New Volkswagen T-Roc to introduce Toyota-style hybrid powertrain
Volkswagen will reveal the second generation of its hugely popular T-Roc in August, which will be the first model to use a new full-hybrid powertrain also bound for the Golf and Tiguan.
The next T-Roc, destined to be Volkswagen's final all-new model with a combustion powertrain, will be offered with a hybrid powertrain that works 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.
The new T-Roc is expected to be revealed at a standalone event in August, before its public debut at the Munich motor show the following month - where Volkswagen is also tipped to reveal the ID 2X baby SUV.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Nottingham Forest close in on Botafogo trio after holding productive talks with Brazilian club
Nottingham Forest have held further productive talks over signing three Botafogo players. Those players are centre-back Jair Cunha, striker Igor Jesus and left-back Cuiabano. Cuiabano was a target for Brighton. Jesus, 24, was wanted by Forest in January. All three played in Sunday's 1-0 with over Santos and Mail Sport expects the deals to be completed following the Club World Cup. Forest attempted to sign Yoane Wissa from Brentford in January and could make another move for him in the summer. Wissa scored 19 non-penalty goals in the Premier League this season, which was level with Erling Halaand and Alexander Isak, and behind only Mohamed Salah 's 20. The arrival of Edu, working across Evangelos Marinakis' clubs, will strengthen ties to the Brazilian market. And that could see Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz become an option, according to Mail Sport's Tom Collomosse. Manchester City playmaker James McAtee, who has had few minutes at the Etihad, is another they admire.
Auto Express
3 hours ago
- Auto Express
New Toyota Aygo X 2026 preview: switch to hybrid power boosts performance and efficiency
There's more than meets the eye with the new 2026 Toyota Aygo X Hybrid, because what looks like a mild facelift of the current tiny SUV is actually a massive overhaul of the Japanese brand's most affordable car. Featuring all-new bonnet, wings, grille and front bumper, as well as a redesigned floor, the Aygo X adopts the running gear from the bigger Yaris Hybrid, which means the manual transmission is no more, with all versions now adopting Toyota's e-CVT automatic. As well as substantially more power, the Aygo X Hybrid should become Britain's lowest polluting car – if you ignore much more expensive plug-in hybrids – with emissions of just 86g/km of CO2. For performance fans, there will even be a GR Sport version with a special suspension tune from the team behind the white-hot GR Yaris. But all this tech and performance doesn't come cheap. Advertisement - Article continues below When the substantially refreshed Aygo X Hybrid arrives early in 2026, it's been tipped to no longer be quite as affordable as before – at least for cash buyers – with pricing set to move from around £16,000 to a figure closer to £19,000. That's a lot of money, but people purchasing it via leases or PCP deals might not see such a big hit, because the better residuals could take the sting out of the tail of the bigger asking price. The Toyota Aygo X Hybrid will come with just one powertrain, the Hybrid 115 engine used in the current fourth-generation Yaris Hybrid, which means Toyota's baby SUV should produce 114bhp and 144Nm of torque. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below In small car terms that's a huge boost over the current model's 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol, that can only muster a measly 71bhp and 93Nm of torque. Performance is unsurprisingly in another league for the electrified Aygo X, with the city car now able to accelerate from 0-62mph in around 10 seconds – a huge 4.9-second improvement over the outgoing car. The only catch is the old version's five-speed manual is no more, with the front-wheel-drive Aygo X Hybrid now only offered with the firm's e-CVT automatic transmission. Key specs Fuel type: Petrol Body style: 5-seater SUV Powertrain: 4cyl hybrid Price: £19,000 (Estimated) Toyota says it's too early to confirm how efficient the new Toyota Aygo X Hybrid will be, but the car-maker has admitted it has targeted emissions of around just 86g/km of CO2. Advertisement - Article continues below That figure roughly corresponds to fuel consumption that should hover around 67-70mpg – a big improvement over the 56.5mpg (109g/km of CO2) the current Aygo X averages with an automatic transmission. While still remaining relatively inexpensive to insure, the sizeable increase in performance and the new presence of the GR Sport version could see the Aygo X Hybrid sit in a higher insurance group than today's version that inhabits the lowly group five or six (out of 50). One final point worth mentioning for those shopping around for cars with the lowest environmental impact, the latest Aygo X Hybrid's carbon footprint has shrunken by as much as 18 per cent for the latest version, with new hybrid powertrain and mix of greener low-impact materials and cleaner production facility all contributing to the big reduction in lifetime CO2. Even Toyota Europe's technical chief Cesar Romero says that the car-maker "might have got a bit carried away" with the latest Aygo X Hybrid. