An all-new Volkswagen Touareg will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January (this was also confirmed by us back in August in this post). That the line-up will include a hybrid from the outset is a pleasant surprise. This petrol-electric Touareg is actually VW’s first production hybrid. It will be the first of several new hybrid and electric models that will be launched by VW in 2013. Expect the new Touareg range, including the hybrid, to go on sale in the second half of 2010. Karl-Thomas Neumann, former Continental boss, has been brought in to lead VW’s electric propulsion development and will start next month.
The job, which was created especially for Neumann, requires him to report directly to CEO Martin Winterkorn. Neumann will be responsible for developing the Up, VW’s first all-electric car.
An electric e-Up Concept was shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show but it is expected that it will be presented to the market by 2013.
Meanwhile, VW will start trials of 20 examples of its plug-in hybrid Golf Twin Drive in Berlin this January. The Twin Drive is the firm’s first plug-in and can run for more than 30 miles on electric power alone. The Twin Drive also has a 2.0-litre diesel engine, giving a combined power output of 172bhp.
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