Volkswagen is set to expand its R performance lineup with a range-topping version of the Touareg SUV, expected to be unveiled next year and go on sale in 2021. The Touareg was confirmed as “the first R model to go plug-in hybrid” by VW’s sales and marketing boss Jürgen Stackmann, who was speaking prior to the reveal of the new Mk8 Volkswagen Golf. After confirming a Touareg R, Stackmann went on to say “ we start with that journey, and the task is out there for Joss Capito and his team to deliver us an electric future for R. Then that’s the journey for R. For the next five years as we are launching some Rs next year we will couple these cars with a very strong message for low emissions”. The Touareg is currently offered with a plug-in hybrid variant in China, with that car expected to go on sale in Europe in the coming months. It is powered by a 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo petrol engine mated to a 134bhp electric motor with a combined output of 363bhp and 516lb ft of torque. Currently, the fastest Touareg offered in the UK is the 335bhp V6 non-hybrid petrol model. Whether or not Volkswagen is planning to electrify this powertrain to push its output beyond 400bhp remains to be seen, but it’s also possible that the four-cylinder unit could be boosted further to suit the R. When asked about the possibility of a fully-electric R, Stackmann admitted there is still a way to go before such a thing is viable. “For the immediate future I think we will still see Rs in the conventional form, so that they will be true to what R is today but obviously we need to worry about it as our emissions need to come down in 2020, R needs to go on the way. “ The Golf R, set to go on sale next year, is expected to make use of a highly tuned version of the Group’s EA888 2.0-litre petrol engine delivering around 320bhp. A Golf R Plus, with up to 400bhp, is also mooted to take on the Mercedes-AMG
Origin: Hot VW Touareg R to arrive with plug-in hybrid power
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2021 Subaru WRX STI will arrive next fall with a 315-hp new engine: report
2020 Subaru WRX STI S209 The fourth-generation WRX has been kicking around since 2014, so it’s not too shocking to hear that Subaru is planning the next one for the not-so-distant future. According to reporting by Japan’s Best Car, the fifth-gen WRX will arrive next fall, riding on a new platform and using a new engine. The launch of the next-gen sedan comes alongside remakes of the WRX STI, Japan-only WRX S4 and Levorg wagon. The STI will apparently swap its current turbo flat-four EJ20 (EJ25 in North America) for a direct-injection FA20 four-cylinder good for 315 horsepower. This follows the trail blazed by WRX models in the U.S., which switched to the FA20 in 2014. To clarify, Japan’s WRX STI has a 2.0-litre engine, while North America’s WRX STI runs with a 2.5-litre good for 310 horsepower. The FA20 in the North American WRX, meanwhile, makes 268 horsepower. Whether North America will get the 2.0-litre engine like Japan, or a 2.4-litre FA variant similar to that in the Ascent SUV, is uncertain. The piece also suggests the STI will take aesthetic cues from the Viziv concept and will ride on the new global platform, which fits with Subaru’s previously stated intentions to use it as the base for all vehicles. No word on reveal dates for the WRX, but to paraphrase some TV show we used to know, Tokyo is
Origin: 2021 Subaru WRX STI will arrive next fall with a 315-hp new engine: report
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