New Volkswagen T-Prime Concept

Added: 28 April 2016

The German manufacturer have shown off their new T-Prime concept at the Beijing Motor Show with a look of an enlarged Touareg SUV.

The new concept hints at the future for the SUV and with this plug-in hybrid concept the future looks very bright indeed.

The latest in a long line of VW additions looks to be considerably larger than its predecessor which has been on sale since 2011.  This was to be expected as the Tiguan is due to get larger later this year and then even larger when the Tiguan XL is introduced in short-term future.

The Tiguan’s larger sibling is expected to hit the roads in 2018 and is rumoured to be wider than the outgoing model but will also sit lower to the ground for a more aggressive stance.  In the Beijing debuted model, the T-Prime only offers two rear sets but it is anticipated that when it hits the market in two years, the German manufacturer will offer a three-seat bench and a further pair of pop-up seats in the boot.



The T-Prime is also the flagship model for a new plug-in technology.  Former GTE models have combined an electric motor with a 1.4 litre engine whilst the new Tiguan will see a more powerful 2.0 litre turbocharged engine that will produce 248bhp on its own but will twin with a 134bhp electric motor.  This combination delivers a whopping 375bhp engine with 700Nm of torque but most impressively the T-Prime’s electric powertrain can provide 31 miles of pure electricity to really help bolster economy figures.  Early claims suggest the new Tiguan model will be able to deliver combined CO2 emissions of 63g/km, a truly astonishing figure for a car of its size.

The new concept boasts VW’s 4Motion four-wheel drive and this is cleverley integrated with an eight-speed automatic transmission.  The new model is also sat on the same MLB chassis that Audi’s new A4 is based on and when production ready the new Touareg will use the car’s more powerful four and six-cylinder options to sit alongside the super-efficient hybrid.
Step inside the T-Prime and you are greeted with styling hints from many of VW’s sister manufacturers. The new dashboard design blends the Active Info Display seen on the Audi TT and the latest new Tiguan with a larger central screen.  The German giants have named the new display the Curved Interaction Area, and the 15” curved touchscreen can prioritise apps or services depending on the driver or passenger.

The modern technology extends throughout the car with a 9.6” display between the rear seats and a pair of 10.1 inch infotainment tablets for the passengers sat in the back.
The T-Prime concept introduces us to an exciting future for the larger VW SUV, so keep your eyes peeled for all the latest information over the coming months.