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Upcoming AWD plug-in hybrid will use VW’s most powerful electric motor

The Volkswagen Group currently builds three different electric motors for its plug-in cars. During a tour of the company’s plant in Kassel, Germany this week, we got an insight into the upcoming fourth motor that will start production soon. Exactly what vehicle(s) it will go in was not discussed, but we got some clues to guide us.

vw electric motors

First, let’s take a look at the motors that are currently in production. There’s the EAQ 210, which is used in the e-Up!. It produces 60 kW (80 horsepower) and 210 Nm of torque (which is 155 pound-feet of torque. Also, the newton meter output is also where the motor gets part of its name). The EAQ 270 is an 85-kW (114 hp), 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) unit used in the e-Golf. And then we have what is currently the only plug-in hybrid motor, the DQ400e, which has an output of 80 kW (107 hp) and – you guessed it – 400 Nm (295 lb-ft). This is the motor used in the Golf GTE, Passat GTE, and the Audi A3 E-Tron.

vw group electric motors poster

Now, as you can see in the photo directly above, there’s a second PHEV unit, the DL382e. In the space where the vehicles are listed in the other motors, this one just says Q5NF, which is a code and no one would tell us what it is. The Q5 part could mean it is due to be used in an upcoming Audi Q5 PHEV. As of right now, when it comes to larger PHEVs, Audi is only talking about the Q7 PHEV, which uses an electric motor that isn’t listed on VW’s poster. It provides 94 kW (126 hp) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque. That doesn’t follow the pattern for “number = Nm value” that the other motors use, but a spokesperson told AutoblogGreen that the basic system offers 382 Nm (289 lb-ft), but this one has been modified to produce more.

It’s also possible that the “Q” stands for “quer,” which can mean perpendicular in German and is a term VW uses in its platform names (see: MQB, for example), but that’s usually part of the motor name. Maybe the There’s also the upcoming production plug-in hybrid Tiguan GTE. we haven’t heard much about that other than Stackmann said that it would be in production “in due time.” We saw the Tiguan GTE Active Concept (pictured at top) at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year.

Whatever vehicle the Q5NF will be used in, it’s going to spawn an all-wheel drive PHEV. This much was confirmed by a VW spokesperson, after we talked about the things you can see in the image. Take a look at a larger version below.

vw q5nf electric motor

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