JEDDAH, 18 May 2007 — Touareg, VW’s luxury sport utility vehicle, unveiled its eight- cylinder direct-injection engine model in Jeddah on Wednesday night.
Samaco Automotives Co., exclusive distributor of Volkswagen Automobiles in Saudi Arabia, launched the 2007 Touareg SUV with new, more luxurious features at its showroom on Madinah Road.
“Since Touareg’s introduction in 2003, it has sold 300,000 units, making it one of the most successful luxury SUVs in the world. This was an exceptional performance for Volkswagen since it was its first SUV on the market.”
“The Kingdom is one of the markets that has appreciated Touareg’s performance and achieved high sales figures. We are confident that our success with the Touareg will continue with the new model that now features a wider range of options and even more powerful engines,” he added.
“With 2,300 new parts, the new Touareg symbolizes a completely new generation of contemporary SUVs,” Mustafa Sabra, general manager of Volkswagen at Samaco, said. “The Touareg unites the world of off-road vehicles with the comfortable dimensions of a luxury sedan and the dynamic attributes of a sports car. Power and robustness are only demonstrated where required by functionality. All other design elements of the body radiate contemporary elegance and self-assured dynamics.”
Within four years, close to 300,000 drivers worldwide have chosen to drive the Volkswagen Touareg.
On countless expeditions, the automotive globetrotter has circled the world, setting numerous records and winning the hearts of car and SUV fans alike. “Throughout the Middle East, the Touareg has achieved widespread popularity, a trend that is echoed around the globe as the Touareg now stands as one of the most successful luxury SUVs in existence, winning award after award. Today, a newly developed, advanced generation of the bestseller is available throughout the Middle East,” he added.
The front-end of the Touareg has been completely redesigned making it immediately recognizable as a new generation car by its insignia radiator grille in chrome look that has become an unmistakable stylistic feature of the Volkswagen brand. Additional features include distinctive headlamps, new wheels and colors as well as the interior, which has been refined by two seating systems and new visual and ergonomic designs.
The Touareg is the first Volkswagen to offer an eight cylinder direct-injection engine. The powerful 280 HP 24-valve six cylinder engine (maximum power at 6,250 rpm) accelerates the Touareg to 100 km/h in just 8.6 seconds and develops a maximum torque of 360 Newton-meters at 2,500 to 5,000 rpm.
The Touareg is equipped with a whole range of high-end technologies for optimized safety.
Its “automatic cruise control” automatically brakes and accelerates the car up to a vehicle speed defined by the driver which enhances ride comfort, especially during a long drive. The system can brake the car to a full stop if required by the traffic situation.
Another technological highlight is the “Front Scan” function integrated in automatic distance control. Front scan serves to prevent collisions. The system uses a radar sensor to monitor distances to other cars in traffic ahead of the Touareg.
Another driver assistance system being introduced for the first time in the new generation of Touareg cars and for the first time in a Volkswagen is the “Side scan lane change assistance.” This system monitors areas behind and next to the Touareg and informs the driver of potential risk of collision via an indicator lamp in the outside mirrors.
“For the first time, models with air suspension can be equipped with an innovative sport chassis. This so-called driving dynamics package counteracts body roll of the car when cornering by actuating the electronically controlled dampers,” Sabra said.
The Touareg is powered by a six-speed gearbox, either manual or automatic, depending on the engine variant.
