Touareg, Cayenne to be VW’s first hybrids
January 29, 2007 7:56PM by Michael Savio
With a new CEO, Volkswagen has changed its hybrid plans, and now the first vehicle to use the automaker’s gas-electric hybrid system will be the Touareg, according to German magazine Automobilewoche. VW’s new CEO Martin Winterkorn changed the plans of its former boss Bernd Pischetsrieder, who originally said the automaker’s first gas-electric would be a hybrid version of the Jetta, which would arrive by 2008.
Winterkorn states that the $2,000+ hybrid premium is too much for VW in the competitive compact segment. VW believes that diesel is a better option for compact cars like the Golf/Rabbit and Jetta given the price and fuel efficiency gains.
Under the new plan, the hybrid Touareg will be followed by a hybrid version of the Porsche Cayenne.
## Source: Automobilwoche ##
Posted in: Porsche, Volkswagen, SUVs, Business, News, Hybrids, Future Vehicles
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February 10th, 2007 at 5:59PM
[…] Volkswagen is in the process of cutting up to 20,000 jobs, and introducing longer hours for those that remain, but Winterkorn has indicated that VW is not planning any additional cuts. Winterkorn said that further cuts would impact future VW projects, which he said includes a compact hybrid powertrain for the Polo and Golf. This goes against Winterkorn’s previous statement that a $2,000+ hybrid premium is too much for VW in the competitive compact segment. […]
February 15th, 2007 at 6:18PM
[…] the automaker is planning to build hybrid models of its compact cars, rejecting reports that he halted plans for hybrid versions of its smaller models. He said that hybrid technology should be used in all models of […]