VW, Porsche fighting over timetable of next Touareg, Cayenne
To the victors go the spoils, and with Porsche currently holding majority ownership of the drastically larger VW, the folks from Stuttgart get to call the product plan timing shots. The Touareg and Cayenne were launched together in late 2002 and refreshed for the 2008 model year, but Porsche wants the redesign of their best-selling product to arrive early in 2010, many months ahead of the Touareg. The problem, however, is that the two products are competitors.
If it doesn't seem like a VW and Porsche could ever compete head to head, this is the one obvious exception. Of course, both vehicles sit on the same platform, but the two SUVs also share a V6 engine, and the diesel Touareg can cost you over $75,000, which is definitely Porsche territory. AutoWeek quotes one executive as saying that if the situation doesn't get ironed out, the CEOs would have to "hammer this out." We don't find it surprising that VW is feeling a bit slighted here, because six or seven months can feel like a lifetime in product development, and the two SUVs already have an abnormally-long first generation lifespan. It'll be interesting to see who wins out in this battle.
[Source: AutoWeek]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
bmoredlj 11:24AM (6/20/2007)
V-dub's missin' out.
VW needs an entry-level SUV so it can compete in the broader market without overlapping with Porshce.
I know, the Tiguan is coming, but what if Porsche wants one of those too? If they want it, they'll get it. (And probably name it after another pepper/French colony or race)
I propose a Neue-Kurierwagen, or New Thing, to do battle with all the dozens of odd vehicles out there like the FJ Cruiser, Element, Xterra, etc. Maybe something that starts around $20K. Is that so hard for the people's car?
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N Z K 10:28PM (6/20/2007)
VW should know its own history. Remember how long it took them to get the first-gen Touareg out? Even if they do budget for early 2010, the earliest I'd expect to see it is mid-2013.
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