At the Frankfurt auto show in 2005, in between shots of espresso and facefulls of the Official Media Center Vegetable Soup, we heard from Porsche that the company was working on a hybrid-drive system for its Cayenne SUV and those that share its platform — that's Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. It was a five-year plan, with the first such models arriving in 2010. Now, According to German magazine Automobilewoche (that's automobile week to you, sparky) the Touareg will be the first VW to be powered by the gas-electric powerplant, a nod toward the available margin in the SUV's price structure to accommodate the system's $2,000+ premium. No word on the off-roadability of such a vehicle, but we'd imagine mudders will be hamstrung by the persnickety electric motor, unless VW comes up with a more hardcore system.
Touareg to be VW's first hybrid [Motor Authority]
Related:
Porsche Looking to Build Hybrid Cayenne [internal]