Volkswagen’s next-generation Touareg has been spied being tested in China before its expected official debut at the 2017 Los Angeles motor show, in December. The new five-seater SUV will be rolled out in several international markets, effectively replacing the current model. For markets like Brazil, though, the German automaker is currently evaluating the Atlas instead of the Touareg.
The new Touareg is based on the MLB Evo platform that is shared with larger Volkswagen Group models such as the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and the soon-to-be revealed Lamborghini Urus. In terms of design, the Touareg’s styling is inspired by the VW Atlas with the treatment of the lamps, grille and bumpers being near-identical.
Under the bonnet the next-gen SUV is expected to be offered with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol unit, a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel, a 3.0-litre V6 diesel and a 3.0-litre V6 petrol. The V6 petrol engine will replace the current range-topping 4.2-litre V8 engine in the SUVs line-up. An eight-speed automatic is standard along with Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. While the details are scarce, a plug-in hybrid is also expected to arrive sometime next year.
It is unlikely that VW will bring the third-gen Touareg to India as the luxury SUV segment already has models under the Volkswagen Group umbrella from premium brand Audi. The last two generations of the Touareg were sold in India but the carmaker discontinued the last model, on account of minimal sales.
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Viraaj Bhatnagar
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