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Ensuring it would continue to have 'enduring appeal' meant a switch to hybrid power, which posed a big issue for the car-maker. Despite pioneering the tech, Romero says the Toyota "doesn't do mild-hybrid" when it comes to small cars – and that's a problem. Advertisement - Article continues below Instead of starting from scratch, engineers decided to squeeze a larger 1.5-litre hybrid engine into a bay that is designed for a little 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit. This prompted an entirely new front end that sees the tiny SUV's nose stretched by 76mm. Most people won't notice the new metal, but designers say side-by-side you'll discover how the new headlamps, bonnet and grille all contribute to a visually more imposing, wider stance than before. Stylists have also added a set of fresh 17 and 18-inch alloy wheels. Like before, a two-tone colour scheme with a contrasting black roof and rear body, plus a new Mustard yellow colour for the GR Sport means you'll never lose the Aygo X Hybrid in a car park. A reconfigured centre console, meanwhile, has been introduced that features cooling for the batteries mounted under the rear seats. There's also an electronic parking brake as standard and two new USB-C charging ports, plus a wireless charger, Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Other useful additions include electric folding mirrors and Toyota's air quality -boosting particulate filter for the climate control, which will be offered on higher-grade models. For the first time there will be a Aygo X Hybrid GR Sport that has been developed in cooperation with the Toyota Gazoo Racing performance division. Advertisement - Article continues below Available in the aforementioned Mustard paint with a gloss black bonnet, the sportiest member of the Aygo X Hybrid family gets its own unique grille, GR Sport-specific 18-inch alloy wheels, GR branded seats and a dedicated suspension tune that involves, new springs, dampers and a recalibrated steering wheel. The old car's rear brake drums have also been swapped out for a set of more powerful disc brakes. The Aygo X Hybrid comes equipped with fresh in-car tech, including both a new seven-inch digital instrument cluster plus infotainment and heater control panel. Toyota has yet to detail what software the latest Aygo X Hybrid runs on, but it is likely to miss out on the most sophisticated Arene software that's just been rolled out on the all-new RAV4. Despite still offering just enough space for four adults, others in its city car class, including the Hyundai i10, still offer more space within. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Toyota says the Aygo X Hybrid still has a 231-litre boot, which means it again trails the i10 for luggage space – the Hyundai offers up to 252 litres of space. Worse still, the hybrid powertrain means that you no longer get the option of a space saver spare wheel. Dimensions Length: 3,776mm Width: 1,740mm Height: 1,525mm Wheelbase: 2,430mm Toyota has upgraded the Aygo X Hybrid with its latest Toyota Safety Sense driver assist tech that includes an upgraded autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist and traffic sign recognition. There's also a new Emergency Driving Stop System that brings the car safely to a halt if it thinks the driver is not responding. Proactive Driving Assist is now included that will automatically steer away from an impact with another object if the driver doesn't react. For the first time on an Aygo X, over-the-air software updates ensure safety systems will be upgraded during the car's lifetime. Prices and full specifications will be released closer to the Toyota Aygo X Hybrid's launch in the first quarter of 2026, but the bigger powertrain, boosted performance and enhanced equipment and tech will all contribute to a price rise that could see the cheapest version's cost rise from around £16,000 to a price closer to £19,000. That sounds like a lot, but engineers claim that a huge amount of work has been done to boost refinement within and when you factor in the extra performance, the Aygo X Hybrid will deliver a claimed driving experience from the class above. 