New Volkswagen Touareg revealed in China

With an all-new design to the body, the vehicle comes with more interior space than before – with 113 litres more boot space – and the model is longer and wider. The increase in size allows for greater interior volume, which increases the luggage capacity from 697 litres to 810, with all of the seats in place. Having a screen for a gauge cluster is nothing new, nor is an infotainment screen, which is why Volkswagen made a decision to jam the two together. That’s where you find the new “fully digitised Innovision Cockpit”, or as you and I would call it two enormous screens stitched together to look like one big one, with a notable absence of buttons. As with many vehicles in the Volkswagen range, full smartphone connectivity will be included, with MirrorLink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A driver’s head-up display can be added as an option.

Is there a seven-seat Touareg? A V6 petrol engine of 340hp is set to follow, while a V8 turbodiesel of 421hp is also planned and is predicted to be in the eventual United Kingdom line-up.

At the Touareg’s global launch, Volkswagen announced that “at least 10 further SUVs [are] planned for the Chinese market by 2020”.

By promoting the Touareg upmarket, one has to wonder whether it will cannibalize sales of the Audi Q7 once it will go on sale in Europe by late June.

At launch, the engine lineup will consist of two 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesels that make 286 hp (282 bhp) and 231 hp (228 bhp), both linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox that sends torque to all four wheels via the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system.

Earlier this week the manufacturer released a teaser video for the new Touareg. They’re all controlled by a new Innovision Cockpit, an upgrade on VW’s existing Digital Cockpit. The Golf family consist of the Golt TSI in Sportline and R-Line, the Golf GTI and Golf R. Retaining its charisma from the past models, it also comes with updated details such as redesigned bumpers, newly conceptualised headlights and LED tail lights. Atmosphere cars, for example, get leather and wood materials inside, while Elegance cars feature glossy plastics.

Standard equipment on United Kingdom cars is likely to include LED lights, cloth seats, a 9.2in infotainment screen, panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control and automatic wipers, plus automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. The most popular trim level among United Kingdom buyers is expected to be R-Line.

Despite the minor size increase, the new Touareg is significantly lighter than the second-generation auto. Also featuring are Roadwork Lane Assist, to steer, brake and accelerate for drivers at speeds of up to 37mph.