VW T-Roc Could Be Brand's First Car With Mild Hybrid System

Volkswagen is ready to move away from the ugly diesel scandal by pushing an EV agenda and by installing particulate filters in its gasoline engines to make them cleaner. In addition, the company's head of development, Frank Welsch, has revealed in an interview with Automotive News the folks from Wolfsburg are gearing up to implement a 48-volt mild hybrid system in a car that will be the size of a Golf and part of the growing MQB family.

The model's identity has not been disclosed, but chances are the car in question will be the T-Roc, a Golf-sized compact crossover due to be unveiled in the following weeks. It's going to be fairly easy from that point on to install the system in other MQB cars, with Welsch saying it will be "more or less plug and play" thanks to the modular platform.

How modular you ask? Well, it has served as foundation for the latest Polo, all the way up to the Arteon flagship. The platform made its debut back in 2012 on the Audi A3 and has since been used on a plethora of models across the group. Some examples would have to be the Skoda Octavia, SEAT Leon, VW Passat, Audi TT, and many more. The large Atlas SUV is also a member of the MQB lineup, as are the Q2, Kodiaq, and Ateca SUVs.

Getting back to the T-Roc, it's set to enter production for European markets next month at the Palmela factory in Portugal. It likely means VW will unveil the C-segment crossover later this July or early August. The model will also be sold in United States, but not until around 2019.

Another new SUV from VW due this year is the next-generation Touareg bound to hit the assembly line in November following what will likely be a Frankfurt premiere in September. It won't be a part of the MQB family as it will ride on the MLB Evo platform like the Audi Q7.