2026 Land Rover Defender updates look subtle, but they fix one huge annoyance for owners 2026 Land Rover Defender updates look subtle, but they fix one huge annoyance for owners Land Rover has introduced new, larger white-painted steel wheels for models with big brakes, fixing one massive irritation with the previous generatio… Electric car drivers won't ever go back to petrol or diesel Electric car drivers won't ever go back to petrol or diesel Editor Paul Barker thinks the EV transition is coming whether we like it or not Car Deal of the Day: Hit the road in style with the electric BMW i4 for only £344 a month Car Deal of the Day: Hit the road in style with the electric BMW i4 for only £344 a month It may be a little overlooked these days, but the i4 is still a fine electric saloon. It's our Deal of the Day for 30 May
Times
5 hours ago
- Times
Sanctioned MPs ‘banned from meeting Chinese officials'
MPs have claimed they were banned from attending a meeting between Chinese officials and an arm of the Foreign Office at the request of Beijing. The Great Britain China Centre (GBCC), an arms-length body of the Foreign Office, will host Chinese officials this month, with MPs invited to attend. But those who have been sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party for raising concerns about human rights abuses said they were told they will not be welcome because Chinese officials may not be authorised to meet with them. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac) said to let China decide who was allowed to attend would be 'subjugating the interests of our people to those of an authoritarian dictatorship'. The Times understands that GBCC officials contacted Ipac, which has members from parliaments across the world, to ask if any of its MPs wanted to join the discussion. It was later said that the Chinese officials may not be allowed to meet the politicians. Whether they would have been allowed to has not been tested. A letter signed by MPs and peers to Sir David Lidington, GBCC's honorary president and formerly Theresa May 's de facto deputy prime minister, said: 'Parliament has stood together against the Chinese Communist Party's attempted interference in our domestic politics. 'It is deeply disappointing to find such interference not merely accepted, but promoted by British tax-funded entities like the GBCC. 'We must be clear that as elected representatives of the British people we believe such an instruction to be incompatible with the mandate of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to advance the interests of the British people; rather we view it as the reverse: subjugating the interests of our people to those of an authoritarian dictatorship seeking to silence parliamentarians whose only offence was to oppose Beijing's atrocity crimes.' A number of British politicians have been sanctioned by China after raising concerns about human rights abuses. GBCC said three Ipac MPs, including one who was sanctioned, had been invited. However in a later email seen by The Times a GBCC staff member said it was unclear whether the Chinese officials would be authorised to meet with them. In a statement, the GBCC said it 'actively seeks the greatest possible diversity of political opinion in its bilateral dialogues with Chinese counterparts, and therefore invited three IPAC MPs, including one who is sanctioned and all from different political parties, to the event'. It said: 'As they were either unable to attend, or did not reply to the invitation, GBCC reached out to Ipac to explore interest from other Ipac-affiliated MPs. 'The Chinese side is obviously not involved in recruiting UK delegates, so GBCC does not know whether or not they would be prepared to engage with sanctioned MPs. However, GBCC stands ready to find out.' Tom Tugendhat, the former security minister and one of those who has been sanctioned, told The Times: 'I'm sure the FCDO did not intend to reinforce China's sanctions that ministers have told us they've raised frequently in Beijing. It appears this message got lost in translation. I hope the government will seize the opportunity to reassure parliament that we will not allow ourselves to be divided according to the designs of the Chinese Communist Party.' Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader who is also on the sanctions list, said he was 'sure [the decision] was made by the Chinese state and the Great British China Centre should have the guts to say to them we don't do meetings like that'. He added: 'We don't ban certain people. That shows a lack of courage on their part.' The letter to GBCC added: 'Please urgently reconsider your rejection of fellow parliamentarians. Your interlocutors from the People's Republic of China are welcome to discuss with members of parliament but they are not welcome to choose who those members are; that is the privilege of the British people and the British people alone.'
