Volkswagen has revealed its plans to bring "the cleanest and most economical cars to the streets" without hampering performance by releasing details of its new petrol-hybrid system.

The technology is set to debut in the next-generation Touareg SUV being described as the prototype of the future - the Touareg V6 TSI Hybrid.

Volkswagen car rental fans will however have to wait until after 2010 before they can start thinking about driving a vehicle equipped with this feature as the car goes into production in 2010.

The carmaker says it is "introducing one of the highest performance parallel hybrid systems in the world in this SUV" and the Touareg will be the world's first hybrid SUV to have a 3.5 metric ton-towing capacity.

Eco attributes will also be at the forefront of the vehicle's features and it will be possible to drive it emission-free using just the electronic motor.

The Touareg recently secured the first and second position in the first Dakar Rally to be held outside Africa.

Click here to see our range of cars.