Volkswagen Touareg R Hybrid in the Works

The Germans from Volkswagen are apparently getting ready to bring onto the market yet another version of the Touareg SUV, one which would blend the otherwise incompatible worlds of hybrid powertrains with the R designation on the souped up people's cars.

According to Automobile Magazine, the German manufacturer has an R version of the Touareg on the drawing board. Not your usual R version however, but one which would marry a good old gas-guzzling V8 with an angelic electric motor.

Now don't go thinking any ground breaking technologies will be developed for the R Touareg. VW will use its existing technologies and a bit of tuning know-how to bring the V8's power to about 500 horsepower.

They will also strip and copy the electric motor which develops 47 hp and is featured on the 3.0 V6 TFSI version of the SUV. On that version, the electric motor insures a speed of up to 50 km/h in purely electric mode.

Of course, the entire Touareg R story has not yet been confirmed by Volkswagen. We wouldn't be surprised though if the recently established Volkswagen R GmbH would try and go for s sports SUV. The new division only has two models in its portfolio yet, the Scirocco R and the Golf R, none of which are, as you know, SUVs.

An R version of the Touareg would give VW access to a segment of the market it is currently not present in. Some of you might remember VW already tried to feel the pulse of this segment with the 2005 Volkswagen Touareg R GT.