The Volkswagen Touareg and its Porsche Cayenne sibling serve as the perfect example for the synergies between VW and Porsche. Porsche developed both SUVs, while VW builds them at its Bratislava, Slovenia, plant. Porsche fits V-8 engines into the SUVs’ bodies in its Leipzig, Germany, facility, while the V-6 engines of the entry Cayennes are fitted at VW’s plant in Slovakia. The partnership has worked well: the Cayenne has served Porsche's existing customer base while bringing new buyers to the brand, and the Touareg bolstered VW's claim that it is a premium carmaker more convincingly than the ill-fated Phaeton.
To the latter point, the Touareg has always impressed us with its mountain-goat-like off-road capability and superbly finished interior. Where it falls short of the competition, however, is in seating capacity—unlike some others in its class, it is just a five-seater—and its heft. It is simply too heavy, with curb weights well into the 5000-pound range.
With the next-generation Touareg, spied here, VW aims to address both shortcomings. A VW source hints at available third-row seating, but we advise you not to sell your Suburban yet, since, as in most SUVs of this type, it will be mostly symbolic in nature.
Impressively, the specification brief for the new Touareg called for up to 600 pounds to be shaved from the portly SUV, although our VW source acknowledges this target was rather optimistic, and won't stand when the Touareg reaches showrooms. With variation depending on engine choices, we believe half of the original target to be a more realistic figure.
We suspect that VW could either permanently diminish the Touareg’s off-road capability or make it optional; the company’s engineers must have watched with dismay as customers thwarted the capabilities of the all-wheel drive hardware with their beloved 18- to 20-inch wheels. In terms of saving weight and cost, taking out some of that unused capability is nearly a no-brainer.
U.S.-spec engine choices will likely include the current 3.6-liter V-6 and 4.2-liter V-8 gasoline engines, as well as the
3.0-liter V-6 TDI diesel. In Europe, the current V-10 TDI will make way for an Audi-sourced V-8 TDI with similar power—VW wouldn't abandon the upper diesel segment, our source says—since adjusting the V-10 for upcoming emission limits is too costly. The V-8 TDI does everything just as well, anyway. The silky-smooth 450-hp, W-12 gasoline engine, identical to the unit used in the top-of-the-line Audi A8L W12, will die or—we hope—simply hibernate until the economic crisis is over. A gasoline hybrid based on Audi's supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 is a done deal—we’ve already
driven a Cayenne so equipped—but it will be added to the lineup about a year after launch.
The exterior will be a forceful evolution of the current styling, and the interior will be slightly more sporty in style, adding contemporary infotainment systems. Don't expect too much of the Tiguan's kitschy details to migrate to the next-generation Touareg. This SUV, finalized under the guidance of Walter de'Silva, will break away from the glitzy style of Murat Günak, his predecessor.
The Touareg will be launched in Europe next April and in the U.S. later in 2010. While VW and Porsche are currently engaged in a war as to who will occupy the throne in their partnership, the dust should have settled by the time this ute reaches the market.
Kia Motors announced today that its popular cee’d hatchback ranked first in Driver Power’s Compact Family category, beating a competent batch of rivals from Volkswagen, Toyota, Fiat and other notable competitors in the segment. 
