VW Says Being Late To The Hybrid Party “Might Actually Be A Good Thing”

The new 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan looks like a massive improvement over the outgoing model. In fact, it kind of feels like a baby Touareg in disguise! The new Tiguan adds luxury touches such as quilted leather, 10-point full-back massage seats, a 15-inch infotainment system, 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, and 30-color ambient lighting to name a few. Despite all these great features, there is still one thing missing from the lineup: a hybrid.

VW hasn’t offered a hybrid in the US since the Jetta Hybrid was discontinued in 2017 after being on the market for just three years. The Tiguan continues to use the same 2.0-liter turbocharged EA888 four-cylinder gasoline engine as before, but it now produces 201 horsepower (up from 184 hp). VW says the Tiguan should also be more efficient than before, thanks to some weight and aerodynamic improvements, but could a hybrid also be in the cards?

PHEVs, Not HEVs

“We’re looking at it,” said Mark Gilles, Director of Public Relations and Reputation for Volkswagen Group of America, in reference to hybrid powertrains. Gilles pointed to the plug-in hybrid powertrains offered in Europe, hinting that those are likely what the company would use for an electrified Tiguan in the US. VW also builds a 48-volt mild-hybrid Tiguan in Europe, but that likely wouldn’t yield a major gain in fuel economy over the EA888.

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For reference, Europe gets two PHEV Tiguan variants, one powered by gasoline and one by diesel, the latter of which would be impossible to bring stateside. The Tiguan eHybrid is an impressive PHEV with 62 miles of electric range (WLPT-rated), 50 kW fast charging, and 268 total system hp. The outgoing Tiguan achieved 23/30/26 mpg city/highway/combined on the EPA cycle. Though this new model should slightly improve on those numbers, we’d love to see the Tiguan deliver over 40 mpg.

Late To the Game

Earlier this year, VW spoke candidly about bringing more PHEVs to the US, but that was before the recent US election. It’s also worth noting the CEO who made that statement just suddenly resigned. Reuters reported that the Trump administration is already looking to eliminate the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs, which could slow adoption rates. For VW, not having any hybrids might be an advantage rather than a detriment.

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“Being late on hybrids might actually be a good thing,” Gilles said. “We can read the market and see what happens.” If the market slows down significantly in the next four years, VW would be smart to offer some efficient hybrids, rather than place all its eggs into the EV basket.