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Volkswagen is using the Detroit Motor Show (or North American International Auto Show, NAIAS, to give it its proper title) to show off its new Tiguan GTE Active Concept, a concept that's not really a concept at all.
After all, it uses the same petrol-electric-plugin hybrid drivetrain that is already in production in the Passat and Golf GTE, it's being shown in a more-or-less production standard new Tiguan body and we know that Volkswagen, post-diesel-gate, is committed to developing and producing more and more hybrid and electric vehicles. Quite why it needs to be called a concept is unknown to us.
Anyway, it uses the familiar GTE mechanical package - a 150hp 1.4-litre TSI petrol turbo, backed up by a 12.4kWh battery stack and a pair of electric motors, one more than the Golf GTE or Passat GTE get.
Start the car up, and Volkswagen says it will always start in electric-only, rear drive mode (drifting!) and the front electric motor will only engage if it detects wheel slip or spin. Select 4MOTION Active mode and all four wheels are driven by electric or petrol power, depending on the need, and select GTE mode and you get both at once and 221hp performance. In that mode, Volkswagen claims 0-60mph (0-94km/h) in a brisk 6.4 seconds.
Volkswagen says that, with a full charge from the mains, the Tiguan GTE Active "Concept" (inverted commas author's own) will travel for up to 30km, with a top speed of 110km/h, on just the batteries, and that its combined petrol and electric fuel sources give it a maximum touring range of just under 1,000km.
As with all plugin hybrids, you can choose to charge the batteries as you drive, or select a mode that holds on to charge for when you reach and urban area. There is also a 4MOTION mode selector, that allows you to pick the right engine and traction control setups for off-roading or sports driving.
The one concept-y bit of the Tiguan GTE Active Concept is that Volkswagen's engineers have fiddled with the underpinnings of the standard car to make it a bit more off-road friendly. Aside from the electronic backup, ground clearance under the axles is increased from 7.1 to 8.9 inches and the maximum ground clearance under the body increased from 7.9 to 9.6 inches. The approach and departure angles were improved from 25.6 to 26.1 degrees at the front and from 24.7 to 29.9 degrees at the rear. The maximum ramp angle for overcoming road bumps grew from 20 to 24.7 degrees. It also gets big skid plates and body protectors. There is also a chunky roof kit for holding storage boxes, bikes, canoes or whatever "active lifestyle" equipment is currently in vogue. Expect all of this to be offered as options, certainly for the off-road-friendly American market, but possibly less so for Europe.
Inside, the Tiguan GTE also gets a new 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment control, which uses some of the gesture control techniques shown off last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.