As it tries to turn the page on “Dieselgate” and pushes forward the development of fully or partially electric vehicles, Volkswagen today unveiled the new T-Prime Concept GTE at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show.
This premium SUV with plug-in hybrid technology and all-wheel drive gives us a first glimpse of Volkswagen’s future flagship (to follow the upcoming next-generation Tiguan) and completely reinvents the human-machine interface in the process.
Inside, the conventional switches have been replaced by gesture and voice control, touchscreens, and touch-sensitive surfaces. The T-Prime is said to be the world’s first car to feature a Curved Interaction Area, namely a curved infotainment display that blends in with the remaining displays and controls in the futuristic cockpit. The concept’s 8-speed automatic transmission is controlled intuitively “by wire” using a glass scroll wheel.
Practically silent in E-Mode (electric), which makes it a zero-emission SUV with a range of up to 50 kilometres, the T-Prime Concept GTE morphs into a performance SUV in GTE mode thanks to its 375-horsepower drive unit.
Altogether, Volkswagen plans to launch seven new electric and plug-in hybrid models on the Chinese market in the next 3-4 years. And each of those will also be made in China.
