The rumors were right – the Tauerg’s days are numbered. Volkswagen has confirmed that its flagship SUV will be retired next year. Having sold 1.2 million units since its 2002 launch, the so-called “poor man’s” Audi Q will officially close the order books at the end of March 7, 2026. Before he leaves, Luxbridge will be featured in the final edition.
Truth be told, there’s nothing particularly sensational about Tovarg’s swan song. Available in all trim levels, the Ultimate Edition can be distinguished by the laser engraving on the base of the C-pillars. The same look appears inside, where “Ultimate Edition” is embossed into the leather covering the gear lever.
Ambient lighting has also been tweaked to display the phrase on the passenger side of the dashboard, while illuminated side sill plates carry the same message. Interesting stuff, I know. It seems that VW wasn’t too keen on giving the Tauranga a proper send-off, given its importance in Wolfsburg history.
In its home market, VW is charging 75,025, before the last Touareg option. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. Or is it? A line in the press release suggests the nameplate may return one day. The company specifically notes that this is the end of the “Towerig Combustion Engine Model”.
Photo by: Volkswagen
Since there’s no fully electric Twirg yet, VW didn’t really need to explain it. The press release headline even mentions “current Tauranga,” suggesting that a replacement may already be on the way. Perhaps this indicates that the name will live on as an EV. With incoming ID. Polo, VW has already said that future electric models will join the former traditional names of “ID”, hence an ID. The Tauranga may be on the horizon.
The original Tauranga retired that same year after nearly a decade of Ferdinand Piech running VW with an iron fist. With the Phaeton, it was part of an ambitious push to move the brand upmarket on Audi’s turf without throwing a diesel V-10 and gas W-12 into the mix. While the Phaeton folded after a single generation (cancelling a successor), the Targ endured through three generations, the latest being introduced to Americans as forbidden fruit in 2018.
All of Tauerg’s platform mates stick around. Porsche has confirmed that the gas-powered Cayenne will live into the 2030s. Audi is mulling an all-new Q7, and Bentley certainly isn’t discontinuing its mini-printing machine Bentayga. Likewise, Lamborghini will keep the Euros alive, with a second generation in 2029 featuring a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
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Source: Volkswagen
