VW Touareg BlueMotion Hybrid for Detroit

Volkswagen are to reveal the Touareg BlueMotion Hybrid at the Detroit Motor Show in January together with the  new 2010 VW Touareg.

VW are taking the whole ‘Eco’ game seriously. They are rolling out ‘BlueMotion’ versions of cars across the range at regular intervals, the most recent being the sub 100g/km Golf BlueMotion. But most of these are tweaks to the suspension, aerodynamics and ECU of existing diesels to coax the best returns on emissions and economy.

So far there hasn’t been a production VW hybrid, but that will change in January when VW unveils the new 2010 Touareg at the Detroit Motor Show which will include a hybrid version, the first in what will be a series of VW hybrids over the next few years.

The Touareg BlueMotion Hybrid will use the 3.0 litre TSi V6 which delivers 333bhp coupled to a 38kw electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the new 8 speed auto ‘box. When the batteries are fully charged the combined output is 374bhp which will get the big SUV to 60mph in 6.6 seconds. Electric only drive is available up to 30mph (battery charge permitting) and economy is reckoned to improve by 25%.

VW are also working on the plug-in hybrid with the Golf Twin Drive which starts a round of testing on the streets of Berlin next month. The Golf Twin drive has an electric motor and a 2.0 litre TDi, the combined output of which is 172bhp. Also in the works is the first of the VW E-Up! EVs, which are expected to show in production form at Frankfurt in 2010.

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