ABT Sportsline tuning house prepared a body kit and a performance package for Volkswagen Touareg. The German’s SUV so became much more sporty and aggressive.

The Bavarian tuners of ABT Sportsline have presented the public a body kit and a performance for Volkswagen Touareg. On the exterior, the German SUv received a revised front grille, new side skirts, a rear diffuser and a massive spoiler. For the ABT’s equation to be complete, the German model will benefit from a new exhaust system and a set of 22-inch alloy wheels.

But the German’s surprise comes from under the hood of the SUV. For the version with the 3.0-liter engine, the German tuners have prepred 2 stage of the performance package. The first stage kit increases Touareg’s power to 282 HP and 375 lb-ft, and the second stage develops 306 HP and 450 lb-ft.

But ABT Sportsline’s icing on the cake comes with the 4.2-liter engine, now featuring 380 HP and 642 lb-ft of torque. “More power wouldn’t hurt with a car as diverse as this, but it was important for us that the tuning suited the characteristics of the Touareg”, said Christian Abt, General Manager of ABT Sporstline.

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The new Volkswagen Touareg already receives first cosmetic changes. We speak here of changes both externally and internally, especially … at the engine.  The Germans from JE Design took a V8 TDI 4.2-liter engine Touareg  and they start made changes. Good changes!

The second generation of the VW  Touareg  is a pleasant image for a SUV .  But people from JE DESIGN considered a dull and poorly prepared on  the factory, so they have  put gloves on and  began the modifications.

Volkswagen Touareg Modified By JE Design

The giant 4.2-liter diesel engine  that produces 340 HP and 800 Nm of torque,  has been modified and “empowered” with some extra HP’s.  So the new version with modifications to the engine, now has 410 HP and a  huge couple, 930 Nm of toeque. Prin urmare, de la 0 la 100 de km/h acest Touareg ajunge in doar 5.4 secunde, iar viteza maxima este de 269 km/h. Therefore, from 0 to 60 mph  this new Volkswagwn Touareg comes in just 5.4 seconds and the top speed is 167 mph.

Stock suspension was modified and received an electric mode that allows lowering the car with 35 mm .  An completely aerodynamic kit  helps at full speed but also to the external image. It is composed of front bumper, grille, wheel arches, extended rear bumper and spoiler. In addition,  a custom exhaust system that produce a sound that is worthy of a V8 engine, even TDI,  and the client, when it comes to wheels, he can choose from a wide range.

Full treatment of the car cost almost $25,700 at  JE Design, but you get all the band, the engine upgrades, modifications to the exterior and interior. Cheap, huh?

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Lamborghini prepares a surprise to his fans. The platform used by VW Group for Cayenne and Touareg could be the basis for the first SUV model that Lamborghini will releases from 1993 onwards.

After nearly 20 years when he abandoned the idea of producing a SUV model, Lamborghini could return in this segment by produce a SUV on the VW Group platform, the platform used on Touareg and Cayenne at this time. The Italians want to march on the already path trodden by Porsche, whose SUV model was more successful than the officials of Stuttgart automaker expected.

According to the first available information, new Lamborghini SUV will target customers in the Middle East especially of the mark in Sant’Agata Bolognese. Not known the details of the design and style that they will adopt on the new Italian model, but there are voices who say that the new model will be built in the spirit of LM002, the pickup built by Lamborghini until 1993 and especially destinate for armed forces. It remains to be seen whether if the Italians will adopt a design that will be based on simplistic lines and the square of the old off-roader of range or if they will work intensely with Italdesign Giugiaro, the creative company recently purchased by VW Group with Automobili Lamborghini, to develop a model that keep the dynamic spirit of the road models of the mark.

LM002 (photo) was produced by Lamborghini between 1986 and 1993, this model was nicknamed “Rambo Lambo”. The SUV looks like in terms of design with the models that it has further promoted the American Hummer brand, the design was massive one, angular, totally different from Lamborghini presented at that time. The Hummer models similarities continue, LM002 is a model designed for military use in the first phase. The terrain model had full range of luxury items at the time, have a tank of 290 liter and a total mass of 5,950 pounds.

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Volkswagen announced that the next generation of Phaeton will be directed to the public from China and U.S.A, where the sales of the current model have not disappointed.

Although launched a facelift for its admiral ship recently, already working on next-generation Volkswagen Phaeton. It seems that the Germans have been deeply disappointed by the sales trends on the old continent, as for trying to model a shift to other markets as important.

More specifically, will develop a new Volkswagen Phaeton tailored to the needs of the public from China and United States and will abandon its ambition to fight with Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series rivals in Europe.

