
The Volkswagen T-Prime Concept GTE (pictured) previews the next-gen Touareg
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The Volkswagen T-Prime Concept GTE has been revealed at the Beijing Motor Show, previewing the arrival of the next generation VW Touareg.
Volkswagen are working to make their SUV offerings second to none, and this – the VW T-Prime Concept GTE, teased last week – is a preview of the next-generation range-topping VW Touareg SUV.Revealed at the Beijing Motor Show today, the T-Prime is underpinned by the same MLB Platform as the new Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga, its new underpinnings allow the next Touareg to grow quite a bit – the T-Prime is 5069mm long and 2000mm wide – and features an ‘in yer face’ chrome grille, sharp detail lines, big wheel arches and 22″ alloys.
Inside, the T-Prime gets seating for four (this is a concept), but the production Touareg is likely to come with a seven-seat option, just like the Q7, with high definition Active Info Display instrument and a big 15″ central screen with both touch control and gesture control, effectively doing away with most of the switchgear.
Power for the GTE comes from a hybrid drivetrain with a 2.0 litre petrol engine producing 248bhp and 273lb/ft of torque mated to an electric motor in the eight-speed auto box with a further 134bhp and 258lb/ft of torque, for a usable output of 376bhp and a hefty 516lb/ft of torque.
That combination offers the same power (and a lot more torque) as the current hybrid Touareg, and can get the GTE to 62mph in 6.0 seconds and on to 139mph, and with the usual stupid plug-in official economy of 104.6mpg.
VW say the batteries in the T-Prime can be charged in eight hours at home (or 2.5 hours from a 400v charger) and is enough to let the T-Prime operate in its E-Mode (there’s also Hybrid and GTE modes) for up to 30 miles.



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