Tucked away in a press release talking about how popular the GTE version of the Passat is following the facelift, Volkswagen is announcing two additional plug-in hybrid models are due to come out in 2020. Without revealing any technical specifications, the folks from Wolfsburg are promising the Tiguan and Arteon will both get a PHEV setup later this year, following the launch of the Golf GTE and the Tiguan R plug-in hybrids.
We do know that both the crossover and the liftback are due to get a mid-cycle update later this year, so logic tells us it’s the revised versions that are going to receive the PHEV treatment. The facelift will expand the lineup furthermore with the addition of a high-performance R derivative for the Tiguan and Arteon. In the case of the latter, an estate we’ve spied repeatedly is also planned, complete with an R variant.
Gallery: 2021 VW Tiguan facelift spy photos
The electrified Tiguan has been a long time coming taking into account VW unveiled a GTE concept back in September 2015. The PHEV variant was launched in production form last year, but only in China for some reason where it’s available on the stretched Tiguan L by combining a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It offers a total output of 208 bhp and 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-metres) of torque for a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) run in 8.1 seconds and a top speed limited to 124 mph (200 km/h).
The CN-spec Tiguan L PHEV uses a 12.1-kWh lithium-ion battery with enough juice for 32 miles (52 kilometres) and a combined range of 536 miles (862 kilometres) once we factor in the petrol tank, with both numbers according to the local testing cycle.
Gallery: Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake spy shots
Expect the Euro-spec Tiguan and Arteon PHEVs to have a powertrain similar to what the Passat GTE is offering in Europe where the electrified saloon and estate have 215 bhp and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm). The 13-kWh battery is WLTP rated at up to 35 miles (56 kilometres) of electric range in the saloon and slightly less in the wagon because it’s a heavier car.
The Tiguan and Arteon facelifts should be revealed in the months to come and hit European markets by late 2020 or early 2021.
Hot versions planned:
Source: Volkswagen
Increasing demand for electric mobility in Germany: Significant growth for e-up! and Passat GTE
- Affordable access to electric mobility: Every second order of the up! series is for the fully electric version
- The e-up! is one of the cars with the lowest cost of ownership in the market
- Five times more orders received for the new Passat GTE0203 compared with the predecessor: Every seventh Passat customer in Germany opts for the PHEV
Volkswagen is focussing on stepping up electric mobility and is significantly expanding its range of fully electric models and hybrids. Even before the launch of the new ID.304 this summer, the demand for electric mobility has considerably increased in Germany: already every second order for the up! model series is for the fully electric version, around 20,000 orders have been received. The GTE versions of the current Passat generation have also become increasingly more popular amongst buyers: Every seventh customer now opts for the plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
The e-up! generates 61 kW (83 PS) has been launched in November 2019 and represents the new entry-level model to Volkswagen’s electric world. Compared with the predecessor, it offers a significantly increased range (up to 260 km in the WLTP cycle). Around 20,000 vehicles have been ordered already over the first three months of this year. The low running costs are the crucial purchasing argument: In Germany, its manufacturer suggested retail price (€21,975) is reduced by an environmental bonus (€6,570, both gross amounts) and the German insurance categories are favourable (liability category: 12, fully comprehensive category: 16). And no charges are incurred for road tax or engine oil changes for the e-up!.
Hybrid drive systems form a further key element in the powertrain strategy on the path to a zero emission future. For this reason, Volkswagen Group is introducing plug-in hybrid technology in many important high-volume segments. GTE models took the lead in 2014 and their second model generation boasts an increased electric range thanks to more battery capacity. The new Passat GTE Variant0203 generates 160 kW (218 PS) and covers up to 56 kilometres fully electrically in the WLTP cycle. Consequently, it covers far more than the daily range of an average Volkswagen customer, which amounts to 42 kilometres. Within the Passat segment, where the majority of orders are received for diesel engines, the petrol-powered variant with plug-in hybrid technology now makes up 15 percent of the orders, showing a five-fold increase compared with the previous GTE model.
After the PHEV debut in the Passat and Passat Variant, Volkswagen will be introducing several new plug-in hybrid models in 2020. Consequently, the new Golf, now in its eighth generation, will once again be available as a Golf GTE06 and in parallel a plug-in hybrid version will be available for the normal Golf for the very first time. The technology will subsequently be launched in the Arteon and the Tiguan compact SUV. And at the beginning of March, the brand’s new top-of-the-range model celebrated its premiere: the new Touareg R07 is a very powerful PHEV with a hybrid system output generating 340 kW (462 PS) on the basis of a V6 engine and an electric drive.