These clever stickers hide any change in the front clip of your SUV.
Although the Volkswagen Touareg was discontinued in North America several years ago it is still popular elsewhere. The third generation SUV was introduced in 2018 and it appears that a minor facelift will soon be made.
You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference by simply looking at these spy photos. VW is quite creative with camouflage. They use strategically placed stickers and wraps with current design features printed on their outside to conceal changes underneath. This technique has been used on several other VW prototypes and it is, to the credit of the automaker, extremely effective. It’s difficult to see the changes coming to this model even if you take a closer look at these images.
However, we can draw inferences from stickers. In this case facelift would be a good term. The changes are limited to the Touareg’s grille, headlights and lower fascia. The grille appears to be shrinking, with the lower corners not extending below the headlights. While stickers may hide any changes in the lenses, the overall shape should remain the same. The lower fascia has larger corner vents and a slight arch at its top.
The exterior remains unchanged. However, a new set of taillights may be possible for the production model. Minor interior changes are expected, although our spy teams were unable to get close enough to the prototypes to take a look inside. We expect minor visual changes to the interior, as well as powertrain options to be retained. This includes both gasoline and diesel engines, as well as plug-in hybrids. The engines could be infused with mild-hybrid technology to improve their efficiency.
Although this is the first time we have seen the facelifted Tuareg, due to the minor changes, we don’t expect a long evaluation period. It is possible that the debut will be made in late 2018 or early next year. This could likely happen as a model for 2023.