A successor for the Touareg is reportedly not on the drawing board.
Volkswagen’s mid-life facelift handed to the Touareg two years ago has seemingly also been the nameplate’s last, based on a newly uncovered report from the United Kingdom.
‘Premium’ era over
The second model along with the ill-fated Phaeton supposed to have driven Wolfsburg’s premium market push, the Touareg will reportedly cease production at the Bratislava plant in Slovakia next year with no replacement being planned.
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It’s a move that will end the nameplate’s 24-year run and an indirect successor motivated by an electric powertrain won’t materialise either.
Not just Touareg
This is according to Britain’s Autocar, citing unnamed sources inside Volkswagen saying that apart from the Touareg, the all-electric ID.5 will also bow-out in 2027 after what will be six years.
According to the publication, the coupe-styled ID.5 has failed to gain a sufficient foothold on the Old Continent, despite its power unit and fastback aesthetic.
While the move to end the Touareg will leave the Tiguan-derived, three-seat Tayron as Volkswagen’s flagship SUV, the ID.5 will not have a replacement positioned between the ID.4 and the ID.7 as the ID.6 is limited to China.
Going first
Revealed in 2018, the current third generation Touareg utilises a 3.0 TSI V6 or a 3.0 TDI V6, the latter having been the sole option for South Africa ever since the second generation.
Modelled on the former, the Touareg R uses a plug-in hybrid setup that produces a combined 340kW/700Nm, while allowing for an all-electric range of 45km.
Riding on the MLB platform that also underpins the Audi Q7 and Q8, the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne, an expected slimdown in production is likely to commence soon, though this remains to be confirmed.
Locally…
Replaced by the Atlas in North America seven years ago, local market sales numbers amounted to 164 units last year, the best being 34 in November.
Sales for 2025 are set for an improvement as the first seven months have yielded an offset of 126 units.
Famously powered by Volkswagen’s 5.0 TDI V10 and 6.0 litre W12 during its first generation, the former was replaced by a 4.2 and later 4.0 TDI V8 that lasted until 2020. The current Touareg range comprises two variants, Elegance and R-Line, priced at R1 491 300 and R1 799 200 respectively.
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