We’re not used to hearing positive stories about new car supply lately – to the contrary.
But in some good news for the premium SUV’s prospective buyers, more than 1000 heavily in-demand Volkswagen Touaregs have been locked in for arrival at company showrooms during the second half of 2022.
The company says it has “negotiated a prioritisation of Touareg volume” with its head office, to secure an influx of the high-margin models from the factory in Slovakia, and to thereby make its 2022 sales potential about level with those of the previous two years.
Demand for Touaregs has for some time now easily outstripped supply – an issue affecting a multitude of more expensive heavy duty SUVs across the whole market right now.
To put this glut of circa-1000 Touaregs into context, Volkswagen has delivered only 199 of them to buyers in the first four months of 2022. It sold 1261 of them in the entirety of 2021, and 1202 units in 2020.
Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles brand director Michal Szaniecki said the arrival of flagship SUV volume meant that “for the first time in this generation of Touareg” the company was forecasting supply that almost matched demand – still pegged at 2000-plus annual sales’ worth.
“These are the ‘green shoots’ our dealerships and customers have been looking for, and we are continuing to pursue additional volume for Australia with other model lines,” he said.
“We thank our customers for their patience as we navigate range-wide supply challenges, and can’t wait to welcome many happy new – and loyal – customers into their Touareg before the new year.”
Volkswagen Australia’s range-wide sales are down 35.8 per cent this year, to 7846 units, well below its average volume in recent times. The company has laid this at the feet of tight supply out of its various sources of vehicles.
The next evolution of the Touareg meanwhile will be the arrival of the Volkswagen Touareg R, the brand’s first plug-in hybrid sold here, which will be available the order to the end of 2022.
However, deliveries have been postponed until 2023, having originally been slated for late this year. This model in particular is no doubt in high demand in Europe, where CO2 emissions regulations drive buyer habits.
The Touareg R’s petrol V6 PHEV drivetrain puts out 340kW and 700Nm, its battery allows a claimed 47km of EV-only range, it keeps the familiar 3500kg towing capacity, and cuts the zero to 100km/h time to 5.1 seconds.
It will join the current Touareg 170TDI, 210TDI Elegance and 210TDI R-Line, priced from $87,990, $106,990 and $116,290 before on-road costs respectively.
All use a turbo-diesel V6 and eight-speed automatic transmission, with ‘4Motion’ all-wheel drive. Underneath, the Touareg shares much with the more expensive Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne, given they all sit on VW’s MLB Evo platform.
