Volkswagen plug-in hybrids in line for Australia
Alongside its fully-electric ID vehicle range, Volkswagen plans to introduce two hybrid models in Australia next year.
Volkswagen Australia has outlined its plans introduce a local range of plug-in hybrid vehicles from the end of 2022.
The first and only product officially confirmed so far is the Volkswagen Touareg R – a high-performance large SUV that features a 14.3kWh battery pack and 100kW electric motor.
It is expected to arrive locally by the end of 2022, likely some time near November.
The brand is expected to follow with the Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid PHEV and Volkswagen Golf GTE pair sometime afterward.
Both are plug-in hybrid vehicles which use a petrol engine alongside an electric motor.
In the case of the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid, it uses a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, electric motor and 10.4kWh battery to enable a combined fuel consumption figure of 1.7L/100km (according to lenient NEDC testing) or an electric-only range of 48km.
The 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTE uses a similar architecture. It features the same 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and electric motor as the Tiguan eHybrid – for a combined output of 180kW – however it's tuned for a "sportier" sensation behind the wheel.
Back in 2018, Volkswagen imported a handful of previous-generation Golf GTEs into Australia for evaluation purposes – with one appearing on reality television show The Block – however later abandoned the plan due to "global demand".
Before the arrival of the Volkswagen PHEVs, Spanish sister-brand Cupra will launch in Australia in July with plug-in hybrid versions of its Leon hatch and Formentor medium SUV – twinned under the skin with the Golf and Tiguan hybrids.