“There’s no doubt that the Phaeton absolutely has to go back to the US,” said a insider. “This is being reflected in the next version. It will look much more like a car for America.” That’s likely to mean a slight increase in size and far more ostentatious styling than the current, ultra-conservative look.

For a rapid development of the new Phaeton, the German automaker consider several variants. The first would be to use the A6 platform, the wheelbase increased, sold in China. The second assumption would be even aluminum platform, found on the A8.

The launch on markets with open appetite for big gasoline  engines, would make the future Phaeton to adopt V6, V8 and W12 units. For those who prefer diesel, already famous Germans made available V6 engine and a future V8, replacing the current 5.0-liter V10 TDI. engine Will not miss any hybrid version based on the propulsion train recently introduced on the new generation of Touareg.

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The facelift which will receive the VW Tiguan next year will be complemented by the launch of the Tiguan Plus versions.

Volkswagen will renew the aesthetic whole range until summer 2011, all models of the Wolfsburg automaker will receive the side that started the market with the launch of the Scirocco, two years ago.

After Phaeton and Touran have recently received facelifts which places them in the starts line by Scirocco, Golf, Polo, Sharan and Touareg, the next model will come under the scalpel will be VW Passat, the new generation of German C-segment sedan will be launched on market later this fall at the Paris Motor Show. Finally, the recent models which complete the general refresh of  Germans will be Passat CC, Eos and Tiguan. VW Tiguan will be large the range to please the customers who want some more space from the German model.

Concrete, the launching of the new VW Tiguan, which comes at the Geneva Motor Show 2011 will be completed by presenting a Tiguan Plus version. Although the name might suggest, as in the case of Golf Plus, a taller version, the Tiguan Plus will be only slightly longer, following the model customers to choose either as a third row of seats, or for an extra compartment for luggage.

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CoverEFX is a tuner out of Erftstadt, Germany, has taken it upon itself to bless the VW Touareg W12 with a little extra HP. While the company specializes in vehicle wraps of all shapes and sizes, it’s answered the prayers of soccer dads everywhere by throwing a little extra pep at the already insane SUV. With a little wrenching, the crew managed to bleed around 500 HP from the engine.

Aside from a reflashed ECU, the engine is nearly completely stock, save for a new air filter system and a free-flowing exhaust. The company also worked its magic on the SUV’s suspension, turning the high-riding ute into a belly-scraping beast with a new set of coilovers. The finished product rides on massive 22-inch Kahn RS-L wheels that only a mother could love.

Want one? CoverEFX says that the total package will set you back close to $188,000 at current conversion rates. Better hop on the phone soon, though. The tuner only plans on churning out 500 examples. Hit the jump for the press blast.

We think that the package is very expensive. Indeed, is a very aggressively package, but not worth never $188,000. We post some images and we wait opinions if the package deserve the lot of money.

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Volkswagen has announced that the new generation Touareg will also be available in the US without all-wheel drive. The version will be named 2Motion and will receive all the power on the rear axle.

Volkswagen tries to make the new generation Touareg model to attract the Americans, so they decided to offer the new SUV without all-wheel drive.

More specifically, the US customers can opt for an entry-level version of the SUV, equipped with a V6 TSI 3.0-liter engine, capable of delivering 333 HP on the rear axle only. This version would be called 2Motion, but this name is scheduled to make its debut on the European market first.

However, in Europe, the new Volkswagen Touareg with rear wheel drive will be powered by a twin-turbo diesel, 2.0-liter TDI, and this would be the base version in the range of the German SUV. So, in these conditions it is expected that the starting price of the new Touareg do drop in Europe too, with at least a couple of thousands euros.

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Volkswagen officially introduced the official photos of the second generation Touareg. The new model borrows the lines of Golf and applies them on a larger scale. Great news: The Touareg is now hybrid too!

Volkswagen unveiled today the official model that will carry forward the tradition of the brand’s SUVs , started in 2002. Although at first was it regarded as a freak in a range that seemed complete, Touareg has found his place on the market very fast, managing to cover a hole that Volkswagen heads have marched on getting help from the image of elegance and semi-premium of their model. Well, the main opponent of the X5 and ML, returning with new forces, with a generation hoping to at least match the 500,000 Volkswagen Touareg copies sold world wide so far.

DESIGN

On the exterior, the new Touareg remains faithful to the design principles that mad him famous, showing that the creative people of Volkswagen wanted to signal a normal evolution of the current model, not choosing a revolution that would have landed the German SUV on minefield. The lines are more dynamic, full of power, the front is borrowed from the smaller brothers Golf, Polo and Scirocco, with lamp units that extend, continuing the grill. The stamp that is individualizing the Touareg is represented by the “games” inside the lamp units, the German designers taking advantage of the generous dimensions provided by the Touareg’s elements to frame the headlights in rectangular of LEDs. In the rear, the taillights seem an evolution of the ones found on Golf, the big change here being represented by the appearance on the side of the exhaust system endings.

