Farewell tour: VW waves off Touareg with Final Edition

Jet Sanchez
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Limited-run Touareg marks final year of VW’s luxury SUV production.

Limited-run Touareg marks final year of VW’s luxury SUV production.

  • VW will end production of the combustion-powered Touareg in 2026, marking the SUV’s final model year.
  • The Touareg Final Edition is available to order until March 2026.
  • Across three generations since 2002, more than 1.2 million Touaregs have been sold in 39 global markets.

After more than two decades and over 1.2 million units sold, Volkswagen is bringing the curtain down on its flagship SUV. The Touareg Final Edition marks the end of combustion-powered production, available to order until March 2026.

Volkswagen Touareg New Zealand

When deliveries begin, every version from Elegance upward will wear discreet reminders of its place in history: Final Edition lettering etched into the rear window surrounds, embossed on the gear lever and glowing subtly in the illuminated dash and sill trims.

Volkswagen describes it as both a tribute and a transition. Since debuting in 2002 alongside the Phaeton, the Touareg has been VW’s ambassador to the premium class, pairing all-terrain ability with luxury-saloon manners.

Three acts of an SUV classic

Volkswagen Touareg generations

Touareg I (2002 – 2009) broke new ground with features like air suspension adjustable through six height levels and electromechanical roll stabilisation. Even the base models could ford 58cm of water or climb 45-degree slopes, while the range-topping V10 TDI packed 230kW and 750Nm, enough to move its 2.5-tonne mass to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds. Nearly half a million were sold.

Touareg II (2010 – 2018) grew larger and sleeker, introducing Volkswagen’s first hybrid drivetrain: a 3.0-litre V6 TSI paired with a 34kW electric motor for 279kW combined. It sprinted to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds yet returned just 8.2 L/100 km - remarkable for its day. Over 483,000 units left the factory.

Touareg III (since 2018) refined the formula with lighter aluminium construction, a fully digital cockpit and advanced roll-control systems checking body movement 400 times per second. Its star performer remains the Touareg R Hybrid, blending a 3.0-litre V6 with plug-in assistance for 340kW and 700Nm. More than 265,000 third-gens have been sold so far.

From Dakar to DARPA: Touareg’s wild side

Volkswagen Touareg Dakar

The nameplate’s achievements go beyond showrooms. Specially-built Race Touaregs dominated the Dakar Rally from 2009 to 2011, while the Touareg Stanley prototype famously won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, completing 212km of desert terrain autonomously years before “self-driving” entered the lexicon.

And in 2006, a V10 TDI Touareg towed a 155-tonne Boeing 747, setting a world record that’s still a pub-quiz favourite.

The Touareg’s blend of sophistication and muscle made it VW’s most cosmopolitan SUV - sold in 39 countries and quietly proving that understatement can, indeed, move mountains. The Final Edition signs off on that legacy with dignity and a touch of glow.

Volkswagen Touareg Dakar

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