Volkswagen Touareg may return as electric SUV – report

The Volkswagen Touareg could be reborn as a large electric SUV, according to a report out of Germany.

A month after it was reported the Touareg would cease production in 2026, German industry publication Automobilwoche claims Volkswagen is planning to bring the model back in 2029 – possibly badged as the ID. Touareg.

Volkswagen reserves ‘ID.’ nomenclature for its electric models, and has confirmed it will start using a combination of its classic names with the ID. prefix – take the upcoming ID. Polo, for example.

The unconfirmed report claims the ID. Touareg will be the first VW-badged model to be based on the German car giant’s forthcoming Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which will underpin a wide variety of electric models across Volkswagen Group brands.

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With the current Bentley Bentayga sharing its vehicle architecture with the Touareg, it means an electric version of the Bentayga is likely to be in development also – with the large luxury SUV potentially following an electric ‘urban’ SUV, already confirmed by Bentley.

The delay between the current Touareg and the 2029 ID. Touareg effectively allows the model to leapfrog the forthcoming electric Porsche Cayenne, which will soon launch on the Volkswagen Group’s PPE platform. However, it means there’ll be a gap at the top end of the Volkswagen lineup for several years.

However, as reported by CarExpert last week, Volkswagen Australia says the Touareg is set to stay as the company’s flagship offering for the foreseeable future.

The ID. Touareg is expected to be Volkswagen’s largest electric SUV yet, a title currently belonging to the China-only ID.6 which offers three rows of seating.

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