2018 VW Touareg (3rd gen) spied undisguised in South Africa

As expected, the styling of the new Touareg closely mirrors that of the VW T-Prime Concept, which was unveiled at the 2016 Beijing Motor Show. While the basic silhouette looks familiar, the front-end features VW's new family face, where the LED headlamps directly flow into a wide angular grille with chrome embellishers. The rear-end is yet to be revealed, but it will look more or less similar to the T-Prime concept.

Excluding the China-only VW Phideon, reports suggest that the Touareg will be the first global VW to ride on the more premium MLB Evo platform. It is certain to be lighter than the outgoing model, thanks to the increased usage of aluminium in its construction.

The engine lineup could include a range of TSI and TDI motors, such as the 2.0L 4-cyl TSI, 3.0L V6 TSI, 2.0 4-cyl TDI and 3.0 V6 TDI. A hybrid 'GTE' variant could also be in the cards, which would combine the 2.0L TSI with an electric variant. Transmission options could include a DSG or 8-speed automatic.