The Volkswagen Touareg has been a favorite among soccer moms and SUV fans since its introduction in 2002. This popular SUV has been given the hybrid treatment with Volkswagen presenting the Touareg Hybrid at Munich’s Postpalast last week. Volkswagen plans to introduce this hybrid SUV in Europe and North America in the near future to make inroads in the green vehicle market. The automaker claims that the Touareg Hybrid features a 20% improvement in fuel consumption compared to the standard model.
The heart of the Touareg Hybrid is a drive system balancing a V6 direct-injection engine, an electric motor and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The entire drive system can produce up to 375 horsepower, making it competitive with other mid-sized SUVs on the market. Volkswagen incorporated what it refers to as the E-Motor into this hybrid, which is capable of operating up to 30 MPH on all-electric power. Volkswagen incorporated regenerative braking into this new model with a high-capacity NiMH battery storing energy for later use. The Volkswagen Stop-Start System puts the Touareg Hybrid over the top by eliminating fuel consumption while idling at stop lights.
The statistics on the Touareg Hybrid sound promising enough for a first-generation hybrid SUV. The maximum speed of the Touareg Hybrid is 149 MPH with a 0-60 MPH time of 6.5 seconds. The 20% fuel economy improvement includes a 25% improvement in city fuel economy and an 18% improvement when using both the electric motor and gas engine. The reduced carbon dioxide emissions in the hybrid model will bring Volkswagen into line when it comes to European Union emissions standards.
Volkswagen is slowly but steadily making progress in the hybrid market. It makes sense for the automaker to use the Touareg as another point of entry in this market niche. Volkswagen is hoping that it can pull in both loyal customers and those looking for more sizable hybrids with the Touareg Hybrid. The company is still only dipping its toes in the hybrid waters compared to Toyota, Honda, Ford and other automakers. The Touareg Hybrid is a first step toward testing stop-start, regenerative braking and hybrid drive technology. We will need to see how the Touareg Hybrid performs in the next few years as well as where Volkswagen takes this technology to see where the automaker is going in terms of green vehicles.
