-Line earlier this month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It’s not clear whether that model will be sold in the U.S.

Volkswagen AG Chairman Martin Winterkorn tells Autocar that VW’s Porsche brand is evaluating the addition of a small sports car and downsized SUV to its current lineup that includes the 911, Boxster, Cayenne, Cayman and Panamera. The likelihood of the vehicles making it into production are high, as Winterkorn notes that Porsche usually doesn’t waste development efforts.

Media reports have speculated about the new models, especially the small sports car, for months. But this is the closest the company has come to confirming the programs.

The new car, which has been hailed as a modern day version of Porsche’s iconic 356 model, is expected to share a platform with the upcoming Audi R4 that will feature a mid-engine layout, according to Autocar. It says pricing likely will start at roughly $53,000.

The R4 is due in June 2011. With significant exterior and interior design changes, the Porsche model isn’t expected until about 18 months later, the magazine says. It adds that the Porsche will get a unique new flat-four engine with a forced induction system.

Less is known about the small SUV. Leftlane News suggests the vehicle could be Porsche’s long-rumored Roxster model.

A redesigned 911 also is in the works. Although Porsche has said that nearly every body panel will be new, recent spy photos indicate that styling changes will be relatively minimal. To keep costs down, some components will be shared with the Cayman/Boxster. The next-generation 911 also is expected to borrow the Panamera’s active rear wing that extends at high speeds to aid downforce. Other new features will include standard LED headlights and taillights, an improved limited-slip differential on rear-wheel-drive models and an integrated torque vectoring system on all-wheel-drive units.

Nissan Motor Co.’s Leaf all-electric hatchback, which is due to be launched in the U.S., Japan and Europe later this year, was named Green Car Journal’s Green Car Vision Award winner at the Washington, D.C., auto show this week. The Leaf outscored several other upcoming “green” models, including the Ford Focus EV, Mercedes-Benz F-Cell fuel cell vehicle and Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid.

Nissan Leaf EV

To be considered for the award, vehicles had to be in their early stages of commercialization but not yet on sale, with more than one functional prototype in existence or operating as part of a demonstration fleet. Previous winners include General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet Volt extended-range hybrid and Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell.

Nissan, which showed a production-ready model in Washington, says more than 38,000 people have requested more information about the Leaf via the Internet. Although final pricing hasn’t been released yet, Nissan claims that overall ownership cost, including the purchase price but not the $7,500 tax credit, will be equivalent to that of a comparable vehicle powered by a combustion engine.

First-year sales of the Leaf are targeted at 50,000 units worldwide. Nissan will begin taking reservations for the car in the U.S. this spring.

Production for all markets initially will be done in Japan. But Nissan plans to transfer output for the U.S. to its plant in Smyrna, Tenn., by late 2012. It also expects production of the lithium-ion battery pack to move to the U.S. by this time.

The Leaf is expected to have a 100-mile driving range. Recharging its battery will take as long as 15 hours from a standard 110-volt household outlet or eight hours from a 220-volt connection. Earlier this month, Nissan announced a deal with AeroVironment Inc. under which 220-volt recharging kits would be available to Leaf buyers at launch. This would require a home inspection and having the necessary wiring and installation performed by a licensed electrical contractor. Pricing of the system hasn’t been finalized.

Nissan also is working with cities, states and utility companies to install thousands of public charging stations around the country. This includes quick-charge 440-volt units that will be capable of replenishing 80% of a battery’s capacity within 26 minutes.

In other markets, Nissan will test the concept of leased batteries that are swapped out when the car needs recharging. Nissan says the driving cycles and existing infrastructure of Israel and Denmark are conducive to such a strategy. There are no immediate plans for a similar initiative in the U.S.