2017 VW Touareg

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This is the all new VW Touareg.
As usual, it shares its platform with the new Audi Q7 and the (next) Porsche Cayenne.
But now, also with the Bentley Bentayga.

There is nothing unexpected here. Except maybe for these shoulder lines on the side of the car. Which look very similar to the new Audi A5 and Q5. So the whole thing, except the grille, now looks more like an Audi (Why would you do that???)

Otherwise, it is said to be a bit cheaper than the current model.
In the US, the current V6 Touareg starts at about $49 500.
Same price as the all new “cheaper” 2.0 Liter version of the Audi Q7.

So the new Touareg has to undercut this by at least $5000 to even be considered.
And, in the US, it will be squeezed at the bottom by the all new Atlas SUV.
Which could very well top at over $40 000 for a loaded model.

I don’t really see a future for the Touareg over here.
If they insist on selling it again in the US, I predict a “very discreet career”. Similar to the previous 2 generations…

What do you think?

(Thanks to a reader for the tip!)

Conversation 5 comments

  1. It lloks good and yes there is a lot of Q7 in it. But, VW is better off focusing on products for the massses under $40k. Everything else belongs to Audi. Dont' they get it by now?

  2. I could see the Touareg becoming more of a niche model in the U.S. just like the Toyota Land Cruiser or Nissan Armada (Patrol). Both of those have larger, cheaper models below them in the lineup and have nearly identical versions sold by luxury brands (Lexus and Infiniti, respectively) but still manage to sell a few thousand per year in the U.S.

  3. Im struggling to see the difference between this and the T-prime concept. Id love to see it as the new Touareg but even the internals of the light clusters are the same. Having said that prototypes of the new Touareg do look like this in the exposed mid section. Here's hoping it is!

  4. That shoulder contour that runs from above the rear door handle to beneath the rear window is exactly the same as the A7 I just saw today. VW and Audi seem to be mimicking the 1980s Buick and Oldsmobile school of minimal differentiation.

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