INTERIOR / TECHNOLOGY

Inside, the Touareg is stuffed with the latest technology, the systems filling a cockpit that stays in the limits of the classic Volkswagen. The German engineers have equipped the Touareg with the new camera system allowing real time observation of the elements around the car during parking maneuvers, with an automatic system that sets the beam / running lights, with a GPS package with 6.5 inch screen accompanied by an own hard drive, and a four-area air-conditioning system. Touareg 2′s technical facilities continue with a series of last generation pneumatic suspension, and especially with the eight-speed automatic transmission available on the standard version.

THE HYBRID VERSION

The new generation of the German model gets rid of no less than 459 lb in the basic version, the most spectacular appearance being signed by the hybrid drive train that combines the turbo V6 petrol engine of 333 HP whit an electric drive of 47 horse to reach a reasonable total of 380 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque. The electric motor is placed by the German engineers between the automatic gearbox with eight speeds and the gasoline engine, being able to move new Toureg by himself and the carry it using 100% electric power up to as speed of 30 mph. In these conditions, Touareg Hybrid displays an average mileage of 28.6 mpg.

Touareg Hybrid (380 hp, 580 Nm) – average mileage 28.6 mpg. 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds, top speed 149 mph.

CLASSIC ENGINES

The customers that are less oriented towards ecology can still benefit from a full range of petrol and diesel engines beginning with the V6 FSI with 280 HP, switching to the 3.0-liter V6 TDI diesel with 240 HP engine, fitted with Start & Stop as standard and reaching to the new Volkswagen V8 TDI engine of 4.2-liter and 340 HP, which we found two months ago on the new generation Audi A8. Volkswagen officially drops the V10 and W12 engines found on the previous generation, which are no longer facing the environmental rigors of the time.

Touareg V6 FSI: 280 HP, 265 lb-ft of torque, average mileage 23.7 mpg

Touareg V6 TDI: 240 HP, 406 lb-ft of torque, average mileage 31.7 mpg

Touareg V8 TDI: 340 HP, 590 lb-ft of torque, average mileage 25.8 mpg

LAUNCH

The 2011 Volkswagen Touareg will be presented on March 2, at the Geneva Motor Show, where Porsche will also bring the new Cayenne model created on the same platform as the VW SUV. Touareg can be ordered from European dealerships as of April, as the prices of the model will be announced after the official launch.

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Volkswagen Touareg was betrayed by its small-scale version, the images of a toy embodying the next generation Touareg being shown.

Touareg’s secret was partly exposed, at least apparently this model being involuntarily shown through some small-scale models. In fact the secret was not so great, the future Touareg being wanted to align, like all the VW’s models since the launching of 2009 VW Golf, to the new brand image. And its silhouette seems a subtle evolution of the current model.

As for the engines, it seems that the new model will receive two 3-liter engines. One of the engines will be a TDI and will provide 240 HP while the other will be turbocharged gas engine and will deliver around 290 HP.

As for its dimensions it is said that this model will offer some more interior space, which will mean that the external measures will slightly be increased, but not much. The pictures of the  real-scale model should appear next month, and formal disclosure is made on March 1 in Geneva.

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Carlos Sainz climbed to first place in general ranking of the Dakar Rally after leader Stephane Peterhansel had transmission problems, loosing over two hours.

The fifth stage of the Dakar Rally 2010, held during the day of Wednesday, in Argentina, between Capiaco and Antofagasta, brought a new leader on the general driver ranking.

Although he settled himself comfortably on first place in the last two days, Stephane Peterhansel had technical problems with the transmission of the BMW X3 and lost over two hours. At the wheel of a Volkswagen Touareg, Carlos Sainz took advantage of his rival’s problems and climbed on the first position of the ranking, even though he finished the Wednesday stage second, behind his team-mate Mark Miller.

Sainz could even win the yesterday stage only if he had not had to stop to change a tire, while the podium of the fifth stage was completed by another pilot Volkswagen, Nasser Al-Attiyah.

In the general ranking, the German automaker has already monopolized the top three places, Sainz being followed by Al-Attiyah and Miller, while Robby Gordon dropped in 4th place at the wheel of a Hummer. Instead, Peterhansel was relegated to 10th place in the general top in the wake of the problems encountered in Wednesday stage, at two hours and four minutes behind Sainz.

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