The second generation Volkswagen Touareg made its first appearance today, before we see it in flesh at the Geneva Motor Show. Besides featuring a new exterior styling, the new Touareg will be the first and only off-roader in Europe by a German car maker to be available in a hybrid version too. It will go on sale this April.

The new Touareg will be offered with a choice of V6 FSI, V6 TDI and V8 TDI, but also a hybrid drivetrain that comes to replace the V8 petrol engine in most of the countries. The hybrid versions combines a high-voltage battery, a supercharged V6 TSI (petrol direct injection engine 333 hp) and an 8-speed automatic transmission. It can be driven up to 50 km/h in purely electric mode − emissions-free.

The new Touareg is a much more elegant car thanks to the new Volkswagen “design DNA”: horizontal lines of the front end with distinctive headlights, an unmistakable night look of its rear lights, and a leaner, more athletic car body.

Press release after he jump.

Volkswagen Touareg originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 10 February 2010 16:08 EST.

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Lexus recently unveiled the compact hybrid LF-Ch Concept earlier this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The forward thinking hatchback is a preview as to what the future of luxury will be all about, set to compete head to head with other efficient space saving luxury vehicles like the the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3 when the LF-Ch makes its scheduled debut sometime in 2012.

In an official statement, Lexus General Manager Mark Templin said that “There is a group of buyers growing up now who won’t buy cars by the pound. We have already seen a structural shift to the smaller and lower-priced segments of the luxury market over the last couple years.” The compact premium segment has been strong in congested urban areas for years, especially in Europe. The challenge that not only Lexus but a host of other automakers are setting for themselves is how to get the American market to warm up to the idea of paying mare and getting less. One of the steps that will most likely be taken when the LF-Ch becomes production ready is the use of a conventional power train in order to pass the savings along to the customer, but with any success you can expect Toyota to release a hybrid versions shortly after.

Lexus LF-Ch Concept could be going into production by 2012 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 23 November 2009 15:00 EST.

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