Volkswagen Touareg launch in India soon

Generally, we have stayed away from news stories about premium and luxury vehicles in India.  The logic always was that very people would be able to afford them in any case and if they did, they would hardly make up their minds by reading articles on the Internet.  However, recently we have come to realize that there is a large audience out there that wants to read about these cars irrespective of whether they can afford them or not.

Here is a look and the approaching launch of the Volkswagen Touareg in India, quite possibly in December 2009.

Volkswagen Touareg photo

Volkswagen is currently running a brand building exercise in India by taking out large advertisements in newspapers and showing of all their vehicles in a new TV ad.  One of them is the Volkswagen Touareg SUV.

Photo: Volkswagen Touareg launch possible in December

The Volkswagen Touareg will come to India as a completely built unit (CBU) just like the Porsche Cayenne SUV and the Audi Q7 with which it shares a platform.  According to some reports, it will be priced between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 45 lakh on Indian roads.  We know that figure is hardly accurate, we are just reporting what we have heard.  We have heard crazier figures, so the only thing we can be sure about at this point is that the Volkswagen Touareg will be priced below the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7.

According to some recent newspaper advertisements which the company has taken out, the Volkswagen Touareg which will come to India will be a 3000 cc V6 diesel that produces 225 horsepower and a maximum torque of 550 Nm @ 1,750 – 2,250 rpm.

Classy eh? Volkswagen Touareg interior photo

As far as performance goes, the Volkswagen Touraeg does a 0 to 60 mph (96 kmph) run in 8.7 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 209 kmph (in the US version).  We do not know whether they would be an electronically limited to speak for the Indian version of the Touareg 3.0 TDI. Permanent AWD would be available too.

In pure technological sophistication, the Volkswagen Touareg will be extremely close to the Porsche Cayenne (Don’t forgive that it is a petrol SUV). The 3000cc Touareg is reasonably fuel efficient, very torquey, quiet inside, luxurious and extremely safe – it earned five stars in every NHTSA safety test except for a 4-star rating in the rollover test.

What we know so far is that it does not have the third row, like most other luxury SUVs.  This is unlikely to change for the Indian launch.

Standard features of the Volkswagen Touareg include automatic climate control, sonroof, keyless entry, bi-xenon headlamps, electric 12-way adjustable seats, and a pile more stuff which we will look quite silly reciting like kids and therefore, will avoid till the official launch in India.

So far, Volkswagen has been selling two sedans in India – the VW Jetta and the Passat.  Its first small car for India – the Volkswagen Polo – is nearing its official launch and we believe that it would happen somewhere near the upcoming 2010 Auto Expo.

Volkswagen Touareg specifications

2009 Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 TDI

Engine
3.0L / 221-hp DOHC 24-valve turbodiesel V-6

Compression ratio
16.8:1

Horsepower @ rpm
221 @ 3750 – 4000

Torque
550 Nm @ 1,750 – 2,250 rpm

Transmission
6-speed automatic w/ low-range transfer case
Steering

Suspension, front/rear    Double wishbone / Four-link independent

Wheels, size, type    7.5 x 17, alloy

Tires, size, type    255/60R17 all-season