Volkswagen Touareg nameplate pensioned off

The 2026 Volkswagen Touareg will be quietly killed off next year after 24 years on sale and three generations without any replacement planned.

According to Autocar, sources say that production of the large luxury VW Touareg will end next year, leaving just the three-row mid-size Tayron as the firm’s largest SUV model in its range.

Developed alongside the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne, the Touareg and heavily related Phaeton limousine were both part of grand plans by VW’s chairman Ferdinand Piëch to push Volkswagen upmarket.

Behind the scenes, the reason to not go ahead and develop a fourth-generation Touareg is that the new lower-priced Tayron is thought to have a far broader appeal and it enables VW to sell the mid-sizer in more of its global markets.

The Tayron has two- or three-row seating layout, an ability to tow up to 2500kg and its all-wheel drive 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine makes it more practical, versatile, cheaper to run and more affordable than its bigger, more luxurious brother.

As well as the Touareg, the same insider says VW will also kill off its ID.5 SUV coupe as it has failed to win an audience in the Chinese market which it was created for. Instead, the more practical ID.4 SUV will live on once the ID.5 is phased out in 2027.

The decision to cull two models is a new strategy by Volkswagen to streamline its range to help it concentrate on high-volume models. The new direction means plans for a shrunken ID.Buzz minivan with retro styling to replace the current Touran may no longer happen, despite plenty of enthusiasm for it behind the scenes.

Instead, the source says Volkswagen and partner Skoda will focus on producing more crossovers and SUV models that are demanded by buyers.

The same insider said another reason for not pushing ahead with niche products, like the mini ID. Buzz, is that Volkswagen’s Braunschweig R&D centre currently has a lack of capacity as engineers are “pushed to the limit” by the new all-electric Mk9 Golf’s development.

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