Volkswagen has released the first official image of the new second-generation T-Roc ahead of its imminent reveal, showcasing the new car's sharply raked roofline.
As previously reported by Autocar, the second-generation T-Roc is due to be unveiled in the coming weeks, ahead of an expected debut at September's Munich motor show – where Volkswagen is also tipped to reveal the ID 2X baby SUV.
It will be the brand's first model to use a new full-hybrid powertrain that is also bound for the Golf and Tiguan. It will work similarly to that used by Toyota, capable of driving the wheels using either a petrol engine, an electric motor or a combination of both at any given time.
Volkswagen has never used such a system in a production car, and its introduction comes less than a decade before the firm will have to go all-electric in Europe - but CEO Thomas Schäfer said the company is "experimenting now because certain regions are gliding into HEVs [hybrid electric vehicles]".
"We needed to do it anyway, because South America has a need for an HEV drivetrain - and the T-Roc is built in South America for South America, and also in China.
"Interestingly enough, HEV has also become a big theme in the US specifically. It's a technology that everybody said was not necessary any more, but now with the BEV slowdown in the US, the balance is [moving towards] HEVs."
After introducing this new system in the Mk2 T-Roc, Schäfer said Volkswagen will "see where it makes sense" elsewhere in the line-up but "we're not going to double everything up; we will have PHEV and HEV models".
It will not be introduced to every car that uses the same MQB architecture as the T-Roc, but it will be added to the Golf and Tiguan in the next two years, a Volkswagen official told Autocar.
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( They barely sold any, but still )
Prius Style hybrid, that'll be the one they don't import, probably because of the price. The simpliest engine is the BEV, then pure petrol ICE, mild Hybrid, HEVs, PHEVs all add weight, cost, they're less realiable, more expensive, take up space etc. Hybrids of any sort spouting 350mpg are a con and wouldn't exist without tax dodging rules.
There's no mention of the transmission. Is it an eCVT like Toyota use or is the electric motor driving through a DSG gearbox? The beauty of the Toyota system is its comparative simiplicity which in turn makes it reliable and helps efficiency.