Electric-assisted performance flagship set to bring the PHEV drivetrain that never showed with the outgoing edition.

PLUG-in hybrid power behind an R badge and an illuminated VW logo on the rear - those are among the ingredients arriving with the revamped Volkswagen Touareg, unveiled in Germany today and potentially here before the end the year.

Having undergone what’s billed as a “comprehensive technical and visual update,” the revamped model is easy to spot - there’s a new face, with a fresh grille and front bumper, and also IQ.Light HD matrix headlights which are connected by a thin illuminated strip.

Volkswagen has previously said each headlight features 19,200 micro-LEDs and they’ll be able to project an “interactive carpet of light into the lane.”

The rear end has also been reworked, though less intensively, with VW making good on suggesting the big crossover will be their first vehicle to feature an illuminated rear logo.

The engine line is unaltered, but for New Zealand the update finally allows access to the electric-assisted PHEV powertrain and, with it, a Touareg R eHybrid flagship edition that was promised with the current car but never showed.

The powertrain presently provisions as a 3.0-litre petrol V6 engine, an electric motor, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a 17.9 kWh battery pack. This lends a combined output of 340kW and an electric-only range of 47 kilometres.

VW NZ has yet to comment on the update, but it’s anticipated the line-up will also deliver the 170kW/500Nm and 210kW/600Nm versions of the popular 3.0-litre diesel V6. The Touareg also comes with a non-R PHEV, but that’s not expected to be a priority.