DETROIT – Volkswagen of America, Inc. revealed its highly anticipated SUV today at the Detroit Auto Show and announced a starting price tag of $34,900, making it the most affordable and best-equipped German luxury model of its type sold in North America. In Canada, the price is $52,100 Canadian.
The 2003 Volkswagen Touareg, pronounced “Tour-regg,” will go on sale in the U.S. and Canada beginning this summer and come in two initial versions, one model equipped with a 3.2-liter, 220 horsepower V6 engine and another with a 4.2-liter, 310 horsepower V8.
In describing the Touareg’s unique place in the market, Volkswagen is highlighting the SUV’s unmatched and uncanny combination of refined German luxury, Autobahn road performance, and mountain-goat tenacity to triumph over the toughest off-road terrain. “The Touareg redefines the limits of mobility and stretches the limits of freedom. It rewrites the story of what SUVs should be all about,” said Dr. Jens Neumann, Volkswagen AG’s member of the Board of Management in charge of North America. Volkswagen also announced pricing for its V8 model, which will start at $40,700 in the United States ($60,550 Canadian).
Both the V6 and V8 models offer a class- leading level of features and off- road engineering. For example, the V6 Touareg comes with standard items such as wood trim, eight-way adjustable leatherette seating, power glass sunroof, dual-zone Climatronic temperature control with rear seat controls, six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic, multi-function leather wrapped steering wheel, automatic rain-sensor window wipers, alloy wheels and many more items.
Uniquely, these features are combined with on- and off-road performance equipment, including a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system with ESP, automatic hill-decent control, low-range transfer case, and center differential locking, to name a few. The V8 version reaches an even higher level of refinement and all-road mobility with full leather 12-way power adjustable seating, 18- inch alloy wheels, and many more luxury items.
In combination, the V8 provides an optional four-corner air-suspension with Continuous Damping Control (automatic height adjusting for all driving conditions), as well as standard center and optional rear differential locking. Just a few of the safety items on both the V6 and V8 include front, side and head airbags and four-wheel ABS with emergency brake assist.
