It's been announced that Volkswagen will finally unveil the next-generation of its Touareg flagship SUV at a special launch event to be held in China on March 23. And ahead of this important new model's debut, the German automaker has released a teaser image that shows the new headlight arrangement, and little else, it has to be said.
This new version of the Touareg will have to cope with increasing competition in its segment from the likes of the Ford Edge, and we have already seen a design sketch from Volkswagen showing something of what to expect. No details have been officially released yet, but the new teaser image suggests the new Touareg will use the manufacturer's Matrix LED lighting system.
The good news is it appears the production version isn't going to stray too far away from the impressive T-Prime concept we saw at the last Beijing Motor Show, which even at the time, people were suggesting would eventually become the next Touareg.
It's no surprise Volkswagen is choosing China as the venue for unveiling such a high-profile new model as the market for SUVs in the country is enormous, and many manufacturers are now starting to use China for debuting new global models.
As well as a smart new design, the new third-generation Touareg will also make a big leap forward from the current model in terms of the technology available inside, as Volkswagen looks to move the model towards the more premium end of the SUV market. It's even thought that top-of-the range versions of the new Touareg could cost in excess of 79,000 euros (£70,000/$97,500), which starts to verge on Range Rover territory.
As Volvo is now repositioning itself as a more premium brand, Volkswagen is looking to do something along similar lines by becoming the more mainstream premium brand under the VW Group umbrella. That would then move it closer to Audi in terms of prestige than other VW Group brands such as Skoda and SEAT. The first serious move in that direction started with the Arteon, which is a direct rival for BMW's 4 Series Gran Coupé, but Volkswagen will try to take its image to an even more premium level with the introduction of the next Touareg.
