2019 VW Touareg adds technology and luxury, while cutting down weight

After several months of spy shots and teaser photos, the 2019 VW Touareg finally has been revealed and it seems like a very technologically fitted car in the United States. The third generation model will be available in Europe as a flagship model, setting the bar higher for near premium SUVs.

The Touareg’s dimensions not only has grown in size to have some more cabin space. In particular, it now measures at 4,878 millimeters long (192 inches), 1,984 mm (78 inches) wide, and 1,702 mm (67 inches) lower. The capacity of the trunk has expanded too, now with 810 liter when the rear seats are in place.

The 2019 model year now sits on new underpinnings, which enabled it to cut down 106 kilograms (234 pounds), thanks to a combination of materials like the aluminum (48 percent) and VW’S high tech steels (52 percent).

Moving on to the exterior design, the front fascia has been redesigned to kind of look like the Arteon where the headlights are connected to the grille. The new look gives the SUV a more imposing presence that makes it stand out from the rest of the high riding VWs. According to Volkswagen, the headlights used on the Touareg are the most advance in the business, which are the matrix type. There are also less than 128 LEDs per headlight that are said to be powerful enough to make night time bright as day.

On the rear side of the vehicle, you will not see as much changes as the front fascia, as it just looks an upgraded Touareg. Like the Arteon, the model’s name is featured at the center of the trunk lid, just by the LED taillights. As you move onto the car’s sides, one of the things you’ll notice would be the upper character line running above the door handles from front to back. The base model will be getting 18 inch wheels, which is larger than the previous generation, while models higher up in the range will ride on massive 21 inch alloy wheels.

Inside, the cabin will be equipped with a fully digital 12-inch instrument cluster, together with a 15-inch touchscreen, making its debut at Wolfsburg. Volkswagen has moved the air vents lower on the center console for a more gigantic display. Those who enjoy technology will definitely love the new Touareg. Everything from the steering to the night vision system are all high tech.

The European spec 2019 Touareg will be launched in Europe with a pair of turbocharged 3.0 liter V6 diesels rated at 231 horsepower (170 kilowatts) and 286 horsepower (210 kilowatts). On the other hand the gasoline powered V6 will join the lineup with 340 horsepower (250 kilowatts) on tap. Lastly, the most powerful version will be given a 421 horsepower 4.0 liter V8 diesel.

PRESS RELEASE

LEADING THE WAY – VOLKSWAGEN PRESENTS THE NEW TOUAREG

Volkswagen is making a statement by staging a world premiere of a new model for the first time in China – its largest market. The new Touareg marks a milestone in the brand’s largest model and technology campaign, and it shows what engineers and designers at Volkswagen can do. The new flagship takes a top position in the premium class SUV segment with its expressive design, its innovative operating, convenience and safety systems, as well as in the high quality of its materials and craftsmanship.

Equipped with the connectivity of a new era and a pioneering fusion of assistance, comfort, lighting and infotainment systems, the Touareg points the way to the future. At the same time, the exclusive SUV charges up its market segment with pure dynamism. The largest markets for what is now the third generation of the Touareg are China, Europe and Russia. Worldwide sales of the previous two generations amount to nearly one million units. The Touareg – as comfortable as it is dynamic – has, as the most technically advanced Volkswagen of its era, the potential to enthuse technology and design savvy drivers of premium class models of all sorts, reaching new target groups as well..

Premiere of the Innovision Cockpit. Volkswagen is presenting the fully digitalised Innovision Cockpit for the first time in the new Touareg. Here the digital instruments (Digital Cockpit with 12-inch display) and the top Discover Premium infotainment system (with 15-inch display) merge to form a digital operating, information, communication and entertainment unit that hardly needs any conventional buttons or switches. Always-on, offering intuitive control and maximum personalisation – with the Innovision Cockpit, the Touareg provides the blueprint for tomorrow's digital interior today.

A focus on people. Drivers use the Innovision Cockpit to adapt the assistance, handling and comfort systems specifically to their personal tastes; the car becomes 'their' Touareg. This opens up a world in which the driver and on-board guests no longer have to adapt to the car; rather the car adapts to them. Like a new smartphone, the Volkswagen is set up and tuned to personal needs. This is made possible by a new high level of connected systems and programmes – controlled via digital interfaces and the multifunction steering wheel.

Fusion of new assistance, handling and comfort systems. The Touareg is launching with the largest range of assistance, handling and comfort systems ever to be integrated into a Volkswagen. They include technologies such as the Night Vision assistance system (detects people and animals in darkness via a thermal imaging camera), Roadwork Lane Assist (semi-automated steering and lane keeping, accelerating and braking up to 60 km/h), Front Cross Traffic Assist (reacts to cross traffic in front of the Touareg), active all-wheel steering (makes the Touareg handle like a compact car), new roll stabilisation with electromechanically controlled anti-roll bars, 'IQ.Light – LED matrix headlights' (interactive, camera-based dipped and main beam headlight control) and a 'Windshield Head-up Display' projected directly onto the windscreen.

The driver experiences these systems as a single unit in the new Touareg. They are simply there – interconnected via a new central control unit – working imperceptibly in the background and making travel safer, more convenient and more intuitive than ever.

New dimensions and reduced weight. Compared to its predecessor, the third generation Touareg is moderately wider and longer. The new dimensions have positive effects on both the vehicle's proportions and its amount of interior space. The added exterior length leads, for example, to a significant increase in luggage capacity, from 697 to 810 litres (with rear bench seat up). Cargo there is hidden from onlookers by an optional electrically extending and retracting luggage compartment cover. Despite its increased length and width, the car body is 106 kg lighter because of its mixed material construction of aluminium (48 per cent) and high-tech steels (52 per cent).

Launch with V6 engines. In Europe, Volkswagen will initially offer two V6 diesel engines for the new 2018 Touareg with outputs of 170 kW / 231 PS and 210 kW / 286 PS. In a number of markets, this will also be followed by a V6 petrol engine (250 kW / 340 PS) and a V8 turbodiesel (310 kW / 421 PS). A new plug-in hybrid drive (270 kW / 367 PS of system power) is being prepared for China; its exact launch date in Europe is still open.

Volkswagen SUV campaign. The 2018 Touareg is an important milestone in the largest product and technology campaign in the history of the Volkswagen brand. The brand's range of SUVs is also being expanded comprehensively. It currently consists of the new T-Roc, the Tiguan, the new Tiguan Allspace (Europe) and Tiguan L (China), the new Atlas (USA) and the Teramont (China), plus the now completely redesigned Touareg as Volkswagen's top SUV model. Volkswagen will also be further extending the lower end of its SUV range with the compact T-Cross. The first all-electric SUV from Volkswagen is also a sure thing: the I.D. CROZZ. It will arrive on the market in 2020.

About the Volkswagen brand: “We make the future real”

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand is present in more than 150 markets throughout the world and produces vehicles at over 50 locations in 14 countries. In 2017, Volkswagen produced 6.23 million vehicles including bestselling models such as the Golf, Tiguan, Jetta or Passat. Currently, 198,000 people work for Volkswagen across the globe. The brand also has 7,700 dealerships with 74,000 employees.

Volkswagen is forging ahead consistently with the further development of automobile production.

E-mobility, Smart mobility and the digital transformation of the brand are the key strategic topics for the future.