When somebody on the internet says something strange, you can brush it off as a fluke. But when everybody goes to Germany to check out the VW T-Prime GTE Concept and calls it "Touareg 3" afterward, it can't be a coincidence.
As some of you might remember, the T-Prime was presented in April at the Beijing Auto Show. Now, the study is being shown in a photo studio in Hamburg, alongside the production Tiguan SUV. Senior company officials are apparently saying this is a close preview of the third generation Touareg flagship SUV.
At first glance, it looks more like an enlarged crossover, not a real SUV. However, we said the same thing about the new Q7.
The wheelbase of the concept is identical to that of the Audi. For production, they will have a few millimeters from the trunk area to make it sportier. But the creases down the side and slightly falling roof will be kept as they are.
Based on the experience they had with the Amarok pickup, Volkswagen will not offer any 2-liter diesel engines. Yes, the BMW X5 has one, and the Volvo XC90 offers several, but Touareg customers only want a relaxed V6 TDI with low-end torque.
Another piece of good news is that V8s are making a return. Well... that's good news if you want torque and don't care about the environment very much. The 4.2 TDI that was recently discontinued will be replaced by a 4.0 TDI. The number of turbochargers is a mystery, but we probably have until around 2020 to figure it out.
A 2.0 TSI turbo with around 250 hp will also be available in China. However, as the T-Prime previewed, there will also be electric motors powering the SUV. An onboard battery should give it the usual 50 km (31 miles) range.
The levels of luxury will also change. And for that, we leave you with Thomas from Autogefuhl and his 33-minute walkaround. Can you tell we're not that excited? That's because Volkswagen keeps trying to reinvent the wheel instead of fixing it.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News