The new 2011 VW Touareg Hybrid features a V6 TDI engine and is rumoured to be able to travel up to 31 MPH in an all-electric mode.
All the engines now come with 8-speed autos designed, like all other 8-speed autos, to ensure that you’re always in the wrong gear and the transmission will need to kick down at least 3 gears to deliver meaningful acceleration.
A lot of that weight’s been shed by dropping the locking diff, but don’t worry mythical VW off-road enthusiast, there’s a “Terrain Tech Packet” with locking center and rear diffs, and a button to select low range gears.
It was jointly announced last week that Volkswagen Group has acquired a 20 percent stake in Suzuki Motor Corp. This is said to be the first stage of a full takeover. The 20 percent of Suzuki was acquired for $2.5 billion.
Volkswagen aims to have full control over Suzuki to surpass Toyota Motor Corp. as the world’s largest automaker. Suzuki’s automotive production last year of about 2.4 million vehicles would put VW well on the way toward that goal.
If Volkswagen was to have full control of Suzuki they would be the eleventh brand under the VW umbrella. Additionally, Volkswagen is still in a very complex process of taking controlling ownership of Porsche AG.
There have been a lot of rumours lately about Volkswagen become a Formula 1 engine supplier for the 2012 season.
Hans-Joachim Stuck, VW’s motorsports head, said with the way F1 engine regulations are going — especially with costs and the potential of the “world engine” — it could be the perfect opportunity for VW to start pumping out powerplants.
While future F1 regulations are still undefined, and VW’s eventual entry into the series is by no means guaranteed,it’s clear that VW’s looking for ways to show off its engineering chops and get its name onto tracks.
Interestingly, the very conditions that Stuck sees as favorable for VW’s entry are the ones that a number of F1 teams and fans are, at best, ambivalent about: substantially lower costs, spec engines, and more than 24 teams on the grid. With a new FIA president, what F1 is going to look like after 2012 is almost completely unknown.
