A New VW Touareg Could Happen, But It's Complicated

Now, say reports from Germany, the Touareg could be back. It could even be the model that launches the Volkswagen SSP advanced electric architecture.

German news outlet Automobilwoche is reporting that the Touareg will come back within a few model years, but it will be unrecognizable. Volkswagen has recently begun giving its electric models real names as they replace or sell alongside gasoline-fueled counterparts. The ID.2 is now the ID. Polo, and we have confirmation that there will be an ID. Golf and an ID. Tiguan. So where does the Touareg fit into all this?

ID. Lineup Could Get An Off-Roader
Now, it appears, there will be an ID. Touareg. That's right, the enduring SUV could go electric. The current and past versions of Volkswagen's flagship SUV have used the same platform as Porsche's Cayenne. This one, it seems, could leapfrog it to an even more advanced platform.

According to the report, the Volkswagen ID. Roc, the electric T-Roc, was set to be the first model on VW's new SSP architecture. The ID. Golf was also set to show up early on in its life. But issues with cutting costs as well as delays in moving the gas Golf to Mexico and tooling up Wolfsburg for the electric have reportedly put the Touareg next in line to be the first.

Volkswagen's SSP models are set to be among the first VW Group vehicles to benefit from the automaker's partnership with Rivian. VW and Rivian announced the partnership in 2024. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe recently said that he was "excited" to have his tech in VW vehicles, and that it would help deliver a low-cost structure with and result in new flagships for VW Group models.

If the Touareg's line in Bratislava ends next year as expected, that could be the time VW needs to get retooled. The revised production line could be ready to go by 2029, and under the current timeline expectations, that would make it the first SSP model. The Touareg is also very profitable, which doesn't hurt the push to get it to market. Automobilwoche explains this is based on logic and not confirmed, which means it's speculation. But educated speculation.

But it's also complicated and depends on the combustion Touareg going away as planned. And well, things are a bit wild right now regarding future vehicles. Remember when Ram dropped the Hemi and debuted an electric truck? We know how that all worked out, in both instances.

It's Still Probably Not Going To Replace The Atlas
Whatever Volkswagen has planned, it's not as likely that any new Touareg will come to the US. The full-sized SUV would compete against Rivian's own R1S large SUV model. It would also bump up against the group's new Scout brand models. Were those not enough, Volkswagen's own Atlas is designed and built specifically with the needs of the American car market in mind. An ID. Atlas is a possibility, but that's pure speculation.

The Volkswagen Touareg first launched in the US in 2003. The SUV arrived at a time when Volkswagen, under Ferdinand Piech, was firing moonshot after moonshot at the car market. It's the era that brought us the return of Bugatti, a Volkswagen sedan based around a Bentley, and more. That helps explain why the first-generation Touareg was offered with Range Rover levels of off-road capability. Adjustable-height air suspension systems, locking differentials at the front, center, and rear, and even a low range center diff.

In its first generation, the Touareg offered a W12, a V10 TDI, and some other absurd choices. The second-generation was only slightly more conventional, but when the third-generation launched in 2018, Volkswagen made the decision to build the Atlas for the US instead. The Touareg lived on in European and other international markets.