New VW SUV flagship with plug-in hybrid and AWD, Seven new electric and plug-in hybrid models due by 2020

• New SUV flagship with plug-in hybrid and all-wheel drive
• Seven new electric and plug-in hybrid models due by 2020 

Volkswagen pushes forward the development of fully or partially electrically powered vehicles. Volkswagen plans to launch seven new electric and plug-in hybrid models on the Chinese market in the next three to four years. Each of these vehicles will also be made in China. 

In addition to this, a new design and development centre in China is also planned. The new models presented in Beijing demonstrate the assertiveness with which Volkswagen is reinventing mobility. 

The highlight is the debut, a true world premiere, of the T-Prime Concept GTE – the concept of a cutting-edge premium class SUV. This plug-in hybrid all-rounder gives a first glimpse of Volkswagen’s future flagship. 

The all-new Magotan was already presented as a world premiere at the Volkswagen Group Night on the eve of the show, accompanied by Volkswagen’s new PHIDEON luxury saloon and the zero-emission MPV BUDD-e, which made their Asian debut at the event. 

Volkswagen star in Beijing – the T-Prime Concept GTE

The T-Prime Concept GTE concept car is a premium class sport utility vehicle. With plug-in hybrid and all-wheel drive as well as zero emissions on any terrain, the concept car makes an automotive statement of a new era. 

The display and control concept are completely digital, the conventional switches in the interior have been done away with and replaced by gesture and voice control, touchscreens and touch-sensitive surfaces. 

The T-Prime is the world’s first car to feature a Curved Interaction Area – a curved infotainment display that blends in with the remaining displays and controls in the futuristic cockpit. The concept car’s eight-speed automatic transmission is controlled intuitively “by wire” using a glass scroll wheel.

The T-Prime Concept GTE is ideal as a versatile alternative to conventional vehicle concepts, as the four-seat SUV concept car combines the best of various different automotive worlds: comfortable like a saloon; spacious like an estate; offering traction that is superior to all other types of car; based on state-of-the-art chassis technology; agile like a sportscar and – thanks to innovative drive technologies – efficient like a compact car. 

One of the many fitting innovations is the plug-in hybrid drive that is practically silent in its electric E-Mode, which makes the T-Prime Concept GTE a zero-emission SUV with a range of up to 50 kilometres. In GTE mode the 280 kW/381 PS concept car demonstrates pure dynamism. Visually, the innovative technical layout is reflected in a charismatic and sporty design.

The T-Prime Concept GTE is part of an SUV product offensive that was launched this spring with the European debut of the new Tiguan. In future this successful model will, for the first time, also be available with an extended wheelbase. 

In the classes above it, this will be followed by a new mid-size SUV for China and the USA as well as the successful Touareg or a vehicle based on the T-Prime Concept GTE. 

Beneath the Tiguan, two new SUV model series will also make their debut: in the Golf class there will be an SUV based on the T-ROC concept car. The T-Cross Breeze presented in Geneva in March, on the other hand, gives a glimpse of a future SUV in the Polo class.

Next generation Magotan

The completely newly-developed Magotan will be launched in July. This saloon car is the first vehicle to be based on the modular transverse matrix (MQB). Thanks to the MQB, the designers and engineers were able to achieve a rear passenger compartment with an unrivalled amount of space as well as ideal body proportions. 

Alongside this, the Magotan also features a plethora of new driver assistance and convenience and infotainment systems. And the Magotan features a high-tech drive train, too: three TSI engines ranging from 110 kW/150 PS to 162 kW/220 PS offer the highest possible degree of efficiency and dynamism.

The new PHIDEON

The PHIDEO Nisa new premium class saloon. This Volkswagen, which is around five metres long, will be launched in China in the third quarter of 2016. The PHIDEON was derived, with only minor changes, almost directly from the breath-taking C Coupé GTE concept car (which made its world premiere at Auto Shanghai in 2015). 

The all-wheel drive PHIDEON 3.0 TSI 4MOTION is available with a V6 TSI that delivers 220 kW/300 PS. The new saloon will also be available as a 2.0 TSI (four-cylinder and front-wheel drive). A model with a plug-in hybrid drive is also planned for the future.

The BUDD-e concept

The BUDD-e is based on a new technology matrix for electric vehicles, the Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB). Range: up to 533 km (NEDC).The battery can be 80% recharged within 30 minutes. The completely new method of operation and information processing is intriguing. 

Touch and gesture control merge seamlessly; switches and buttons are a thing of the past; individual displays blend into large infotainment panels and analogue mirrors are replaced by digital screens. You can already experience the future today on board the BUDD-e.