Photo: Volkswagen
As the range-topping utility vehicle in the lineup, the Touareg has a lot to prove and plenty of potential. Volkswagen knows it too, and thus, the hybrid prototype from a decade ago has been brought back to life with a bit of a twist.
The year was 2009, and the V6 TSI Hybrid featured a 3.0-liter engine with a TVS supercharger along with an electric motor connected to a nickel metal-hydride battery. Then the second generation of the Touareg went hybrid in 2010 to little commercial success. Wishful thinking says that third time’s a charm, right?
Instead of giving up on the dream to make the Touareg as eco-friendly as possible, Volkswagen confirmed that fuel efficiency and performance will intertwine in 2020 for the 2021 model year in the Touareg R. Being “the first R model to go plug-in hybrid,” sales and marketing boss Jurgen Stackmann has high expectations from the luxurious SUV and the electrified future of Volkswagen’s R.
“But wait, isn’t the ‘Uareg available as a PHEV in China?” That’s true, dearest reader, and the China-specific model combines a 2.0-liter TSI with a 134-horsepower electric motor for a combined 363 horsepower. Torque is rated at 516 pound-feet, but still, a four-cylinder engine simply isn’t right.
Autocar.co.uk couldn’t get a confirmation in regard to the internal combustion part of the powertrain for the European model, the Touareg R that’s supposed to be a sporty utility vehicle on top of friendly to the environment. It’s not even known if Volkswagen will go forward with the 3.0-liter TSI or 3.0-liter TDI, let alone the 4.0-liter turbo diesel V8 from the Audi SQ7.
When the British motoring publication asked Stackmann about a fully-electric R such as the supercar-like prototype with an appetite for breaking records, the official made it clear that it’s not the right time for such a product.
“I think we will still see Rs in the conventional form (…) but obviously we need to worry about it as our emissions need to come down in 2020. R needs to go on the way [of complete electrification].”
Instead of giving up on the dream to make the Touareg as eco-friendly as possible, Volkswagen confirmed that fuel efficiency and performance will intertwine in 2020 for the 2021 model year in the Touareg R. Being “the first R model to go plug-in hybrid,” sales and marketing boss Jurgen Stackmann has high expectations from the luxurious SUV and the electrified future of Volkswagen’s R.
“But wait, isn’t the ‘Uareg available as a PHEV in China?” That’s true, dearest reader, and the China-specific model combines a 2.0-liter TSI with a 134-horsepower electric motor for a combined 363 horsepower. Torque is rated at 516 pound-feet, but still, a four-cylinder engine simply isn’t right.
Autocar.co.uk couldn’t get a confirmation in regard to the internal combustion part of the powertrain for the European model, the Touareg R that’s supposed to be a sporty utility vehicle on top of friendly to the environment. It’s not even known if Volkswagen will go forward with the 3.0-liter TSI or 3.0-liter TDI, let alone the 4.0-liter turbo diesel V8 from the Audi SQ7.
When the British motoring publication asked Stackmann about a fully-electric R such as the supercar-like prototype with an appetite for breaking records, the official made it clear that it’s not the right time for such a product.
“I think we will still see Rs in the conventional form (…) but obviously we need to worry about it as our emissions need to come down in 2020. R needs to go on the way [of complete electrification].”
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