Third-gen Volkswagen Touareg spotted on test

Volkswagen’s full-size SUV, the Touareg is due for an upgrade. It is in fact getting ready for an official unveiling later this year. 

Now in its third generation, the Touareg was recently spotted testing in pre-production prototype form. The vehicle was seen testing in the northern parts of Sweden. Considering that the new Touareg will not exactly feature a ground-breaking design, the camouflaged elements will be refined to bring them up to current VW design trends. 

The interior remains a mystery for now, but there shouldn't be too many surprises compared to the rest of the current Volkswagen line-up. Expect a new infotainment system and more semi-autonomous features.

Despite its bigger footprint, the new Touareg will weigh significantly less than the current model, mainly thanks to its aluminium-intensive MLB Evo platform. The latter is shared with the latest Audi Q7, the Bentley Bentayga and the upcoming 2018 Porsche Cayenne and Lamborghini Urus. Engine-wise, you should expect more hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions while an all-electric variant later on in the production cycle isn't out of the question either. 

The new Touareg is expected to be unveiled sometime close to the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.