Second-gen Volkswagen T-Roc to get all-new hybrid powertrain

Volkswagen has released a teaser image of the upcoming second-gen T-Roc SUV ahead of its official unveiling at the Munich Motor Show next month. The big news about the next-gen T-Roc is that it will be the brand’s first model to get an all-new hybrid powertrain, which will eventually also be offered on the Golf and Tiguan.

1. New T-Roc to get an all-new strong hybrid powertrain
2. Will be based on MQB Evo platform shared with larger Tiguan

New Volkswagen T-Roc hybrid details

The new hybrid powertrain is understood to be a strong-hybrid engine, which will be capable of driving the wheels using either the petrol engine, the electric motor or a combination of both at any given time.

Volkswagen has never used such a hybrid system in a production car. Given the lead times for the development of an all-new engine and the lifecycles they typically serve, it is quite unusual for VW to do this now, as its introduction comes less than a decade before the firm will have to go all-electric in Europe.

However, speaking to our sister publication Autocar UK, Volkswagen Passenger Cars CEO Thomas Schafer said, “We are 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,” said Schafer.

Leaked images of new T-Roc from earlier this year.

A Volkswagen official has also told Autocar UK that the new hybrid powertrain will be offered on the Golf and Tiguan in the next two years. Apart from the hybrid powertrain, the T-Roc will also be offered with regular petrol and diesel engines, depending on the market.

New Volkswagen T-Roc design details

Leaked pictures of the new T-Roc from earlier this year have already given us a look at the upcoming SUV. It has more aggressive-looking proportions than the outgoing car, with sharply raked A- and C-pillars. It also gets a massive grille up front, slimmer headlamps and large aero-styled alloy wheels. Overall, the design is in line with the larger Tiguan.